Lightning, Merced
- When
- September 20, 2:00 PM PST
- Where
- Merced County, 5 mi SW of Dos Palos
- Reported by
- FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
- Coordinates
- 37.192, -120.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strikes and Heavy Rain in California, September 20, 2005
The first of 3 known lightning strikes within an hour of 1400 PST on the west side of Merced County ignited a small fire southwest of Dos Palos in the West-Central San Joaquin Valley. Periods of locally heavy thundershowers from moisture released from Hurricane Max occurred.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
- 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.
The first of 3 known lightning strikes within an hour of 1400 PST on the west side of Merced County ignited a small fire southwest of Dos Palos in the West-Central San Joaquin Valley. Periods of locally heavy thundershowers from moisture released from Hurricane Max occurred. Dos Palos had in excess of 0.50" causing local street flooding by 1655 PST. In East-Central San Joaquin Valley locally heavy thundershowers were reported over parts of Highway 99. The east San Joaquin Valley thunderstorm activity also had smaller hail up to 1/2" reported at 1850 PST 2 miles southeast of Fresno.
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 Sep 20, 8:29 AM PST, 5 hours 31 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 20, 8:29 AM PST, 5 hours 31 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA 929 AM PDT TUE SEP 20 2005 .SHORT TERM FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...UPPER LOW SITTING OFFSHORE NEAR POINT CONCEPTION CONTINUES TO PULL MOISTURE NORTHWARD ACROSS THE REGION WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MARCHING QUICKLY NORTH ACROSS THE DISTRICT. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT AS THE LOW TRACKS VERY SLOWLY INLAND. RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE EXCESSIVE DUE TO THE QUICK MOVEMENT OF THE SHOWERS AND STORMS. TEMPERATURES ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING SEVERAL DEGREES WARMER THAN 24 HRS AGO...THOUGH WITH INCREASED CLOUDS AND RAIN...AFTERNOON HIGHS ARE EXPECTED TO BE SEVERAL DEGREES LOWER THAN YESTERDAY. AS THE LOW OPENS UP AND LIFTS OUT WEDNESDAY...DRIER WEST TO NORTHWEST FLOW WILL RETURN AND TEMPERATURES WILL RUN NEAR NORMAL THROUGH THURSDAY. NO UPDATE IS ANTICIPATED FOR TODAY/S FORECAST. .LONG TERM...FOR THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...00Z MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ARE IN REASONABLY GOOD AGREEMENT. MODELS INDICATE THE PATTERN WILL REMAIN FAIRLY ACTIVE. PROGS SHOW HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL RIDGE INTO ALASKA AND WESTERN CANADA RESULTING IN A LONG WAVE TROUGH OVER THE WEST. AN INITIAL SHORT WAVE SHOULD STRENGTHEN ONSHORE GRADIENTS AND START A COOLING TREND FRIDAY. ADDITIONAL UPPER LEVEL ENERGY WILL FOLLOW RESULTING IN A CUTOFF UPPER LOW ALONG THE CENTRAL COAST ON SATURDAY. SOME THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP DURING SATURDAY AFTERNOON OVER THE SIERRA AS LATEST GFS SHOWS GOOD DYNAMICS AS WELL AS MID LEVEL MOISTURE POOLING IN THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY COULD CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY AS THE LOW PUSHES INTO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA BRINGING COLD AIR ALOFT AND INCREASING INSTABILITY. THE LOW FINALLY OPENS UP AND LIFTING IT OUT MONDAY. && .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PREVAIL THROUGH AT LEAST 12Z WEDNESDAY...ALTHOUGH THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS IN THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. SPECIFIC DETAILS CAN BE FOUND IN THE TAFS FOR KMCE...KFAT AND KBFL. && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD /USE ALL LOWER CASE/ JEB/MV
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 20, 4:00 AM PST, 10 hours before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...COR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 500 AM PDT TUE SEP 20 2005 CAZ089>099-211200- 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- 500 AM PDT TUE SEP 20 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR. .DAY ONE...TODAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FAIRLY FAST MOVING SO NO A LOT OF RAINFALL IS EXPECTED. HOWEVER DUE TO THE FAST MOVEMENT...LOCALLY GUSTY WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO PRODUCE DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. THE LOW PRESSURE AREA RESPONSIBLE FOR THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST DURING THE NIGHT TONIGHT...ENDING THE THUNDERSTORM THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. 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. BINGHAM
The radar
The San Francisco radar (KMUX), 105 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:02 UTC.
Event by event
2 lightning, 2 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Rain, Merced
- When
- September 20, 2:00 PM PST to 4:55 PM PST
- Where
- Merced County, Dos Palos
- Measured
- 0.5
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 37.192, -120.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Merced
- When
- September 20, 3:30 PM PST to 3:45 PM PST
- Where
- Merced County, Atwater
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 37.192, -120.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning, Merced
- When
- September 20, 3:30 PM PST
- Where
- Merced County, Atwater
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 37.192, -120.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
- 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
- Heat in Alabama, September 20, 2005
- Hurricane and Storm Surge in Florida, September 20, 2005
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in North Atlantic Coastal Waters, September 20, 2005
- Dust Storm and Damaging Winds in California, September 20, 2005
- Tropical Storm in Florida, September 20, 2005
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in Gulf of Mexico, September 20, 2005
- Damaging Winds in Virginia, September 20, 2005
- Hail and Heavy Rain in California, September 20, 2005
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in Lake Erie, September 20, 2005
- Wildfire and Lightning Strike in California, September 20 to 21, 2005
- Wildfire and Lightning Strike in California, September 20, 2005
- Marine Hail in North Atlantic Coastal Waters, September 20, 2005
More
Every storm in California in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in California, September 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: 5475466, 5475467, 5475468, 5475516.