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Even on the heels of an uncommon winter of intense rain, wind and snow, the storm that slammed California on Tuesday got here with some stunning circumstances.
The storm was marked by highly effective winds within the Bay Space and different components of Central and Northern California that downed timber, created treacherous commuting circumstances, broke home windows in downtown San Francisco and triggered energy outages. The Nationwide Climate Service issued excessive wind warnings for a stretch of the coast from San Francisco to San Diego, in addition to inland areas, together with Palmdale, Lancaster and the Antelope Valley.
Fujiwhara impact
On Tuesday afternoon, because the storm approached the Bay Space, the system developed two “eyes,” or areas of low stress, leading to a “doubled-barreled blow” to San Francisco and Santa Cruz, stated Bay Space Nationwide Climate Service meteorologist Brian Garcia.
The uncommon prevalence, often called the Fujiwhara impact, intensified winds because the low-pressure areas danced round one another.
Rick Canepa, a Nationwide Climate Service meteorologist in Monterey County, cited the 2 low-pressure facilities “and presumably a 3rd one which can be simply type of rotating round one another.”
The phenomenon was contributing to peak gusts upward of 60 to 75 mph within the Santa Cruz Mountains, Canepa stated, with 50- to 60-mph winds throughout Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties.
Bomb cyclone
UCLA local weather scientist Daniel Swain pointed to different uncommon attributes of the climate system, together with a “sting jet,” or localized acceleration of winds subsequent to a low-pressure middle.
“The identify comes from the 3D visualizations of this characteristic,” he stated, “which look a bit bit like a scorpion’s tail descending from the sky.”
Swain stated in a briefing Tuesday that the system had reached the benchmark for bombogenesis, or a “bomb cyclone,” which signifies a fast drop in stress.
Not like an earlier bomb cyclone this winter about 1,000 miles southwest of San Francisco, this one “may be very near the coast,” Swain stated. “So the impacts are literally extra speedy and larger than they have been again then.
“The storm is absolutely raking Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties specifically,” he added as he reviewed radar pictures. “I’ve by no means seen something fairly prefer it.”
SoCal winds
Circumstances weren’t as unhealthy in Southern California, which noticed regular rain Tuesday, with extra set for Wednesday.
Winds have been sturdy from the south — unusual for the area, the place they sometimes come from the west, northwest or southeast, stated Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at Accuweather.
When winds originate from unusual instructions, it will increase the danger of toppling timber, as a result of root techniques “construct up” over time in response to extra typical patterns, Porter stated. That’s particularly regarding given how saturated the bottom is from current rainfall — one other issue that may make timber vulnerable to falling.
Landspout warning
The climate service issued particular statements masking giant swaths of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, citing the potential for pea-size hail and the opportunity of landspouts by way of late Tuesday afternoon.
Landspouts are much like tornadoes, however the circulation from the funnel begins at floor stage and is pulled up into towering cumulus clouds, in line with the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
It’s unclear if any developed.
There was even a twister warning issued in Ventura County, however none have been reported.
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