California, 2001

Drought in California, January 1 to 31, 2001

January 1 to 31, 2001 · NWS HNX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 drought, as filed by the National Weather Service.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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 forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Hanford, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 31, 8:15 PM PST, 3 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 31, 8:15 PM PST, 3 hours 45 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
815 PM PST SUN DEC 31 2000

SHORTWAVE OFF THE CENTRAL COAST AND UPPER LOW WEST OF BAJA WERE
TRANSPORTING BKN CI ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA THIS EVE.
HOWEVER...00Z PROGS ARE SIMILAR AND APPEAR REASONABLE SHOWING
MOISTURE EXITING OVERNIGHT AS UPPER RIDGE ONCE AGAIN BUILDS OVER THE
ERN PAC.

OTHERWISE...RATHER TRANQUIL WX NIGHT OVER THE DISTRICT AS OFFSHORE
SURFACE GRADS REMAIN WITHOUT ANY UPPER SUPPORT. SJ VALLEY AIRMASS
HAS UNDERGONE LITTLE CHANGE DURING THE PAST 24 HOURS AND...WITH ONLY
THIN CI...CURRENT FOG/FROST ADVISORIES APPEAR ON TRACK.

WITH RIDGE STRENGTHENING ONCE AGAIN ON MON...LITTLE CHANGE TO
CURRENT PATTERN IS INDICATED. DESPITE INCREASING HEIGHTS...PROGS
DON/T SHOW ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THICKNESSES OVER THE CWA. THIS
SHOULD KEEP MONDAY/S MAXES NEAR OR A LITTLE ABOVE TODAY/S READINGS.

CURRENT PACKAGE HAS ADDRESSED THE ABOVE AND NO UPDATES ARE REQUIRED
AT THIS TIME.

.HNX...DENSE FOG ADVISORY FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN
       VALLEY FROM MIDNIGHT UNTIL 1100 AM NEW YEARS DAY.
    ...FROST ADVISHORY FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
       LATE TONIGHT UNTIL 900 AM NEW YEARS DAY.

Event by event

1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, S Sierra Mtns

When
January 1, 12:00 AM PST to January 31, 11:59 PM PST
Where
S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by
METEOROLOGIST(NON NWS)

The months of November and December were essentially dry for the area and January's rainfall/snowfall was still struggling to overcome the water year deficit. The month ended with still less than 60% of the seasonal precipitation average to date for Northern and Central California. Effectively significant rains did not start until January 8th with precipitation activity primarily centered from the 8th to the 12th and the 23rd through the 26th.

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2001

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: 5230140.