California, 2004

Heat in California, March 8 to 22, 2004

March 8 to 22, 2004 · NWS HNX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Two of the three normally wettest months had extensive dry spells over the course of the 2003/2004 wet season in Interior Central California. To underscore the significance of the March dry spell, Fresno had only 40% of its normal rainfall in January with much of that amount falling within the first 3 days of the month and only 80% of its normal rain for February.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

Two of the three normally wettest months had extensive dry spells over the course of the 2003/2004 wet season in Interior Central California. To underscore the significance of the March dry spell, Fresno had only 40% of its normal rainfall in January with much of that amount falling within the first 3 days of the month and only 80% of its normal rain for February. February mountain rainfall was closer to normal. But during March there were just two brief episodes of rain for the Central and South San Joaquin Valley and though the amounts were significant there was over 3 weeks of no rain accompanied by much above temperatures. Bakersfield tied or broke a total of 25 temperature records during the month including the warmest March on record eclipsing the old record set in 1934. Fresno had 11 days where maximum temperatures climbed to 80F or above resetting the 1972 record of 10 days. In the South Valley Bakersfield had 17 days of 80F or higher resetting its record of 16 days set in 1934. During March in Bakersfield 3 of the days had readings greater than 90F including a 94F high temperature on the 29th which was the warmest reading on record for the month. With the unseasonable warmth and long periods of dry weather in what is normally a wet month, the snowpack in the adjacent mountains began its Spring melt much sooner than normal.

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 Mar 8, 9:29 AM PST, 4 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 8, 9:29 AM PST, 4 hours 31 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
929 AM PST MON MAR 8 2004

.SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...PATCHY DENSE FOG
ALONG THE MIDDLE OF THE VALLEY IS STEADILY ERODING AND SHOULD BE
GONE BY 10 AM...LEAVING MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES OVER THE DISTRICT WITH
JUST SOME THIN CIRRUS DRIFTING OVERHEAD. CURRENT TEMPERATURES ARE
RUNNING A FEW DEGREES HIGHER THAN THIS TIME YESTERDAY AND AREA
SOUNDINGS AND MODEL GUIDANCE SUGGEST HIGHS THIS AFTERNOON SHOULD
FOLLOW THIS TREND...TOPPING OUT IN THE MID TO UPPER 70S IN THE
VALLEY...MAYBE EVEN A FEW 80S. TUESDAY SHOULD BE SIMILAR...WITH
LITTLE EFFECT FROM THE PASSING WEAK SHORTWAVE. WEDNESDAY WILL REMAIN
DRY BUT A BIT COOLER AS A SLIGHTLY STRONGER SHORTWAVE TROUGH DROPS
SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA. NO UPDATE IS REQUIRED FOR TODAYS
FORECAST...EXCEPT TO REMOVE MORNING FOG FROM THE VALLEY.

.LONG TERM...PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOR THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...RIDGE
PATTERN HOLDING OVER THE WEST WITH AN INSIDE SLIDER MOVING DOWN
THROUGH THE DISTRICT ON THURSDAY. WILL EXPECT MORE OF A MODERATE
WIND EVENT WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE TROF AS MOISTURE WILL BE LIMITED
BY AN OVERLAND TRAJECTORY THROUGH THE CWFA. AFTERWARDS...RIDGE
RECOVERS AND STRENGTHENS THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. SHORT DURATION
OFFSHORE FLOW PATTERN COULD ALLOW THE VALLEY TO SEE TEMP/S REACHING
UP TO THE UPPER 70S TO AROUND 80 BY FRIDAY BEFORE THE ONSET OF A
COOLING TREND. MODELS REMAIN CONSISTENT IN SHIFTING THE RIDGE AXIS
EASTWARD BY THE END OF THE WEEKEND. THIS WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO
RETURN TO MORE SEASONAL VALUES AS THE FLOW DIRECTION COMES AROUND TO
THAT OF ONSHORE. AT THE PRESENT MOMENT...WILL MAINTAIN A DRY LONG
TERM FORECAST AS THE NEXT DISTURBANCE IS STILL TIMED TO ENTER THE
REGION BEYOND THE EXTENDED PERIOD.

&&

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

&&

JEB/MOLINA
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 8, 4:41 AM PST, 9 hours 19 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
441 AM PST MON MAR 8 2004

CAZ089>099-091300-
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-SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-
SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
441 AM PST MON MAR 8 2004

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...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS
TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

Event by event

4 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Sw S.J. Valley

When
March 8, 2:00 PM PST to March 22, 6:00 PM PST
Where
Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heat, Se S.J. Valley

When
March 8, 2:00 PM PST to March 22, 6:00 PM PST
Where
Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heat, W Central S.J. Valley

When
March 11, 2:00 PM PST to March 22, 6:00 PM PST
Where
W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.

Heat, E Central S.J. Valley

When
March 11, 2:00 PM PST to March 22, 6:00 PM PST
Where
E Central S.J. Valley 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, March 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: 5384873, 5384874, 5384871, 5384872.