California, 1997

Hail in California, March 22, 1997

March 22, 1997 · NWS HNX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Severe thunderstorms developed over Central California during the afternoon hours. Two distinct bands of thunderstorms moved from the southwest to northeast during this day affecting the Kings/Fresno County area with one band and the Kern County area with the other.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$20,000
Crop damage
$1.6 million
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.

Severe thunderstorms developed over Central California during the afternoon hours. Two distinct bands of thunderstorms moved from the southwest to northeast during this day affecting the Kings/Fresno County area with one band and the Kern County area with the other. Not only did the storms produce numerous incidents of hail and one tornado, but locally heavy rain from one thunderstorm led to local flooding in downtown Bakersfield, Kern County. Hail damage for Fresno and Kings Counties for this day is summarized in this report as ag commissioner figures did not differentiate damage by location within the counties. There were reports that cars were dented by the hail along the west side of the San Joaquin Valley as reported by ag-aviation operators.

The radar

The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:26 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Fresno

When
March 22, 3:25 PM PST to 3:40 PM PST
Where
Fresno County, 17 mi WSW of Mendota
Measured
0.75 in hail
Property damage
$20,000
Crop damage
$1.6 million
Coordinates
36.650, -120.670

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, March 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: 5596651.