California, 2004

Heat in California, April 25 to 28, 2004

April 25 to 28, 2004 · NWS HNX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

During the month of April the second of two warm spells pushed maximum temperatures to record levels in the San Joaquin Valley, Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains and Foothills, and the Kern County Mountains and Deserts of Interior Central California. Average temperatures for the 9th to the 12th and the 25th to the 28th in the area ran 10 degrees or more above normal.

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.

During the month of April the second of two warm spells pushed maximum temperatures to record levels in the San Joaquin Valley, Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains and Foothills, and the Kern County Mountains and Deserts of Interior Central California. Average temperatures for the 9th to the 12th and the 25th to the 28th in the area ran 10 degrees or more above normal. Combined with much below normal rainfall in March, dry conditions prevailed prematurely by the end of April throughout the region.

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 Apr 25, 8:29 AM PST, 4 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 25, 8:29 AM PST, 4 hours 31 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
929 AM PDT SUN APR 25 2004

.SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...LARGE UPPER
RIDGE RESIDING OVER THE AREA WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE CLEAR DRY AND
UNSEASONABLY WARM WEATHER FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. CURRENT
TEMPERATURES ARE UP AROUND 2-4 DEGREES FROM THIS TIME YESTERDAY AND
THIS TREND IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON...WITH HIGHS
REACHING 90 OR ABOVE THROUGHOUT THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN
VALLEY. THE WARMING TREND SHOULD CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY BEFORE A
TROUGH DROPPING THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WEDNESDAY WEAKENS THE
RIDGE AND BRINGS SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES. NO UPDATE IS PLANNED
FOR THE CURRENT FORECAST.

.LONG TERM...PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH
SATURDAY...EXTENDED PERIOD A LITTLE LESS SUBJECT TO DEBATE THIS GO
AROUND...BUT STILL A FEW LINGERING CONCERNS WITH THE TRACK AND
DEEPNESS OF THE INSIDE SLIDER SYSTEM THROUGH LATE WEEK. UK/ECM/GFS
AND CANADIAN ALL DEPICT THIS SYSTEM DROPPING TOWARDS THE GREAT SALT
LAKE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. ONSHORE SURFACE GRADS TIGHTEN IN
RESPONSE...WITH SOME BREEZY TO LOCALLY WINDY CONDITIONS POSSIBLE IN
THE KERN DESERTS AND MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. COOLING SHOULD
BE REALIZED OVER TUESDAY FOR ALL ZONES...AS H5 HEIGHTS PLUMMET BY
100 METERS. EVEN SO...AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES WILL STILL MANAGE TO
CLIMB 10-15 DEGF ABOVE NORMAL. NOTICED THE CANADIAN KEEPS THE SYSTEM
CONSIDERABLY FARTHER EAST THAN WAS THE CASE FROM YESTERDAY/S
RUN...AND ALL SOLUTIONS ASIDE FROM THE GFS APPEAR TO BE WEAKER WITH
THE SYSTEM AS WELL. THE OVERALL SYNOPTIC PATTERN...ALONG WITH
CLIMATOLOGY...CONTINUE TO SUGGEST THAT COOLING WILL BE BRIEF AND
RATHER ANEMIC...WITH THURSDAY LOOKING TO BE THE COOLEST DAY AS
THINGS STAND NOW. ALTHOUGH THE SURFACE GRADIENT LOOKS MUCH WEAKER ON
THURSDAY...JET SLIDING DOWN ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE TROUGH MAY
PROVIDE ENOUGH UPPER SUPPORT FOR CONTINUED BREEZES IN OUR KERN
MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. THE TROUGH GETS NUDGED EAST AND FILLS AS A
STRONG UPPER RIDGE AXIS OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC WOBBLES TOWARD THE
STATE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. THIS WILL PROVIDE A RETURN TO MUCH ABOVE
NORMAL TEMPERATURES WITH CLOUDLESS SKIES.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

BINGHAM/BURGER

Event by event

5 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, E Central S.J. Valley

When
April 25, 1:00 PM PST to April 28, 9:00 PM PST
Where
E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heat, Se S.J. Valley

When
April 25, 1:00 PM PST to April 28, 9:00 PM PST
Where
Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heat, S Sierra Mtns

When
April 25, 1:00 PM PST to April 28, 9:00 PM PST
Where
S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heat, Tulare Cty Mtns

When
April 25, 1:00 PM PST to April 28, 9:00 PM PST
Where
Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heat, Kern Cty Mtns

When
April 25, 1:00 PM PST to April 28, 9:00 PM PST
Where
Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

What these are

Heat
Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 2004

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: 5387280, 5387281, 5387282, 5387283, 5387284.