California, 2002

Hail and Damaging Winds in California, May 31, 2002

May 31, 2002 · NWS HNX · 5 events in 2 counties and zones

Remnants of Hurricane Alma interacted with a closed mid-latitude low providing moisture for a de-stabilizing air mass over Interior Central California in the late evening hours of Friday, May 31st. The resulting widespread, late evening convection lead to strong, gusty wind in wet microbursts and street flooding from localized, torrential rains.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$100,000
Crop damage
$200,000
Events
5

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.

Remnants of Hurricane Alma interacted with a closed mid-latitude low providing moisture for a de-stabilizing air mass over Interior Central California in the late evening hours of Friday, May 31st. The resulting widespread, late evening convection lead to strong, gusty wind in wet microbursts and street flooding from localized, torrential rains. The most visual damage occurred with a series of very small microbursts evidenced by crop damage in North Kings County. Also a late report of 3/4+" hail was received from North Kings County.

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 May 31, 8:15 PM PST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 31, 8:15 PM PST, 1 hour 5 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
915 PM PDT FRI MAY 31 2002

UPPER LOW ALONG THE SOCAL COAST WAS TRACKING E-NE AT AROUND 20 KTS
THIS EVE...AND RUC APPEARS ON TRACK SHOWING LOW WEAKENING INTO AN
OPEN WAVE AND LIFTING ACROSS THE KERN MTNS/DESERTS LATE TONIGHT.
CAPE HAS BEGUN TO DECREASE OVER THE CWA WITH LOSS OF SURFACE
HEATING...AND DEEPER CONVECTION WAS DIMINISHING. GIVEN TRAJECTORY OF
LOW...WILL MAINTAIN POPS ACROSS MANY AREAS IN THE DISTRICT
OVERNIGHT. HOWEVER WILL MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO CLOUD COVER WORDING
GIVEN ROTATION OF COOLER TOPS AROUND CIRCULATION AND SOME DRIER AIR
MOVING INTO FAR SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA.

OTHER ERN PAC TROUGH WAS MOVING INSIDE 130W THIS EVE AND ONSHORE
GRADS HAVE RESPONDED WITH SFO-SAC APPROACHING 4 MB AND MARINE LAYER
DEPTH NEAR 2K FEET. WILL THEREFORE ALSO MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO
WINDS IN SJ VALLEY AND KERN MTN/DESERT ZONES.

.HNX...NONE.

JSN

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Fresno

When
May 31, 9:20 PM PST to 10:59 PM PST
Where
Fresno County, Piedra
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.817, -119.383

Hail, Kings

When
May 31, 10:00 PM PST to 10:03 PM PST
Where
Kings County, 3 mi E of (Nlc)nas Lemoore
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
36.333, -119.883

Thunderstorm Wind, Kings

When
May 31, 10:17 PM PST to 10:20 PM PST
Where
Kings County, 7 mi N of Hanford
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Crop damage
$200,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
36.433, -119.650

Lightning, Kings

When
May 31, 10:17 PM PST
Where
Kings County, 7 mi N of Hanford
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
36.075, -119.815 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Fresno

When
May 31, 11:05 PM PST to 11:15 PM PST
Where
Fresno County, 3 mi W of (Fch) Chandler Af
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
36.733, -119.867

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in California, May 2002

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: 5290858, 5290861, 5290860, 5290862, 5290859.