Damaging Wind and Strong Wind in California, May 14, 2003

Name: Damaging Wind and Strong Wind in California, May 14, 2003
Start: 2003-05-14T14:48
End: 2003-05-14T20:00
Location: California

May 14, 2003 · NWS HNX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

5 miles NW of the town of Lemoore and ENE of NAS Lemoore swept southward on the afternoon of the 14th. Damage occurred to fences, dairy barns, and small structures.

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: $160,000
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 HNX wrote it up.

A thunderstorm outflow 6.5 miles NW of the town of Lemoore and ENE of NAS Lemoore swept southward on the afternoon of the 14th. Damage occurred to fences, dairy barns, and small structures. Eyewitnesses also reported the presence of a gustnado along the outflow that focused damage along the vortex's 15-yard wide, 3/8 mile path length. Gusty wind contributed to downed power lines setting off about 4 minor fires around the southwestern portion of the San Joaquin Valley. Damage was primarily to agricultural commodities destroyed by the wind-caused fires.

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 14, 1:45 PM PST, 1 hour 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 14, 1:45 PM PST, 1 hour 3 minutes before

INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SERVICE HANFORD CA
245 PM PDT WED MAY 14 2003

WV IMAGERY SHOWS A WEAK UPPER LOW WHOSE TRACK HAS BASICALLY BISECTED
THE DISTRICT. THE ASSOCIATED INSTABILITY...WHILE CORRESPONDINGLY
INNOCUOUS...HAS MANAGED TO INDUCE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE VALLEY AND ADJACENT SIERRA FOOTHILLS DURING
THE AFTERNOON. THESE SHOWERS WILL DECREASE IN INTENSITY/COVERAGE
RAPIDLY AFTER SUNSET AS THE LOW CONTINUES TO TRACK EAST
OVERNIGHT AND GOOD H7 SUBSIDENCE IN ITS WAKE WILL END ANY RESULTANT
PRECIPITATION BY MIDNIGHT. FOR THE SHORT TERM...TWO OTHER FORECAST
ISSUES PRESENT THEMSELVES. MESOETA 975 MB RH PROGS STILL INDICATE A
DECENT ONSHORE INTRUSION OF MARINE AIR TOMORROW AFTERNOON GIVEN A 3
MB SURFACE GRADIENT BETWEEN SFO AND SAC...ALONG WITH 7 MB BETWEEN
SFO AND WMC. WHILE A MUCH INCREASED NORTHERLY COMPONENT AND
SHALLOWER MARINE INVERSION WILL HELP THE COAST CLEAR EARLIER
TOMORROW...THE COOL INFLUX SHOULD CONTINUE LARGELY UNABATED TOMORROW
IN THE VALLEY. THUS...ALTHOUGH H85 TEMPS DO RISE BY ABOUT 1 DEGC
TOMORROW...ANY WARMING OVER TODAY THAT IS REALIZED WILL BE LARGELY
DUE TO MORE SUNSHINE. THAT LEADS INTO THE FINAL PROBLEM...RESIDUAL
CLOUD COVER AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF THE LOW. MID/UPPER LEVELS SHOULD
BECOME FAIRLY DRY...BUT 925 MB PROGS SUGGEST THE USUAL CONCENTRATION
OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AT THE SOUTH END OF THE VALLEY OVERNIGHT. THIS
SHOULD ERODE RAPIDLY AFTER DAYBREAK THURSDAY...LEAVING A HAZY SUNNY
DAY. OTHERWISE...GFS/MESOETA SUGGEST A RATHER SIGNIFICANT FETCH OF
CIRRUS FOR THE DAY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY OUT AHEAD OF THE NEXT TROUGH.

FOR SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...A BAGGY TROUGH IS PROGGED TO REMAIN
OVER THE REGION THROUGH THE PERIOD...WITH A RESULTING MODERATE TO
STRONG ONSHORE FLOW. EXPECT CONTINUED DRY WEATHER WITH TEMPERATURES
NEAR NORMAL FOR MID MAY.

.HNX...NONE.

BURGER/DUDLEY

Hazardous weather outlook, May 14, 4:30 AM PST, 10 hours 18 minutes before

CAZ089>099-151130-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
530 AM PDT WED MAY 14 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
INTERIOR.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

The radar

The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 21 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:48 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Kings

When: May 14, 2:48 PM PST to 2:52 PM PST
Where: Kings County, 5 mi ENE of (Nlc)nas Lemoore
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 36.350, -119.867

Strong Wind, Sw S.J. Valley

When: May 14, 3:41 PM PST to 8:00 PM PST
Where: Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 28 kt (32 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

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.
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

Every storm in California in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in California, May 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: 5354646, 5354647.