Funnel Cloud, Fresno
- When
- February 26, 12:45 PM PST to 12:51 PM PST
- Where
- Fresno County, Sanger
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 36.758, -119.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Funnel Cloud in California, February 26, 2004
1 funnel cloud, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Where it happened
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- 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 Feb 26, 10:30 AM PST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 26, 10:30 AM PST, 2 hours 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
1030 AM PST THU FEB 26 2004
.SHORT TERM...SURFACE COLD FRONT HAS FINALLY PUSHED EAST AND SOUTH
OF THE CWA THIS MORNING AS EVIDENCED ON LATEST SATELLITE IMAGERY.
UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SETTLING INTO THE CENTRAL CA INTERIOR NOW WITH
VERY COLD POOL ALOFT. 500 MB TEMPS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TROUGH ARE
CLOSE TO -28C. ALTHOUGH THE MODELS FORECAST A FEW DEGREES OF WARMING
ALOFT THIS AFTN...THE CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL REMAINS HIGH ACROSS AT
LEAST THE NORTHERN HALF OF OUR CWA TODAY.
CURRENT SATELLITE IMAGERY DEPICTS THE MAIN 500 MB LOW ALONG THE
WASHINGTON COAST NOW WITH AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE TRACKING
UNDERNEATH IT NEAR 39N 130W. TO THE SOUTH OF THIS DISTURBANCE...A
DISTINCTIVE JET MAX IS SHOWING UP ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND
APPEARS TO BE HEADING TOWARD SOUTHERN CA. RADAR IS ALREADY PICKING
UP SCATTERED CONVECTION ALONG THE CENTRAL CA COAST AND ACROSS
MUCH OF THE NORTHERN SJ VLY AT THIS TIME. THE PIBAL FROM FRESNO
STATE THIS MORNING REPORTED SE WINDS OF 15-25 MPH IN THE LOWEST
2K FT. MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATE WINDS ALOFT (AT AND ABOVE THE 850 MB
LEVEL) WILL BE SOUTHWESTERLY TODAY. ALTHOUGH THE MODELS FORECAST
THE CORE OF THE 300 MB JET TO TRANSLATE TO THE NORTHERN PORTION OF
OUR CWA TODAY...MUCH OF THE CENTRAL CA INTERIOR WILL BE IN THE LEFT
FRONT QUADRANT OF THE JET THROUGH 21Z WITH IMPRESSIONABLE VERTICAL
WIND SHEAR. THE MESO-ETA SOUNDING FOR FAT FORECASTS A CONVECTIVE
TEMP OF 56 DEGREES...AT WHICH TIME LIFTED INDICES FALL TO -2...CAPES
RISE TO ABOUT 425 JOULES/KG...WITH HELICITY VALUES NEAR 102.
FREEZING LEVELS ARE ALSO QUITE LOW (AROUND 5K FT)...SO A FEW TSTMS
THAT POP THIS AFTN MAY BECOME SEVERE...EQUIPPED WITH LARGE HAIL AND
PERHAPS SOME WEAK ROTATIONAL SHEAR. THE MESO-ETA FORECASTS THE AREA
OF HIGHEST CAPE TO BE CENTERED ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF THE SJ VLY
THIS AFTN...MAINLY BETWEEN VISALIA AND MERCED...WITH CAPES APPROACHING
450 JOULES/KG IN NE MERCED COUNTY. THIS CONCURS WITH THE LATEST FORECAST
FROM SPC...WHICH PUTS THE NORTHERNMOST PORTION OF OUR CWA IN A SLIGHT
RISK OF SEVERE TSTMS TODAY. WITH SCATTERED CONVECTION ALREADY BEGINNING
TO PERCOLATE UNDER THE MORNING SUN...WILL NEED TO KEEP A CLOSE VIGIL
ON TSTM DEVELOPMENT IN THE SJ VLY THRU MIDDAY...AS IT LOOKS TO BE THE
MOST ACTIVE WEATHER DAY IN QUITE A WHILE. AN SPS HAS BEEN ISSUED AS
A HEADS UP FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF SVR WEATHER TODAY. (SEE SFOSPSHNX...
