California, 2003

Hail in California, July 23, 2003

July 23, 2003 · NWS MFR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Based on radar reports, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for extreme eastern Siskiyou county and west Modoc county near Newell, effective at the above times. This storm occurred over a sparsely populated area, so no verifying reports were recieved.

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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 MFR wrote it up.

Based on radar reports, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for extreme eastern Siskiyou county and west Modoc county near Newell, effective at the above times. This storm occurred over a sparsely populated area, so no verifying reports were recieved. However, a similar storm to the southwest an hour later dropped .75 inch hail, so severe hail likely occurred with this storm.

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 Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 23, 1:30 PM PST, 2 hours 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 23, 1:30 PM PST, 2 hours 52 minutes before
SOUTHWEST OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD, OR
230 PM PDT WED JUL 23 2003

LATEST SATELLITE SHOWING LARGE AREA OF MID/HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS OVER
CENTRAL CALIF. SPREADING NORTH INTO NORTHERN CALIF THEN NORTHEAST
INTO SOUTHERN OREGON. RADAR JUST STARTING TO SHOW SOME FAIRLY STRONG
LOOKING CELLS JUST SOUTH AND EAST OF MODOC COUNTY. SHOULD NOT BE
LONG BEFORE WE SEE DEVELOPMENT IN OUR REGION.

STRONG UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE WILL TEMPORARILY SHIFT BACK TO NEAR
THE SOUTHWEST U.S. THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. AREA OF CONVECTION
EAST OF THE CASCADES THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT
FURTHER EAST THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AS UPPER FLOW BECOMES MORE
WESTERLY. LOCATIONS THAT HAVE SEEN TRIPLE DIGIT HIGH TEMPS LAST FEW
DAYS WILL COOL OFF CLOSER TO NORMAL BEGINNING THURSDAY AS HIGH
PRESSURE SHIFTS EAST.

EXTENDED...MODELS SHOW FOUR CORNERS HIGH SHIFTING NORTH AGAIN TO
OVER NEVADA...WHICH PLACES OUR REGION BACK INTO A MORE SOUTHERLY
FLOW ALOFT. THIS WILL OPEN THE DOOR ONCE AGAIN FOR POSSIBLE
THUNDERSTORMS AS SURGES OF MOISTURE MOVE NORTHWARD FROM CALIFORNIA.
RIGHT NOW WILL KEEP THINGS DRY AND WAIT FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER MODEL
RUN.

.MFR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FLORENCE OR TO PT ST GEORGE.

RH

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Modoc

When
July 23, 4:22 PM PST to 5:15 PM PST
Where
Modoc County, Newell
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.883, -121.367

See below.

Hail, Siskiyou

When
July 23, 4:22 PM PST to 5:15 PM PST
Where
Siskiyou County, Tennant
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
41.583, -121.917

See below.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in California, July 2003

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: 5373027, 5373028.