Hail, Fresno
- When
- April 26, 2:50 AM PST to 4:34 AM PST
- Where
- Fresno County, 1 mi NE of Reedley
- Measured
- 0.5 in hail
- Crop damage
- $100,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 36.617, -119.433
Hail and Lightning Strike in California, April 26, 2006
An upper low pressure over Southern California brought moisture from the east over Central California early on the morning of the 26th. A relatively strong thunderstorm developed near Reedley and subsequently moved westward through Fresno County in the Central San Joaquin Valley to near Kerman.
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
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- $100,000
- 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.
An upper low pressure over Southern California brought moisture from the east over Central California early on the morning of the 26th. A relatively strong thunderstorm developed near Reedley and subsequently moved westward through Fresno County in the Central San Joaquin Valley to near Kerman. Locally heavy rain occurred with the storm but 1/2-inch hail at times brought continued damage to area agriculture and the young field crops and setting deciduous crops. The width of the hail was approximately 1 mile wide and extended for a distance of about 33 miles. The 1/2-inch hail was observed with the storm about 3 miles west of Fresno at 0405 AM PST.
The radar
The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 38 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:50 UTC.
Event by event
1 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning, Fresno
- When
- April 26, 3:24 AM PST
- Where
- Fresno County, 2 mi N of Selma
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 36.758, -119.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- 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
- Lightning Strike in Florida, April 26, 2006
- Tornadoes and Hail in South Carolina, April 26, 2006
- Damaging Winds in South Carolina, April 26, 2006
- Damaging Winds in South Carolina, April 26, 2006
- Damaging Winds in South Carolina, April 26, 2006
- Tornadoes in South Carolina, April 26, 2006
- Tornadoes in South Carolina, April 26, 2006
- Damaging Wind in South Carolina, April 26, 2006
- Hail in Texas, April 26, 2006
- Damaging Winds in South Carolina, April 26, 2006
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, April 26, 2006
- Frost and Freeze in Iowa, April 26, 2006
More
Every storm in California in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 2006
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: 5504109, 5504110.