Heavy Rain in California, September 3, 2003

Name: Heavy Rain in California, September 3, 2003
Start: 2003-09-03T10:12
End: 2003-09-03T17:12
Location: California

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

From widespread afternoon thunderstorm activity over the Southern Sierra Nevada and Tulare County Mountains, locally heavy rain showers occurred the afternoon of the 3rd. 86" of rain occurred within a 6 hour time period.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: 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.

From widespread afternoon thunderstorm activity over the Southern Sierra Nevada and Tulare County Mountains, locally heavy rain showers occurred the afternoon of the 3rd. From White Wolf RAWS 1.86" of rain occurred within a 6 hour time period. A strong thunderstorm developed north of Huntington Lake but no damage was reported in this remote area.

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 Sep 3, 8:22 AM PST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 3, 8:22 AM PST, 1 hour 50 minutes before

INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
922 AM PDT WED SEP 3 2003

WATER VAPOR IMAGES SHOW THE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE THAT TRIGGERED
NOCTURNAL CONVECTION IN THE LOCAL AREA HAS PUSHED INTO THE
SACRAMENTO VALLEY. WITH DRIER AIR ALOFT WORKING INTO THE COASTAL
RANGES. THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS UNSTABLE WITH HIGH CAPES 600-1000J/KG
ALONG THE SIERRAS. MINIMAL DYNAMIC FORCING TO TRIGGER THUNDERSTORMS
THIS AFTERNOON WITH THE UPPER DISTURBANCE MOVING INTO NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA. HENCE THE TRIGGERING MECHANISM TO INITIATE THUNDERSTORMS
TODAY WILL BE MAINLY DUE TO DIURNAL HEATING AND CONVECTIVE
TEMPERATURE BEING REACHED EARLY ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS.
THUNDERSTORMS THAT MAY DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON COULD PRODUCE HEAVY
RAIN WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES RUNNING QUITE HIGHT OVER AN INCH
ACROSS MUCH OF THE WARNING AREA. 24 HOUR TEMPERATURE TRENDS ARE
COUPLE OF DEGREES WARMER THAN YESTERDAY...DUE TO THE HIGHER MINIMUMS
OVERNIGHT AND PLENTY OF SUNSHINE THIS MORNING. TODAY MAY BE JUST AS
WARM AS YESTERDAY SO MAY NEED TO UPDATE THE ZONE FORECAST THIS
MORNING TO ADJUST A FEW TEMPERATURES. OTHERWISE NO OTHER CHANGES.

.HNX...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 900 PM FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 524 IN
       WESTERN MERCED...FRESNO...AND KINGS COUNTIES.

MV

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 3, 4:15 AM PST, 5 hours 57 minutes before

CAZ089>099-041230-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
515 AM PDT WED SEP 3 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
INTERIOR.

.DAY ONE...TODAY.

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TODAY...MAINLY IN THE SOUTHERN
SIERRA NEVADA...THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS...AND THE KERN COUNTY
DESERTS. THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL OVERSPREAD ALL OF THE
CENTRAL INTERIOR TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO
PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL.

DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS
OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA THURSDAY. NO OTHER SIGNIFICANT 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.

SOWKO

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Mariposa

When: September 3, 10:12 AM PST to 5:12 PM PST
Where: Mariposa County, 7 mi NW of Yosemite Vlg
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 37.582, -119.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Fresno

When: September 3, 2:53 PM PST to 3:15 PM PST
Where: Fresno County, 5 mi N of Huntington Lake
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 36.758, -119.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

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.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in California, September 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: 5337823, 5337824.