California, 2003Heavy Rain in California, May 3, 2003
May 3, 2003 · NWS HNX · 1 event in 1 county or zone
1 heavy rain, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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 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, 2:15 PM PST, 1 hour earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 3, 2:15 PM PST, 1 hour before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
315 PM PDT SAT MAY 3 2003
SHORTWAVE TROF OVER CENTRAL CA BEING EJECTED E THIS AFTERNOON...AS A
SHORTWAVE TROF DROPS S THRU THE PAC NW. THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON
SHOULD DIE OFF QUICKLY AS AREA STABILIZES QUICKLY BY 00Z. AREA TO
REMAIN UNDER CYCLONIC FLOW THRU ABOUT THE NEXT 24HRS...THOUGH
MOISTURE WILL BE DECREASING. CONTINUED SOME SMALL POPS THRU SUN
AFTERNOON...MAINLY IN THE MTNS. FLAT RIDGING WILL PREVAIL SUN NITE
INTO TUES. THIS WILL BRING SOME WARMING MON AND TUES. SNOW LEVELS
TODAY NEAR 6000 FEET...WILL RISE SUN. CONTINUING SNOW ADVISORY FOR
THE HIGH SIERRA THRU THIS EVE...AS OCCASIONAL HEAVIER SHOWERS WILL
PRODUCE LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4-6 INCHES. ANY ACCUMULATIONS SUN
WILL BE AN INCH OR LESS.
IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD...WEDNESDAY THRU SATURDAY...LONGER RANGE
MODELS ARE COMING TO SOME AGREEMENT ON THE POSSIBLE SOLUTION FOR THE
MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. WHILE TIMING CONTINUES TO SHOW SOME
DISAGREEMENT...THE MODELS SHOW A CONSENSUS TOWARDS A POSSIBLE TROF
PATTERN PUSHING IN ON WEDNESDAY. NOGAPS AND UKMET SHOWING THE MOST
AGGRESSIVE DIGGING WHILE THE GFS/ECMWF AND CANADIAN SHOW A MUCH
WEAKER TROF PUSHING MORE INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. TAKING AN
AVERAGE...WILL INTRODUCE PRECIP INTO THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA ON
WEDNESDAY. WILL INITIALLY START OVER THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE
DISTRICT AND SPREAD SOUTH DURING THE EVENING. MODELS KEEP THE
DISTRICT UNDER CYCLONIC FLOW THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY WITH PIECES OF
ENERGY RIDING AROUND THE TROF BEFORE HAND. WILL BROAD-BRUSH PRECIP
FROM WEDNESDAY THROUGH LATE THURSDAY BEFORE RIDGING ENTERS THE WEST
COAST. ECMWF AND GFS SHOWING TROF LIFTING ON FRIDAY WITH A WELL
DEFINED RIDGE PATTERN PUSHING IN NEXT WEEKEND. WILL MAINTAIN COOL
CONDITIONS AS TEMPERATURES REMAIN BELOW NORMAL THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF
NEXT WEEK. WILL WARM CONDITIONS BACK TO SEASONAL NORMALS BE THE END
OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD.
.HNX...SNOW ADVISORY THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA
NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE PARK TO THE KERN COUNTY LINE.
BINGHAM/MOLINAHazardous weather outlook, May 3, 4:30 AM PST, 10 hours 45 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.
Heavy Rain, Tulare
- When
- May 3, 3:15 PM PST to 5:30 PM PST
- Where
- Tulare County, Porterville
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 36.220, -118.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
One of many thunderstorms on this day throughout the Central and South San Joaquin Valley resulted in an estimated rainfall rate of 2"/hour near Porterville in the SE San Joaquin Valley. Spotters and police reported street flooding from the downpour with two homes damaged due to the excessive water.
- Heavy Rain
- Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Hail in North Carolina, May 3, 2003$7.2 million · 2.75 in hail · 22 events
- Hail in North Carolina, May 3, 2003$3.0 million · 1.5 in hail · 1 event
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 3, 2003$12,000 · F2 · 7 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, May 3, 2003$181,000 · 1.75 in hail · 35 events
- Tornado in Nebraska, May 3, 2003$100,000 · F1 · 1 event
- Tornado in Nebraska, May 3, 2003$100,000 · F1 · 1 event
- Damaging Winds in Louisiana, May 3, 2003$150,000 · 55 kt wind · 3 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 3, 2003$50,000 · F0 · 17 events
- Hail and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, May 3, 2003$100,000 · 1.75 in hail · 2 events
- Hail in South Carolina, May 3, 2003$100,000 · 1 in hail · 1 event
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, May 3, 2003$75,000 · 55 kt wind · 1 event
- Hail in North Carolina, May 3, 2003$75,000 · 1.75 in hail · 1 event
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: 5354642.