Debris Flow, S Sierra Foothills
- When
- December 25, 10:24 PM PST
- Where
- S Sierra Foothills forecast zone
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
Debris Flow and Lightning Strike in California, December 25 to 26, 2005
Locally heavy rain contributed to a small rockslide over Highway 140 at Bull Creek in Southwest Mariposa County. Subsequent convection resulted some lightning activity in the Central Valley including a strike near the Fresno Air Terminal early on the 26th.
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
- $1,000
- 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.
Locally heavy rain contributed to a small rockslide over Highway 140 at Bull Creek in Southwest Mariposa County. Subsequent convection resulted some lightning activity in the Central Valley including a strike near the Fresno Air Terminal early on the 26th.
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 25, 8:30 PM PST, 1 hour 54 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 25, 8:30 PM PST, 1 hour 54 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA 830 PM PST SUN DEC 25 2005 .EVENING UPDATE...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATES TROUGH AXIS OF THE STORM SYSTEM MOVING ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CALIFORNIA IS NOW AT ABOUT 127W. A BROAD AREA OF SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE LIES ACROSS ALL OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. A BAND OF CONTINUOUS RAIN HAS BEEN SLOWLY SAGGING SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE CWFA THIS EVENING...AND IS CURRENTLY MOVING INTO FRESNO COUNTY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN FROM 1 TO 2 TENTHS OF AN INCH ON THE VALLEY FLOOR AND BETWEEN 2 TO 3 TENTHS IN THE ADJACENT SIERRA FOOTHILLS. A SHOWER JUST AHEAD OF THE MAIN PRECIP BAND ALSO BROUGHT A TRACE OF RAIN HERE IN HANFORD. RADAR INDICATES A BREAK IN THE PRECIPITATION JUST NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA...WITH ANOTHER AREA OF RAIN MOVING ONSHORE TO REPLACE IT OVERNIGHT. APPEARS OROGRAPHICS WILL KEEP RAIN FALLING CONTINUOUSLY IN FOOTHILL/MOUNTAIN AREAS ONCE IT STARTS THOUGH. CURRENT FORECAST OF PRECIPITATION CONTINUING SOUTHWARD...WITH GREATEST AMOUNTS OVER THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE CWFA...APPEARS ON TRACK. WILL NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES IN WINTER STORM WARNING IN ZONE 96 OR SNOW ADVISORY IN ZONE 97 OTHER THAN TO PUT OUT SCHEDULED UPDATE AT 10 PM. .SHORT TERM...TRANSITION TO A POTENTIALLY WET PATTERN OVER THE NORTH IS WELL UNDERWAY. STUBBORN FOG IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY IS FINALLY MIXING OUT, JUST IN TIME FOR THE HIGHER LEVEL CLOUDS TO MOVE IN. OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA AND THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS, MAINLY SUNNY SKIES PREVAIL. SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS A VERY LARGE AREA OF CLOUDS RAPIDLY MOVING ONSHORE AND SPREADING OVER THE NORTH THIS AFTERNOON. UPSTREAM RADARS AT SACRAMENTO AND MONTEREY ARE SHOWING INCREASED ECHOES WITH MONTEREY RADAR SHOWING QUITE A BIT OF LIGHT RAIN MOVING ONSHORE. WITH TIME, THIS RAIN WILL MOVE INTO THE NORTH THIS EVENING AND THEN SPREAD SOUTHEAST OVERNIGHT. IT APPEARS THE PRECIPITATION WILL REACH THE BAKERSFIELD AREA LATE TONIGHT. BASED ON THE LATEST MODEL DATA, THE MOST WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION SHOULD OCCUR LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING AS THE TROUGH MOVES ONSHORE AND MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. LATEST QPF FORECASTS STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT THE YOSEMITE AREA WILL RECEIVE THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION WITH LIGHTER AMOUNTS OVER THE SIERRA SOUTH OF KINGS CANYON PARK. WILL OPT TO ISSUE A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR ZONE 96 AND A SNOW ADVISORY FOR ZONE 97 IN RESPONSE. COULD SEE SOME AREAS EASILY EXCEED 3 FEET IN YOSEMITE, WHILE AMOUNTS UP TO ONE FOOT SEEM A GOOD BET OVER THE SEQUOIA PARK AREA. BY LATE MONDAY, GOOD AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE NAM AND GFS MODELS IN MOVING THE TROUGH AXIS EAST OF THE AREA BY LATE IN THE DAY AND THE PRECIPITATION THREAT SHOULD END. SHORT WAVE RIDGING IS PROGGED FOR TUESDAY AND THEN THE NEXT SYSTEM IS PROJECTED BY THE GFS MODEL TO MOVE INTO THE DISTRICT ON WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. WILL OPT TO UP POPS TO HIGH CHANCE CATEGORY OVER THE NORTH ON WEDNESDAY, BUT KEEP KERN COUNTY DRY AT THIS TIME. && .LONG TERM...FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...EXTENDED MODELS CONTINUE TO BE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT IN MAINTAINING A SEMIZONAL WIND PATTERN ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PACIFIC. EMBEDDED SHORTWAVES WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE RAPIDLY EAST AND SHIFT ONSHORE OVER THE WEST COAST THROUGH THE WEEKEND. EXPECT THE SYSTEM FOR WED/WED NIGHT TO RAPIDLY SHIFT EAST WITH WEAK SHORTWAVE RIDGING FOR THU AND FRI. THIS WILL RETURN DRIER WEATHER UNDER PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES TO THE DISTRICT FOR THU AND FRI WITH PATCHY MORNING FOG FRI. THE NEXT UPSTREAM SYSTEM TO APPROACH CENTRAL CA WILL BE LATE FRI WITH AN INCREASING THREAT OF PRECIPITATION OVERNIGHT INTO SAT MORNING. THIS SYSTEM WILL BE SHORT-LIVED AND ONLY BRING A THREAT OF RAIN WITH MOUNTAIN SNOW TO MAINLY THE NORTHERN THIRD OF THE CWA. ANOTHER WEAK RIDGE SAT AFTERNOON WILL GIVE WAY TO YET ANOTHER APPROACHING TROUGH LATE SUNDAY. THE WESTERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP A MILD AIRMASS OVER THE REGION WITH DAYTIME TEMPERATURES NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. && .AVIATION...AREAS OF IFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES DUE TO LOW STRATUS AND HAZE OVER THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY UNTIL 03Z OTHERWISE VFR CONDITIONS DETERIORATING TO MVFR OVERNIGHT DUE TO CEILINGS AND RESTRICTED VISIBILITY IN RAIN. CONDITIONS DETERIORATING OVER THE MOUNTAINS DUE TO OBSCURATION AND RAIN/SNOW AFTER 03Z. FOR MORE SPECIFIC DETAILS...PLEASE REFER TO THE TAFS FOR KMCE...KFAT AND KBFL. && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON TONIGHT THROUGH 4 PM MONDAY. ...SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS TONIGHT THROUGH 4 PM MONDAY. && WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD /USE ALL LOWER CASE/ MENDENHALL/DUDLEY/GREISS
Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 25, 12:30 PM PST, 9 hours 54 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 1230 PM PST SUN DEC 25 2005 CAZ089>095-098-099-261300- 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- 1230 PM PST SUN DEC 25 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS...AND THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THEIR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. CAZ096-097-261300- SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 1230 PM PST SUN DEC 25 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SAN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON AND THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS. .DAY ONE...TODAY A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON. PLEASE REFER TO SFOWSWHNX OR WWUS46 KHNX FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON. PLEASE REFER TO SFOWSWHNX OR WWUS46 KHNX FOR FURTHER DETAILS. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THEIR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. TLM
The radar
The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:55 UTC.
Event by event
1 debris flow, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning, Fresno
- When
- December 26, 5:56 AM PST
- Where
- Fresno County, (Fat) Air Terminal
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 36.758, -119.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Debris Flow
- A fast-moving slurry of mud, rock and debris, usually on a slope soaked by heavy rain or stripped by a fire.
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Cold in Illinois, December 25, 2005
- Strong Wind in Washington, December 25, 2005
- Wildfire in Oklahoma, December 25 to 28, 2005
- Dense Fog in Kansas, December 25 to 26, 2005
- High Wind in Oregon, December 25, 2005
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind in Gulf of Mexico, December 25, 2005
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind in Gulf of Mexico, December 25, 2005
- Wildfire in Oklahoma, December 25 to 31, 2005
- Wildfire in Oklahoma, December 25, 2005
- High Wind in Montana, December 25, 2005
- Winter Storm in California, December 25 to 26, 2005
More
Every storm in California in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2005
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: 5489187, 5489188.