Cold in California, November 5, 2003

Name: Cold in California, November 5, 2003
Start: 2003-11-05T03:00
End: 2003-11-05T08:00
Location: California

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

For a second night, temperatures in the Central and Southern San Joaquin Valley dipped to 32 deg F. or lower.

The toll

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

For a second night, temperatures in the Central and Southern San Joaquin Valley dipped to 32 deg F. or lower. No agricultural losses occurred as minimums ranged generally from 30 to 32 deg F. at the coldest locations.

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 Nov 4, 9:00 PM PST, 6 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 4, 9:00 PM PST, 6 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
900 PM PST TUE NOV 4 2003

.SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...FOG LOOP
INDICATING THE REMAINS OF SOME PESKY INSTABILITY CUMULUS WHICH FORMED
DURING THE AFTERNOON LINGERING OVER THE TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS AND
THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS. WITH NEARBY RAOBS INDICATING A MAINLY DRY
AND STABLE AIRMASS OVER THE REGION...EXPECT THE LOW CLOUDS TO
DISSIPATE LATER THIS EVENING. SKIES ARE MOSTLY CLEAR ACROSS THE
REMAINDER OF THE CWFA AS A RIDGE OFF THE CA COAST HAS KEPT A COOL AND
DRY NW FLOW OVER THE AREA. TEMPERATURES ARE RUNNING CLOSE TO YDAY IN
THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND KERN DESERTS AND 3 TO 5 DEG F ABOVE YDAY
IN THE MOUNTAINS. FORECAST LOWS FOR TONIGHT TREND THIS WAY AND LOOK
TO BE ON TARGET...AND WILL LET THE ZONE PACKAGE RIDE. SINCE SOME
LOCATIONS IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY ARE EXPECTED TO DROP BELOW 32 DEG
F FOR A SHORT TIME LATER TONIGHT...AM PLANNING TO FRESHEN UP THE
FROST ADVISORY ISSUED BY THE PREVIOUS SHIFT AND KEEP GOING THROUGH
TONIGHT. RH PROGS INDICATING AN INCREASE IN UPPER MOISTURE WEDNESDAY
AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL HELP KEEP TEMPERATURES IN THE SAN
JOAQUIN VALLEY WELL ABOVE FREEZING WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS RADIATIONAL
COOLING WILL BE INHIBITED BY THE PRESENCE OF INCREASED CLOUD COVER.
00Z ETA/NGM CONTINUE TO TREND SLOWER WITH THE EASTWARD PROGRESSION OF
AN UPPER LOW WHICH IS ANTICIPATED TO BRING DEEP MOISTURE AND
SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION TO THE AREA LATER IN THE WEEK. IF THIS
TREND HOLDS...THEN THE DEEP MOISTURE AND SIGNIFICANT UVM WON/T
REACH OUR CWFA UNTIL FRIDAY AFTERNOON AT THE EARLIEST. QPF AND OMEGA
PROGS FROM SUCCESSIVE GFS RUNS STILL SUGGEST THAT A SIGNIFICANT
PRECIPITATION EVENT IS IN STORE FOR THE CENTRAL CA INTERIOR LATE IN
THE WEEK.

.LONG TERM...FOR SAT THRU TUES...GFS HAS DEPARTED FROM ITS 00Z RUN
AND TRENDED TOWARD ECM/UKMET SOLUTIONS REGARDING LOCATION OF UPPER
LOW OFF THE PAC NW COAST BY 12Z SAT. WITH BAROCLINIC BAND
ACCOMPANIED BY DEEP MOISTURE AND MODERATE UVM AS IT SHIFTS E-SE THRU
THE CWA FRI NGT/SAT...HAVE MADE SLIGHT INCREASES IN POPS THRUT THE
DISTRICT. SOUTHERN TRAJECTORY WILL RESULT IN INCREASED PRECIPITABLE
WATER VALUES AND HIGHER SNOW LEVELS THAN OBSERVED WITH RECENT
SYSTEMS. HOWEVER...TIMING RATE AT WHICH TROUGH AND SUBSEQUENT WAVES
MOVE ONSHORE SAT-MON WILL BE DIFFICULT AND WILL NOT ATTEMPT TO
REFINE POP TIMING IN ZONES. CONSENSUS ON GUIDANCE IS FOR UPPER
PATTERN TO SUPPORT A DRIER FLOW BECOMING ESTABLISHED OVER THE
DISTRICT LATE MON INTO TUES.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...FROST ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT
                                   ZONES 89>92.

&&

DS/JSN

Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 4, 4:30 AM PST, 22 hours 30 minutes before

CAZ089>099-051230-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
430 AM PST TUE NOV 4 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...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

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.

Event by event

3 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, W Central S.J. Valley

When: November 5, 3:00 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
Where: W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Cold/Wind Chill, Sw S.J. Valley

When: November 5, 4:30 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
Where: Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Cold/Wind Chill, Se S.J. Valley

When: November 5, 4:30 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
Where: Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill: Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

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, November 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: 5371007, 5371008, 5371009.