Hail, Kern
- When
- February 17, 2:20 PM PST to 2:25 PM PST
- Where
- Kern County, Bakersfield
- Measured
- 1.5 in hail
- Coordinates
- 35.370, -119.000
Hail in California, February 17, 1997
Large hail accompanied the tornadic thunderstorm that passed through Southwest Bakersfield in mid-afternoon. 5 inches; one report at the site of the tornado indicated hail at 3/4 inch in diameter.
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.
Large hail accompanied the tornadic thunderstorm that passed through Southwest Bakersfield in mid-afternoon. Hail size varied from pea to 1.5 inches; one report at the site of the tornado indicated hail at 3/4 inch in diameter. In all cases the large hail was for a very brief time.
The radar
The Los Angeles radar (KVTX), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:18 UTC.
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
More
Every storm in California in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 1997
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: 5587214.