California, 2005

Heavy Rain in California, January 1 to 4, 2005

January 1 to 4, 2005 · NWS HNX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Consistent above normal rainfall for the "water year" continued into Calendar Year 2005. Late December winter storms in the Southern Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountains and associated heavy rain on the adjacent San Joaquin Valley and Kern County Desert Floor continued into the first 4 days of January.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
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.

Consistent above normal rainfall for the "water year" continued into Calendar Year 2005. Late December winter storms in the Southern Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountains and associated heavy rain on the adjacent San Joaquin Valley and Kern County Desert Floor continued into the first 4 days of January. On the Valley floor Merced had 0.52" in the 1st 4 days of the month, Fresno 0.74", Hanford 0.91", and Bakersfield 0.76" of rain. Locally heavy rain on saturated soils led to several locations of minor, nuisance flooding: Deadman Creek south of Le Grand in Merced County; Cottonwood Creek south of Madera in Madera County; Numerous areas of ponded water in Kings County; and water on the roadway at Highways 33 and 166 near Maricopa in Kern 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 31, 8:15 PM PST, 3 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 31, 8:15 PM PST, 3 hours 45 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 31, 6:06 PM PST, 5 hours 54 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 31, 6:06 PM PST, 5 hours 54 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Fresno

When
January 1, 12:00 AM PST to January 4, 8:00 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)

Heavy Rain, Merced

When
January 1, 12:00 AM PST to January 3, 11:59 PM 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, Kings

When
January 1, 12:00 AM PST to January 4, 10:00 AM PST
Where
Kings County, Countywide
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
36.075, -119.815 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Kern

When
January 1, 12:00 AM PST to January 4, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Kern County, Countywide
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
35.343, -118.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Madera

When
January 1, 12:00 AM PST to January 4, 4:00 AM PST
Where
Madera County, Countywide
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
37.218, -119.763 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5438247, 5438248, 5438249, 5438250, 5438251.