Damaging Wind in California, February 23, 1998

Name: Damaging Wind in California, February 23, 1998
Start: 1998-02-23T13:30
End: 1998-02-23T14:00
Location: California

February 23, 1998 · NWS HNX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $100,000
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.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Fresno

When: February 23, 1:30 PM PST to 2:00 PM PST
Where: Fresno County, 3 mi NNE of (Fch) Chandler Af
Property damage: $100,000
Coordinates: 36.770, -119.800

As a thunderstorm gust front swept through Fresno, trees and powerlines were downed. Over 18,000 electric utility customers went without power in the area and a tree was toppled onto a house near San Joaquin Memorial High School in north-Central Fresno beginning at 1:30 PM PST. With the thunderstorm activity some small hail was also reported...sizes less than 3/4" were reported at Selma in south-Central Fresno County near the same time. As a precursor to this event, gusty wind to 50 MPH was reported in the West Merced County area of Pacheco Pass at 1015 PST...but no damage was reported at that time in the area.

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

Every storm in California in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in California, February 1998

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: 5639460.