Unexpected severe storm peaks in Porterville with high winds

An “above-average” storm the blanketed the area on Thursday night peaked here in Porterville.

Meteorologist Jim Dudley, with the National Weather Service office in Hanford, on Friday said the Porterville Airport saw wind gusts of 45 mph.

“That’s when we knew what we were dealing with,” he said.

Two air masses — one of which developed near Lake Isabella, and another which formed in the southwest — collided above Porterville at 7:55 p.m., causing an intense series of lightning strikes and rain, Dudley said.

“There was a lot of wind and a lot of dust, so it was a widespread thunderstorm event,” he said. “There’s no doubt about it.”

A shade structure secured by two 300-pound concrete bases at Arnie’s All-American Car Wash, 59 N. Third St., was no match for the intense wind gusts.

The structure was blown over, and its tarp was ripped.

Owner Arnie Gonzalez estimated the damage at about $8,000.

“I couldn’t believe what happened,” he said. “We’ve gone through some strong winds here, but nothing like that. There’s just not much you can do with Mother Nature.”

Local fire personnel hustled Thursday night and Friday morning to several different locations.

Tulare County Fire Department staff responded between 6:56 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. Friday to 28 downed power lines, 10 grass fires, two arching power lines and a felled tree across Pine Street in Exeter.

Five additional trees, Capt. Larry Stucker said, had fallen on local residences.

“The phone was ringing off the hook in our dispatch center,” he said. “We were moving people all over the county. It was a busy night for us.”

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection personnel were dispatched to 11 separate fires, Capt. Larry Harris said.

The majority of those were extinguished by the rain. The storm dropped .18 inches on rain in Porterville, according to AccuWeather.com.

Harris said Cal Fire firefighters are still committed Friday to two fires: Conda 3, located southeast of Fountain Springs, and Boyd, located approximately five miles north of Woodlake.

The Porterville Fire Department responded between 7:30 and 11:30 p.m. Thursday to 16 calls, 10 of which were storm-related.

One call concerned a fire involving three structures on the 100 block of North Porter Road.

The total damage was estimated at about $550, PFD Public Information Officer Dan Holloway said.

The National Weather Service calls for a high of 93 today and a 90-degree day Sunday. The AccuWeather forecast shows possible thunderstorms Friday night and Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

There was good news, though.

According to Traffic Sgt. Bob Blankenship with the Porterville Police Department, there were no traffic accidents reported.

“It just shows people were aware of the weather conditions,” he said, “and we appreciate that.”

-- Contact Alex K.W. Schultz at 784-5000, Ext. 1045.