Lightning, Fresno
- When
- October 9, 7:50 PM PST to 8:25 PM PST
- Where
- Fresno County, 9 mi N of Fresno
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 36.758, -119.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in California, October 9, 2000
Late evening convection brought numerous reports of locally heavy thundershowers beginning on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and then moved northeast toward the foothills of the Southern Sierra Nevada. One cell along the south border of Fresno County generated a severe thunderstorm warning with a high reflectivity value but a lack of spotter reports due to time-of-day could not give…
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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.
Late evening convection brought numerous reports of locally heavy thundershowers beginning on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and then moved northeast toward the foothills of the Southern Sierra Nevada. One cell along the south border of Fresno County generated a severe thunderstorm warning with a high reflectivity value but a lack of spotter reports due to time-of-day could not give verification of a severe event. A subsequent report of 4" of snow was received at Huntington Lake at the 7200-foot elevation of Fresno County overnight due to the thunder-snowshower activity. Another report of 4" of snow was received as well from Lodgepole in the Tulare County Mountains.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Kings
- When
- October 9, 8:45 PM PST to 9:10 PM PST
- Where
- Kings County, 4 mi NE of Hanford
- Reported by
- NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
- Coordinates
- 36.075, -119.815 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Thunderstorm Wind, Fresno
- When
- October 9, 9:40 PM PST to 10:10 PM PST
- Where
- Fresno County, 10 mi NE of Reedley
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 36.758, -119.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
- 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
- Extreme Cold in Arkansas, October 9, 2000
- Tornado in Oregon, October 9, 2000
- Lightning Strike in California, October 9, 2000
- Tornado in Oregon, October 9, 2000
- Frost and Freeze in Illinois, October 9, 2000
- Frost and Freeze in Missouri, October 9, 2000
- Rip Current in Guam, October 9, 2000
- Frost and Freeze in Indiana, October 9 to 10, 2000
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in California, October 9 to 10, 2000
- Waterspouts in Virginia, October 9, 2000
- Heavy Snow in Maine, October 9 to 10, 2000
- Winter Storm in Maine, October 9 to 10, 2000
More
Every storm in California in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in California, October 2000
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: 5162323, 5162325, 5162324.