A convergence line over the southeast corner of the Southern San Joaquin Valley led to low-topped convection in a line from East Bakersfield southward toward Lamont. and State Highway 58 to the south.
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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 episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.
A convergence line over the southeast corner of the Southern San Joaquin Valley led to low-topped convection in a line from East Bakersfield southward toward Lamont. The resulting heavy rain from the narrow thunderstorm band over the sloped terrain of Northeast Bakersfield led to rapid rises in storm runoff with substantial water depths at several locations in a 12 square mile area bounded by the Panorama Bluffs to the north...River Blvd to the west...Fairfax Ave to the east...and State Highway 58 to the south. State Highways 178 and 58 were closed due to standing water in underpasses with numerous stalled vehicles throughout the area. Several residences and apartments were flooded due to the high runoff levels up to 3 feet in depth. A reliable spotter report indicated that 1.50" of rain fell between 1615-1715 PST (1.80" for the day) and was very similar in behavior to an event in June of 1972. Meadows Field only 3 miles to the west received only 0.17" of rain for the event.
The Edwards AFB radar (KEYX), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:15 UTC.
1 flood, 1 funnel cloud, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
With nearby thunderstorms and locally heavy rain...saturated soils continued to bring runoff into the town of Lamont where ponding basins are silted and water can only run down streets.
Numerous sightings of funnel cloud from Arvin to East Bakersfield.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in California, May 1998
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: 5636127, 5637748, 5637747.