California, 2003

Strong Wind in California, March 15 to 18, 2003

March 15 to 18, 2003 · NWS HNX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

After relatively small amounts of rain in January and February, a mid-March series of Pacific frontal systems brought locally heavy rain showers and gusty wind to the Central and South San Joaquin Valley beginning very early on the 15th and continuing into early on the 18th. Highest wind speeds were commonly reported in excess of 30 MPH for the period from the 15th through the 18th.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$14,000
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.

After relatively small amounts of rain in January and February, a mid-March series of Pacific frontal systems brought locally heavy rain showers and gusty wind to the Central and South San Joaquin Valley beginning very early on the 15th and continuing into early on the 18th. Highest wind speeds were commonly reported in excess of 30 MPH for the period from the 15th through the 18th. At one time over 25,000 local utility customers were without power in the Central San Joaquin Valley.

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 Mar 15, 3:20 PM PST, 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 15, 3:20 PM PST, 40 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
320 PM PST SAT MAR 15 2003

CONVECTION WAS FIRING ALONG CONVERGENCE AXIS IN THE SOUTH VALLEY
THIS AFTN...WHILE A MORE STABLE NORTHERLY FLOW HAS BECOME
ESTABLISHED OVER THE CENTRAL VALLEY. THOUGH HELICITIES HAVE
DECREASED...WITH GOES DATA ESTIMATING CAPE IN EXCESS OF 1100 J/KG
...WILL MAINTAIN POPS ACROSS SOUTHERN ZONES INTO THE EVE HOURS.
CELLS MAY CONTINUE TO PRODUCE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...BUT
COVERAGE SHOULD BE LIMITED AND WILL ALLOW URBAN FLOOD ADVISORY FOR
THE SOUTH VALLEY TO EXPIRE.

FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE CWA...PW PLUME WAS SHIFTING SOUTH AND
REFLECTIVITIES OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA HAVE DECREASED NORTH OF
KINGS CANYON IN MORE STABLE AIR. THOUGH PW AXIS SHOULD BE SOUTH OF
THE DISTRICT BY 03Z...MEAN STORM MOTION WILL CARRY SOUTH VALLEY
CONVECTION INTO THE TULARE MTNS THIS EVE WITH ADDITIONAL ACCUMS
LIKELY. WILL THEREFORE MAINTAIN WINTER STORM WARNING THRU 2100 PST
FOR THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS...BUT CANCEL WARNING NORTH OF KINGS
CANYON. ALTHOUGH SHOWERS AND EVE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY
HEAVY PRECIP...WITH PLUME SHIFTING SOUTH OF THE DISTRICT FLOOD
THREAT SHOULD BE LOCALIZED TO STRONGER CELLS. WILL THEREFORE ALLOW
FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR TULARE MTNS...KERN MTNS...AND KERN DESERTS TO
EXPIRE WITH AFTN PACKAGE. WITH UPPER TROUGH PASSAGE NOT PROGGED
UNTIL 12Z SUN...ONSET OF STRONG SUBSIDENCE AND INCREASED FLOW
ALIGNMENT WILL BE SLOWER TO OCCUR. WILL THEREFORE CANCEL HIGH WIND
WATCH FOR TONIGHT...BUT MAINTAIN FOR SUNDAY.

SHORTWAVE NEAR 35N/132W WAS MOVING EAST A BIT FASTER THAN PROGGED.
WAVE SHOULD REACH THE COAST LATE TONIGHT...CONTG EAST SUN. WITH WEAK
UVM AND 100-200 J/KG OF CAPE...WILL MAINTAIN MAINLY CHANCE POPS
ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA. WILL ALSO MAINTAIN VERY LOW POPS FOR MON
UNTIL TROUGH DIGS INTO SOUTH CALIFORNIA AND FLOW ALOFT TURNS
ANTI-CYCLONIC. A RETURN TO DRY WX WILL OCCUR THRUT THE DISTRICT ON
TUES AS NORCAL RIDGE EXPANDS OVER THE CENTRAL INTERIOR.

LOOKING AT THE PERIOD WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...MODELS QUITE
CONSISTENT IN SHOWING ELONGATED RIDGING BUCKLING INTO THE DISTRICT
FOR WEDNESDAY. ALTHOUGH H5 HEIGHTS REMAIN FAIRLY LOW...THERE IS
LITTLE INDICATION OF ANY IMPULSES ATTEMPTING TO DAMPEN THIS
RIDGE...SO WILL GO WITH A DRY WEDNESDAY. NEXT TROUGH DIVING INTO
NORCAL WEDNESDAY NIGHT APPEARS LESS IMPRESSIVE PER THE GFS 12Z
RUN...AND CANADIAN SHOWS THIS DISTURBANCE QUICKLY LOSING STEAM AS IT
PUNCHES INLAND. ALSO...WOULDN/T BE SURPRISED OF A LATER ARRIVAL TIME
GIVEN THE RIDGING TO DISPLACE. BUT FOR NOW WILL KEEP SOME MENTION OF
POPS ACROSS THE NORTH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/EARLY THURSDAY.
UPSTREAM...SOMEWHAT STRONGER RIDGING SHOULD BUILD INTO THE AREA FOR
THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. 00Z GFS HAD SHOWN ANOTHER BUT WEAKER
TROUGH REACHING THE NORTH COAST SATURDAY...BUT 500 MB HEIGHTS REMAIN
AOA 564 DM AND 12Z GFS SHOWS ABSOLUTELY NO HINT OF THIS FEATURE.

.HNX...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS UNTIL
       900 PM TONIGHT.
    ...HIGH WIND WATCH FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS
       SUNDAY.

JSN/BURGER
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 15, 5:30 AM PST, 10 hours 30 minutes before
CAZ089>099-161345-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
530 AM PST SAT MAR 15 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
INTERIOR.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR THE
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-TULARE COUNTY
MOUNTAINS(WWUS46 KHNX).  A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR
TODAY FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS...THE TULARE COUNTY
MOUNTAINS...AND THE KERN COUNTY DESERTS(WGUS66 KHNX).  ISOLATED
SEEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN
JOAQUIN VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING(WWUS86 KHNX).

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

A HIGH WIND WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY FOR THE
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS THROUGH SUNDAY(WWUS76 KHNX).

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

MORSE

Event by event

3 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, E Central S.J. Valley

When
March 15, 4:00 PM PST to March 18, 2:00 PM PST
Where
E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured
34 kt (39 mph) measured gust
Property damage
$12,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, W Central S.J. Valley

When
March 15, 4:00 PM PST to March 18, 2:00 PM PST
Where
W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured
31 kt (36 mph) measured gust
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Se S.J. Valley

When
March 15, 4:00 PM PST to March 18, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured
29 kt (33 mph) measured gust
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

Strong Wind
Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

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, March 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: 5349331, 5349332, 5349333.