Hail, Fresno
- When
- March 12, 1:45 PM PST to 1:50 PM PST
- Where
- Fresno County, Riverdale
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 36.430, -119.870
Hail in California, March 12, 1996
A closed, cold-core low passed over the Central San Joaquin Valley at the time of maximum heating on Tuesday, March 12. Numerous thunderstorms developed with some reaching severe limits.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.
A closed, cold-core low passed over the Central San Joaquin Valley at the time of maximum heating on Tuesday, March 12. Numerous thunderstorms developed with some reaching severe limits. Some cells spawned tornado activity. Agricultural losses are difficult to assess due to the early stages of crop development, including the blooming/leafing almond crop. This particular event was the intial one as reported by a Riverdale City Fireman.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Surf in California, March 12, 1996
- Tornado in California, March 12, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, March 12 to 13, 1996
- Heavy Snow in California, March 12 to 13, 1996
- Wildfire in New Mexico, March 12 to 19, 1996
- Funnel Cloud in California, March 12, 1996
- Hail in California, March 12, 1996
- Hail in California, March 12, 1996
- Hail in California, March 12, 1996
- Hail in California, March 12, 1996
- Tornado in California, March 12, 1996
- Funnel Cloud in California, March 12, 1996
More
Every storm in California in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5564582.