Lightning, Fresno
- When
- January 26, 3:30 PM PST to 4:30 PM PST
- Where
- Fresno County, Fresno
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 36.758, -119.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strikes in California, January 26 to 28, 2005
Thunderstorm activity on the 26th and 28th resulted in lightning strikes in and around the city of Fresno. Small hail accompanying the convective activity swept through the city of Fresno during the mid-afternoon of the 28th.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- 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.
Thunderstorm activity on the 26th and 28th resulted in lightning strikes in and around the city of Fresno. Small hail accompanying the convective activity swept through the city of Fresno during the mid-afternoon of the 28th.
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 Jan 26, 3:00 PM PST, 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 26, 3:00 PM PST, 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 300 PM PST WED JAN 26 2005 .SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...RADAR AND LIGHTNING DETECTION NETWORK DATA INDICATE A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING OVER THE WEST SIDE OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES INLAND. EXPECT THIS LINE TO MOVE THROUGH HANFORD AROUND 2300-2315Z...AND THROUGH THE FRESNO/CLOVIS METRO AREA DURING THE EVENING COMMUTE. THE 12Z/18Z MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE TROUGH AXIS MOVING ACROSS THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR BY 06Z...SO HAVE CONFINED THUNDERSTORMS TO THE EVENING WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. HAVE TAPERED OFF SHOWER ACTIVITY AFTER MIDNIGHT...WITH SKIES BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY THURSDAY. HAVE GONE WITH AREAS OF MORNING VALLEY FOG WITH RECHARGE OF THE GROUND MOISTURE TONIGHT AND BREAKS IN THE SKY COVER TO ALL COOLING TO NEAR SATURATION. THE MODELS BRING THE SECOND TROUGH TO THE COAST AROUND 12Z FRIDAY... SO HAVE INTRODUCED SLIGHT CHANCES OF RAIN THURSDAY EVENING... INCREASING AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAIN WILL CONTINUE FRIDAY...CHANGING TO SHOWERS FRIDAY NIGHT. SHOWERS WILL DIMINISH OVER THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY SATURDAY...BUT LINGER OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. .LONG TERM...FOR SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...GFS OPERATIONAL RUNS AND ENSEMBLE MEMBERS CONTINUE TO STALL THE EASTWARD PROGRESS OF THE TRAILING SYSTEM. WILL THUS ADD SLIGHT CHANCE POPS TO THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERT FOR SATURDAY NIGHT. THE DISTRICT TRANSITIONS INTO A COOL NORTHERLY FLOW SUNDAY BEFORE UPPER RIDGING RAPIDLY BUILDS INTO THE STATE THROUGH THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK. DIFFICULT CALL AT THIS POINT WHETHER THE END RESULT WILL BE FOG OR STRATUS FOR THE VALLEY, SO WILL INDICATE A MODERATE TENDENCY TOWARDS BOTH. SYNOPTIC PATTERN WILL BRING WARM AFTERNOONS BACK TO THE FOOTHILLS AND EVENTUALLY THE DESERTS, BUT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERCUT GUIDANCE FOR VALLEY LOCALES AS WHATEVER FORM THE INVERSION PRODUCES, IT WILL KEEP DAY TO DAY TEMPERATURE CHANGES MINIMAL WITH READINGS COOL. && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SANGER/BURGER
Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 26, 5:00 AM PST, 10 hours 30 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 500 AM PST WED JAN 26 2005 CAZ089>092-271300- WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- 500 AM PST WED JAN 26 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. .DAY ONE...TODAY THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE LEVELS...WITH LIGHTNING BEING THE PRIMARY THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY 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. CAZ093>099-271300- 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- 500 AM PST WED JAN 26 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON AND THE ADJACENT FOOTHILLS...THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS...THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS... THE INDIAN WELLS VALLEY...AND THE SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT. .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY 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. DCH
The radar
The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:30 UTC.
Event by event
2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning, Fresno
- When
- January 28, 2:25 PM PST to 3:11 PM PST
- Where
- Fresno County, 8 mi SW of (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
- 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
- Winter Weather in Vermont, January 26, 2005
- Winter Weather in Colorado, January 26 to 27, 2005
- Ice Storm in Utah, January 26 to 27, 2005
- Heavy Rain in Hawaii, January 26, 2005
- Winter Weather in Utah, January 26 to 27, 2005
- Winter Storm in Michigan, January 26 to 27, 2005
- Heavy Rain in Hawaii, January 26 to 27, 2005
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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5438328, 5438329.