Thunderstorm Wind, Fresno
- When
- May 19, 3:40 PM PST to 4:00 PM PST
- Where
- Fresno County, 3 mi NW of Selma
- Measured
- 30 kt (35 mph)
- Injuries
- 15 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $150,000
- Coordinates
- 36.600, -119.650
Damaging Wind in California, May 19, 1997
A large thunderstorm north of Fresno developing at 1400 PST provided an outflow with winds raising loose dust along Highway 99 southeast of the city after 1500 PST. Blowing dust lowered visibility to such an extent that 30 cars/trucks were involved in a chain-reaction crash injuring 15.
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
- 15
- Property damage
- $150,000
- 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 large thunderstorm north of Fresno developing at 1400 PST provided an outflow with winds raising loose dust along Highway 99 southeast of the city after 1500 PST. Blowing dust lowered visibility to such an extent that 30 cars/trucks were involved in a chain-reaction crash injuring 15. Spotter reports gave wind speeds only as high as 35 MPH with measured wind at the Fresno Air Terminal ASOS at 31 MPH as the gust front crossed the airport.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Rain in Pennsylvania, May 19, 1997
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, May 19, 1997
- Lightning Strike in California, May 19, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, May 19, 1997
- Flash Flood in California, May 19, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, May 19, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, May 19, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 19, 1997
- Flash Flood and Flood in Mississippi, May 19, 1997
- Flash Flood in Utah, May 19, 1997
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, May 19, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, May 19 to 31, 1997
More
Every storm in California in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in California, May 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: 5608765.