California, 2005Flood in California, May 20 to 31, 2005
May 20 to 31, 2005 · NWS HNX · 1 event in 1 county or zone
1 flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
- 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 May 20, 7:55 PM PST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 20, 7:55 PM PST, 1 hour 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
855 PM PDT FRI MAY 20 2005
.SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...LOW LEVEL CLOUDS
CONTINUE TO PLAGUE PARTS OF THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN SJV THIS
EVENING. DRIER AIR HAS INFILTRATED THE AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST AND
THIS SHOULD HELP TO ERODE THE DECK OVERNIGHT. AFTERNOON
TEMPERATURES TOOK A BIG HIT FROM THE FORECAST WITH HIGHS IN
THE 70S PREVAILING. OVER THE REST OF THE FORECAST AREA, SOME
SLIGHT COOLING WAS OBSERVED OVER THE NORTHERN SIERRA, HOWEVER
THE SOUTHERN SIERRA, KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS WERE
WARM. BIG FORECAST CHALLENGE THIS EVENING IS THE HIGH
TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR SATURDAY. WITH THE RELATIVELY DEEP
COOL POOL OVER THE SJV, I HAVE DECIDED TO LOWER MAXES FOR
SATURDAY AROUND 5 DEGREES AS I FEEL RESIDUAL AFFECTS OF AIRMASS WILL
LINGER FOR ONE MORE DAY. CLOUDS SHOULD BE GONE AS THE AIRMASS
CONTINUES TO DRY OUT AND THE RIDGE BUILDS BACK IN FROM THE SOUTH.
WILL MAKE QUITE A FEW CHANGES TO THE SHORT TERM GRIDS. RIVER FLOOD
WARNING WILL CONTINUE AT POHONO BRIDGE IN YOSEMITE WITH
LATEST AVAILABLE STAGE AT 9.39 FEET AT 700 PM. THIS IS HIGHER
THAN LAST NIGHT AT THE SAME TIME. TEMPERATURES WERE A TAD
COOLER OVER THE YOSEMITE AREA, SO IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO
SEE JUST HOW HIGH THE RIVER GETS OVERNIGHT. WILL FRESHEN UP THE
FLOOD STATEMENT SHORTLY WITH LATEST STAGE DATA. LATEST MODEL
CONTINUE TO TRY AND PUMP UP THE DESERT SOUTHWEST RIDGE INTO CENTRAL
CALIFORNIA OVER THE NEXT 2-3 DAYS. SHOULD SEE ADDITIONAL WARMING AT
ALL LOCATIONS. GRIDS BEYOND DAY ONE HAVE THIS HANDLED WELL. ALL
EYES REMAIN ON THE MERCED RIVER WITH SNOWMELT FLOODING QUITE LIKELY.
.LONG TERM...FOR SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY....LONG TERM...MONDAY
NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...A FLAT HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER THE
SOUTHWESTERN U.S. WILL DOMINATE THROUGH THE EXTENDED
PERIOD...SHUNTING ANY UPPER TROUGHS WELL TO THE NORTH. PLAN ON HIGH
TEMPERATURES WELL INTO THE 90S IN THE VALLEY AND DESERT. ABOVE
NORMAL TEMPERATURES IN THE SIERRA WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE LARGE
RUNOFF INTO STREAMS AND RIVERS.
&&
.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE MERCED
RIVER AT POHONO BRIDGE...YOSEMITE PARK. SEE SFOFLSUSJ OR
&&
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD /USE ALL LOWER CASE/
DUDLEY/BENTZIENHazardous weather outlook, May 20, 4:58 AM PST, 16 hours 2 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
558 AM PDT FRI MAY 20 2005
CAZ096-211200-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
558 AM PDT FRI MAY 20 2005
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA
FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON.
.DAY ONE...TODAY
A FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE MERCED RIVER AT POHONO
BRIDGE THROUGH 10 PM THIS EVENING. SEE SFOFLWUSJ /WGUS46 KHNX/ OR
SFOFLSUSJ /WGUS86 KHNX/ FOR DETAILS.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY
FLOOD WARNINGS MAY BE REQUIRED FOR THE MERCED RIVER AT POHONO BRIDGE
DUE TO SNOWMELT. NO OTHER 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.
CAZ090-211200-
EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
558 AM PDT FRI MAY 20 2005
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN
VALLEY.
.DAY ONE...TODAY
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY
FLOOD WARNINGS MAY BE REQUIRED FOR HIGH WATER FLOWS FROM FRIANT DAM.
NO OTHER 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.
CAZ089-091>095-097>099-211200-
WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS-TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-
SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
558 AM PDT FRI MAY 20 2005
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WEST CENTRAL SAN
JOAQUIN VALLEY...THE SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...THE SOUTHERN
SIERRA NEVADA 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...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY
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.
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD /USE ALL LOWER CASE/
SANGER
Flood, S Sierra Mtns
- When
- May 20, 9:00 PM PST to May 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
The arrival of warm weather late in the month of May combined with a much above normal snowpack (179% of normal in the Mariposa County area) in the Southern Sierra Nevada led to snowmelt flooding along the undammed Merced River in Yosemite Valley. This longer-lasting snowmelt flooding event followed the rainfall-induced flooding event earlier in the month. Daily, during the period from May 20th to June 1st, the Merced River crested above its Flood Stage of 10.0 feet at the Pohono Bridge in the lower Yosemite Valley. The late spring snowmelt flooding caused problems for park personnel as overwinter construction projects and roadways were adversely affected by the natural flooding while the summer tourist season was beginning.
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Heat in Arizona, May 20 to 26, 200512 deaths · 4 events
- Avalanche in Colorado, May 20, 20051 death · 1 event
- Flash Flood and Hail in Mississippi, May 20, 2005$2.4 million · 1 in hail · 24 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, May 20, 2005$283,000 · 1.75 in hail · 35 events
- Damaging Wind in South Carolina, May 20, 2005$1.2 million · 78 kt wind · 1 event
- Tornado in North Carolina, May 20, 2005$200,000 · F1 · 1 event
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, May 20, 2005$400,000 · 80 kt wind · 6 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, May 20, 2005$132,000 · 1.5 in hail · 7 events
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, May 20 to 21, 2005$10,000 · F1 · 27 events
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, May 20, 2005$35,000 · 65 kt wind · 1 event
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, May 20, 2005$35,000 · 52 kt wind · 1 event
- Tornado in Virginia, May 20, 2005F1 · 1 event
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: 5449175.