Hail in California, March 22, 1997

Name: Hail in California, March 22, 1997
Start: 1997-03-22T18:04
End: 1997-03-22T18:14
Location: California

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

5 inch hail in rural areas of western Kings County. Despite the size of the hail no reports of damage were received.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: $20,000
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.

Spotter reports of 1.5 inch hail in rural areas of western Kings County. Despite the size of the hail no reports of damage were received. However, it is likely some field crops (grains) did sustain damage but an amount is unable to be assessed.

The radar

The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 30 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:06 UTC.

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Event by event

1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Kings

When: March 22, 6:04 PM PST to 6:14 PM PST
Where: Kings County, 6 mi W of Stratford
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Crop damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 36.180, -119.920

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

Every storm in California in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5596654.