WMO HEADER WWUS86 KHNX)
ADDITIONALLY...SPOTTER REPORTS INDICATE SNOW LEVELS HAVE FALLEN AS
LOW AS 3500 FEET IN MARIPOSA COUNTY. IF SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT RATIOS
ARE RUNNING 15:1...THEN THEORETICALLY AS MUCH AS 60 INCHES OF SNOW
HAS ACCUMULATED OVER THE HIGH SIERRA DURING THE PAST 24 HRS. (SNOW
TOTALS CAN BE FOUND IN THE LATEST LOCAL STORM REPORT...SFOLSRHNX...
WMO HEADER NWUS56 KHNX). SNOWFALL REPORTS IN THIS SUMMARY ARE PROBABLY
CONSERVATIVE AND BASED ON A 10:1 RATIO. AT ANY RATE...ADDITIONAL SNOW
SHOWERS WILL BRING SEVERAL MORE INCHES OF ACCUMULATION OVER THE SIERNEV
TODAY AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROF AXIS SWINGS THRU THIS REGION. SO WILL KEEP
THE WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT THRU THIS AFTERNOON.
ADJUSTMENTS MADE TO EARLY BIRD FORECAST FOR AREAL COVERAGE OF PRECIP
AND POPS TODAY. REMAINDER OF ZONE PACKAGE LOOKS FINE.
.LONG TERM...FOR SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...MEDIUM RANGE PROGS
CONTINUE TO INDICATE THE AMPLIFICATION OF AN UPPER RIDGE NEAR 140W
DURING THIS PERIOD. THIS WILL KEEP THE DOOR OPEN FOR UPPER VORTS TO
DROP DOWN THE EAST SIDE OF THE RIDGE. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE
SYSTEM THAT DROPS DOWN THE CA COAST MONDAY...THE MAJORITY OF THESE
SYSTEMS ARE TRACKED TO THE EAST OF OUR AREA. WILL KEEP MENTION
SLIGHT CHANCE TO LOW CHANCE POPS FOR SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY
NIGHT AS THERE IS SOME TIMING AND PLACEMENT UNCERTAINTY WITH THE
SYSTEM THAT DROPS DOWN THE COAST EARLY NEXT WEEK. GFS AND ECMWF
SUGGEST WEAK OFFSHORE FLOW DEVELOPS ALOFT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AS
THE RIDGE PUSHES INTO THE PAC NW. THIS WILL KEEP OUR CWFA DRY WITH A
SLIGHT WARMING TREND DURING THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.
&&
.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING CONTINUES
FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NORTH OF KERN COUNTY TODAY.
&&
DURFEE/DSHazardous weather outlook, Feb 26, 10:00 AM PST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 1000 AM PST THU FEB 26 2004 CAZ089>095-098-099-271300- 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- 1000 AM PST THU FEB 26 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...ADJACENT FOOTHILLS...AND THE KERN MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. .DAY ONE...TODAY ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS TODAY. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST SFOSPSHNX (WMO HEADER WWUS86 KHNX) FOR FURTHER DETAILS. WEATHER SPOTTERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. CAZ096-097-271230- SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 500 AM PST THU FEB 26 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE PARK TO KINGS CANYON. .DAY ONE...TODAY A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...FROM YOSEMITE PARK TO THE KERN COUNTY LINE...REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE...SFOWSWHNX OR WWUS46 KHNX. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Feb 26, 10:00 AM PST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 1000 AM PST THU FEB 26 2004 CAZ089>094-270000- 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- 1000 AM PST THU FEB 26 2004 ...ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE TODAY... ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS ARE HIGHLY FAVORABLE TODAY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA PORTION OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS. IN ADDITION TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...LIGHTNING...AND SMALL HAIL...A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE HAIL AND WINDS GUSTING TO 58 MPH OR HIGHER. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS SOURCE...FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS IMPENDING WEATHER EVENT. OR VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.WRH.NOAA.GOV/HANFORD. DURFEE/GUDGEL
The radar
The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:43 UTC.
Event by event
1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Funnel Cloud
- A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in South Carolina, February 26, 2004
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, February 26 to 27, 2004
- Heavy Snow in South Carolina, February 26 to 27, 2004
- Winter Storm in Georgia, February 26, 2004
- Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 26 to 27, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Tennessee, February 26, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, February 26 to 29, 2004
- Dense Fog in Wisconsin, February 26, 2004
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, February 26, 2004
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, February 26 to 27, 2004
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 26, 2004
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, February 26, 2004
More
Every storm in California in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 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: 5384845.