California, 2003

Funnel Clouds in California, May 3, 2003

May 3, 2003 · NWS HNX · 5 events in 2 counties and zones

Convective activity spawned widespread funnel cloud activity across the Central and Southern San Joaquin Valley. No confirmation could be made of tornado activity despite rumors of damage to an oat field from the funnel in the Atwater area of Merced County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
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.

Convective activity spawned widespread funnel cloud activity across the Central and Southern San Joaquin Valley. No confirmation could be made of tornado activity despite rumors of damage to an oat field from the funnel in the Atwater area of Merced County. However, 1.26" of rain occurred in one hour along with a wet microburst as reported by trained spotters around that time period.

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 3, 8:10 AM PST, 4 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 3, 8:10 AM PST, 4 hours 10 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
910 AM PDT SAT MAY 3 2003

UPPER LOW JUST OFF THE CENTRAL CA COAST. THIS LOW BEGINNING TO OPEN
UP...AND WILL MOVE EAST OF THE AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON. MESO ETA
SOUNDINGS SHOW A FAIRLY UNSTABLE ATMO 1ST HALF OF THE AFTERNOON.
SBCAPES 400-500 J/KG AROUND 21Z WITH A LI OF -1. WBZ NEAR 6600
FT...SO ANY TSTMS COULD HAVE SOME SIGNIFICANT HAIL. SNOW LEVELS IN
THE MTNS CURRENTLY 5-6K. WILL UPDATE ZONES TO ADJUST PRECIP WORDING
AND SNOW LEVELS.

.HNX...SNOW ADVISORY TODAY FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...ABOVE
       7000 FEET...FROM YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK TO THE KERN COUNTY
       LINE.

BINGHAM
Hazardous weather outlook, May 3, 4:30 AM PST, 7 hours 50 minutes before
CAZ089>099-041230-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
530 AM PDT SAT MAY 3 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
INTERIOR.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A SNOW ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA ABOVE
7000 FEET...NORTH OF KERN COUNTY(WWUS46 KHNX).  THUNDERSTORMS ARE
FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FOR THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

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 national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.

Funnel Cloud, Kern

When
May 3, 12:20 PM PST
Where
Kern County, Oildale
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.343, -118.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Funnel Cloud, Merced

When
May 3, 4:30 PM PST to 4:45 PM PST
Where
Merced County, 3 mi S of Atwater
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.192, -120.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Funnel Cloud, Merced

When
May 3, 4:35 PM PST
Where
Merced County, 3 mi SE of Merced
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.192, -120.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Funnel Cloud, Merced

When
May 3, 5:39 PM PST
Where
Merced County, Livingston
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.192, -120.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Funnel Cloud, Merced

When
May 3, 6:14 PM PST
Where
Merced County, 1 mi S of Le Grand
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.192, -120.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Funnel Cloud
A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.

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, 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: 5354651, 5354648, 5354649, 5354652, 5354650.