Alert archive / California / Flash Flood Warnings in 2025

Flash Flood Warning 15, NWS Hanford, CA

September 18, 2025Kern County, California

NWS Hanford, CA issued this flash flood warning at Sep 18, 2025, 7:20 PM PDT for Kern County, California. It was in force for 98 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 18, 2025, 7:20 PM PDT (02:20 UTC)
Expired
Sep 18, 2025, 8:58 PM PDT
In force
98 min
Issued by
NWS Hanford, CA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Kern County, CA

The radar

The Edwards AFB radar (KEYX), 110 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:25 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Las Vegas, NV (KVEF), launched 00:00Z, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 310 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Las Vegas, NV at 00:00Z on 2025-09-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Las Vegas, NV at 00:00Z on 2025-09-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 186 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1274 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
186 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
292 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Hanford, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Sep 18, 4:17 PM PDT, 3 hours 3 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • 1. Flood Watch in effect until Friday evening due to Slight (15-40 percent) risk of Excessive Rainfall across much of the region today and in the Sierra Nevada tomorrow. There is a marginal (5-15 percent) risk of Excessive Rainfall today in the northern portion of the Valley and Sierra Nevada and tomorrow in the east side of the Valley. 2. 15 to 30 percent chance of thunderstorms this afternoon through Friday morning across much of the region. 10-20 percent chance Friday afternoon in the Sierra Nevada and foothills, and a 5-15 percent chance in the San Joaquin Valley, Kern County mountains, and the Mojave Desert. 3. Temperatures rebound over the weekend into next week before another cooldown midweek.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 18, 4:17 PM PDT, 3 hours 3 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Hanford CA
417 PM PDT Thu Sep 18 2025

.KEY MESSAGES...
1. Flood Watch in effect until Friday evening due to Slight
(15-40 percent) risk of Excessive Rainfall across much of the
region today and in the Sierra Nevada tomorrow. There is a
marginal (5-15 percent) risk of Excessive Rainfall today in the
northern portion of the Valley and Sierra Nevada and tomorrow in
the east side of the Valley.

2. 15 to 30 percent chance of thunderstorms this afternoon
through Friday morning across much of the region. 10-20 percent
chance Friday afternoon in the Sierra Nevada and foothills, and
a 5-15 percent chance in the San Joaquin Valley, Kern County
mountains, and the Mojave Desert.

3. Temperatures rebound over the weekend into next week before
another cooldown midweek.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
This morning, showers began moving into our area from the
remnants of Tropical Storm Mario. However, as the center of the
low moves up the coast, it will bring more moisture into our
area later this afternoon and evening along with the chances of
thunderstorm. The rain amount from this storm especially
overnight and during thunderstorms had led to the issuance of
Flood Watches for most of the area through Friday evening. Burn
scars are the major concern due to the heavy rain. There is a 15
to 30 percent chance of thunderstorms from this afternoon to
Friday morning as the chances move from the Mojave to the Valley
to the Sierra Nevada. The heavy rain has led to a Slight risk of
excessive rainfall for most of the area.

Things begin to taper off Friday afternoon but the thunderstorm
chances will remain through the evening. The Sierra Nevada is
under a slight (15-40 percent) risk of excessive rainfall with
the eastern half of the Valley under a marginal (5-15 percent)
risk. Saturday through Monday, things dry out as temperatures
climb as a weak ridge develops and the trough moves west.
However, there remains a 5 to 15 percent chance of
thunderstorms over the Sierra Nevada. Ensembles diverge Monday
into the middle of next week regarding whether the cutoff low
that will remain in the Pacific to the west will be picked up by
a trough sliding in from the Pacific Northwest or if it weakens
and the trough slides well north across Washington.

&&

.AVIATION...
00Z Update:

Thunderstorm chances will creep in and will persist through 06Z
before primarily being over the mountains and Mojave desert. Lower
visibilities possible in heavier showers and lower clouds over the
mountains. Otherwise, VFR conditions will prevail for the next 24
hours.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
None.

&&

.CERTAINTY...

The level of certainty for days 1 and 2 is high.
The level of certainty for days 3 through 7 is medium.

Certainty levels include low...medium...and high. Please visit
www.weather.gov/hnx/certainty.html for additional information
and/or to provide feedback.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Flood Watch through Friday afternoon for CAZ321-322-331>339.

Flood Watch from 2 PM PDT this afternoon through Friday
afternoon for CAZ304>316.

Flood Watch through Friday evening for CAZ317>320-323>330.
&&

public...JPK
aviation....SM

weather.gov/hanford

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 18, 5:36 PM PDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Special weather statement, Sep 18, 6:13 PM PDT, 1 hour 7 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Local storm report, Sep 18, 6:46 PM PDT, 34 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Special weather statement, Sep 18, 6:50 PM PDT, 30 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Special weather statement, Sep 18, 6:59 PM PDT, 21 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Local storm report, Sep 18, 7:12 PM PDT, 8 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The office that day

Everything else NWS Hanford, CA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 18, 5:02 PM PDTAreal Flood AdvisoryHNXKings, Tulare4 hr
Sep 18, 5:11 PM PDTFlash Flood WarningHNXKern6 hr
Sep 18, 5:36 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNX24 min
Sep 18, 6:13 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNX32 min
Sep 18, 6:41 PM PDTFlash Flood WarningHNXKern4 hr
Sep 18, 6:50 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNX25 min
Sep 18, 6:59 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNX31 min
Sep 18, 8:01 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNX29 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in California, 2025Every flash flood warning in 2025

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.