Heavy Rain and Strong Wind in California, December 7 to 8, 2004

Name: Heavy Rain and Strong Wind in California, December 7 to 8, 2004
Start: 2004-12-07T02:50
End: 2004-12-08T08:52
Location: California

December 7 to 8, 2004 · NWS HNX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

10" at Bakersfield. Prefrontal strong wind early on the 7th caused damage to Christmas decorations in the city of Chowchilla in Madera County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $5,000
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.

Following a light precipitation month in November, the northern portions of Interior Central California had significant rainfall sweep across the San Joaquin Valley and adjacent foothill portions of the area's northern counties: In just a little over 24 hours over the 7th and 8th of the month Merced received 1.14 inches of rain, and Fresno 0.88." In the South San Joaquin Valley, it rained 0.41" at Hanford and just 0.10" at Bakersfield. Prefrontal strong wind early on the 7th caused damage to Christmas decorations in the city of Chowchilla in Madera County.

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 Dec 6, 10:11 PM PST, 4 hours 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 6, 10:11 PM PST, 4 hours 39 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
1011 PM PST MON DEC 6 2004

.SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...FRONTAL SYSTEM
CONTINUES TO MOVE STEADILY SOUTHEAST WITH LEADING EDGE OF MAIN
PRECIP AREA EXPECTED TO REACH MERCED COUNTY AROUND 11 PM. PREIP WILL
SPREAD OVER THE AREA THROUGH THE NIGHT AND SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL
INCREASE AS THE SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH. THE FOLLOWING SYSTEM SHOULD
CONTINUE THE RAINFALL THROUGH TOMORROW. WSW LOOKS ON TRACK AND
CONTINUES. ZONE FORECAST CAN BE UPDATED FOR TIMING OF RAIN ENTERING
THE CENTRAL VALLEY AND TO INCREASE WINDS A BIT TONIGHT...OTHERWISE
NO CHANGES.

.LONG TERM...FOR THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...MEDIUM RANGE MODELS
REMAIN IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK IN KEEPING A
STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER CENTRAL CA ON FRIDAY THE SHIFT THE
RIDGE EASTWARD INTO THE DESERT SOUTHWEST ON SATURDAY...AS AN UPPER
TROUGH APPROACHES THE PAC NW COAST. SUCCESSIVE RUNS OF THE
GFS/GEM/UKMET CONTINUE TO SHOW EXCELLENT RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY IS
KEEPING ALL OF THE DEEP MOISTURE AND SIGNIFICANT DYNAMICS FROM THIS
SYSTEM WELL TO THE NORTH OF OUR AREA AS IT MOVES ONSHORE SUNDAY AND
INTO THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST ON MONDAY. THE 12Z ECMWF AND TO A LESSER
EXTENT THE 12Z NOGAPS ARE DEEPER WITH THIS TROUGH...BUT THEIR RECENT
RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY HAVE NOT BEEN AS GOOD AS THAT OF THE GFS.
THEREFORE...WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE GFS PROGNOSIS WHICH KEEPS
CENTRAL CA UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE RIDGE AND KEEP THE CWFA DRY
THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD. THE MAIN FORECAST CONCERN FOR THIS
PERIOD WILL BE HOW MUCH IN THE WAY OF FOG AND LOW CLOUDS AFFECT THE
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY DURING THIS PERIOD. WITH THE UPPER RIDGE AXIS
PROGGED TO BE OVER CA ON FRIDAY...BELIEVE THAT FOG AND LOW CLOUDS
WILL BE PERSISTENT ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN
JOAQUIN VALLEY ON FRIDAY...BUT WILL PROBABLY SEE SOME BREAKING UP
OVER THE WEEKEND AS ATMOSPHERIC MIXING POTENTIAL IMPROVES WITH THE
TROUGH MOVING BY TO OUR NORTH. RH PROGS INDICATING SOME MID/HIGH
MOISTURE FROM THE TROUGH MIGHT CROSS THE AREA ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY
SO AFTER TWO RELATIVELY CLEAR DAYS OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS FRIDAY
AND SATURDAY...WE MIGHT HAVE SOME INCREASED MID/HIGH CLOUD COVER ON
SUNDAY AND MONDAY.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE
      SOUTHERN SIERRA FROM YOSEMITE PARK TO KINGS CANYON FROM
      12 AM TUESDAY UNTIL 12 AM WEDNESDAY...
   ...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS
      FROM 6 AM TUESDAY UNTIL 12 AM WEDNESDAY...

&&

JEB/DS

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 6, 3:15 PM PST, 11 hours 35 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
315 PM PST MON DEC 6 2004

CAZ096-097-071300-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
315 PM PST MON DEC 6 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM
YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON...AND THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 12AM TUESDAY UNTIL 12AM
WEDNESDAY. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WEATHER MESSAGE
/WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...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.

CAZ089>095-098-099-071300-
WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS-TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-
SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
315 PM PST MON DEC 6 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN
JOAQUIN VALLEY AND THE KERN COUNTY DESERTS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

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.

PJ

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 heavy rain, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Merced

When: December 7, 2:50 AM PST to December 8, 8:52 AM PST
Where: Merced County, Countywide
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.192, -120.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Mariposa

When: December 7, 2:50 AM PST to December 8, 8:52 AM PST
Where: Mariposa County, Countywide
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.582, -119.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Madera

When: December 7, 2:53 AM PST to December 8, 8:30 AM PST
Where: Madera County, Countywide
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 37.218, -119.763 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Fresno

When: December 7, 2:57 AM PST to December 8, 8:08 AM PST
Where: Fresno County, Countywide
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 36.758, -119.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, E Central S.J. Valley

When: December 7, 7:00 AM PST to 11:00 AM PST
Where: E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 45 kt (52 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in California, December 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: 5431255, 5431258, 5431257, 5431256, 5431259.