Heavy Rain, Merced
- When
- March 2, 9:00 AM PST to March 31, 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 in California, March 2 to 31, 2006
The month of March started wet and continued in Interior Central California. 53" above normal and makes it the 6th wettest March on record [There was rain reported on 21 of 30 days of the month.
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
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.
The month of March started wet and continued in Interior Central California. As example, Fresno had 4.73" of precipitation during the month which is 2.53" above normal and makes it the 6th wettest March on record [There was rain reported on 21 of 30 days of the month. For Fresno this was the wettest March since 1995 when 5.88" of rain fell]; Madera had 4.26" of rain or 1.97" above normal; Merced had 3.36" of rain or 1.13" above normal; and, Hanford had 2.60" of rain. Agricultural losses were caused by a delay in planting, out right damage due to the above normal rainfall, and/or much below normal temperatures (Fresno and Bakersfield had their 2nd and 3rd coldest March months, respectively). Monetary losses for the excessive rain and cool weather will be annotated in the April Report.
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 Mar 2, 9:00 AM PST, 0 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 2, 9:00 AM PST, 0 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
900 AM PST THU MAR 2 2006
.SHORT TERM...SATELLITE AND SURFACE ANALYSIS HAS THE COLD FRONT
ADVANCING THROUGH CENTRAL CALIFORNIA THIS MORNING WITH CLOUDS AND
PRECIP FROM FRESNO COUNTY NORTHWARD. WILL EXPECT THE COLD FRONTAL
PRECIP BAND TO CONTINUE PUSHING SOUTH THROUGH OUT THE DAY AND MAY
REACH THE KERN MOUNTAINS LATER IN THE AFTERNOON. MODELS SHOW THIS
FRONTAL BAND WEAKENING AS IT MOVES FURTHER SOUTHEASTWARD...SO WILL
NOT EXPECT THE KERN DESERTS TO SEE MUCH IN THE WAY OF PRECIP WITH
THIS FIRST WAVE. CURRENTLY...SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS THE BACK EDGE
OF THE FRONTAL PRECIP BAND REACHING THE BAY AREA. THEREFORE...THE
PRECIP WILL BE SHORT LIVED WITH A BRIEF BREAK IN THE PRECIP POSSIBLY
OCCURRING LATER THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING. YET...AS THE FIRST LOW
PUSHES THROUGH...A STRONGER SECONDARY LOW CURRENTLY DEVELOPING
AROUND 140W/40N WILL CONTINUE SWINGING INTO THE BASE OF THE TROUGH
THIS EVENING WITH HELP FROM A +100KTS JET. CURRENT TIMING WILL HAVE
THIS SECONDARY LOW REACHING CENTRAL CALIFORNIA TONIGHT. AT WHICH
TIME...PRECIP AND COLD AIR WILL SURGE THROUGH THE REGION AND
ALLOW SNOW LEVELS TO DROP OVERNIGHT. SNOW FALL MAY OCCUR ACROSS
THE FOOTHILLS BY DAYBREAK AND REACH THE 2500-3000 FOOT LEVEL. YET...
THE DURATION OF SNOW IN THE FOOTHILLS WILL BE SHORT ENOUGH TO ONLY
ALLOW FOR LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS. MOREOVER...THIS STORM WILL BRING THE
THREAT OF HEAVY SNOW TO THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA AT AND ABOVE 5000
FEET. IN ADDITION...SNOW MAY ALSO REACH THE GRAPEVINE OVERNIGHT WITH
A FEW INCHES POSSIBLE AT THE PASS LEVEL. WILL CONSIDER ISSUING A
SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE KERN MOUNTAINS ALONG WITH UPDATING THE WINTER
STORM WARNING FOR THE SIERRA NEVADA AND SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE
FOOTHILLS.
&&
.AVIATION...A STORM SYSTEM MOVING INTO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WILL BRING
MVFR CONDITIONS DUE TO LOWERING CEILINGS IN RAIN REACHING KMCE THIS
MORNING AND SPREADING SOUTH ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH 00Z THIS
AFTERNOON. FOR MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION...PLEASE REFER TO TAFS FOR
KMCE...KFAT AND KBFL.
&&
.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE
SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE PARK TO THE KERN
COUNTY LINE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY.
...SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FOOTHILLS TONIGHT
AND FRIDAY NORTH OF KERN COUNTY.
&&
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD /USE ALL LOWER CASE/
MOLINAHazardous weather outlook, Mar 2, 5:00 AM PST, 4 hours before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 500 AM PST THU MAR 2 2006 CAZ096-097-031300- SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 500 AM PST THU MAR 2 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO THE KERN COUNTY LINE. .DAY ONE...TODAY A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM PST FRIDAY. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /WWUS46 KHNX...SFOWSWHNX/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE WINTER STORM WARNING WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 4 PM PST FRIDAY. AFTER 4 PM FRIDAY...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. CAZ089>092-031300- WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- 500 AM PST THU MAR 2 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THERE IS A CHANCE FOR ISOLATED AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY. OTHERWISE...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. CAZ095-098-099-031300- KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY- SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT- 500 AM PST THU MAR 2 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS... AND THE SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT. .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY 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. CAZ093-094-031300- MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS-TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS- 500 AM PST THU MAR 2 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SIERRA NEVADA FOOTHILLS. .DAY ONE...TODAY SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM PST FRIDAY. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /WWUS46 KHNX ... SFOWSWHNX/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE SNOW ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM PST FRIDAY. AFTER 4 PM PST FRIDAY...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. TLM
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 2, 4:36 AM PST, 4 hours 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 436 AM PST THU MAR 2 2006 CAZ089>092-030000- WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- 436 AM PST THU MAR 2 2006 A COLD LOW PRESSURE AREA IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC WILL MOVE INLAND ACROSS THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR FRIDAY. AS IT DOES...IT WILL BRING THE THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS TO THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE BRIEF HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. CAZ095-098-099-030000- KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY- SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT- 436 AM PST THU MAR 2 2006 A PACIFIC STORM WILL REACH THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS FRIDAY MORNING. IT WILL BRING MUCH LOWER SNOW LEVELS...LIKELY AFFECTING TRAVEL OVER MOUNTAIN PASSES DURING THE DAY FRIDAY. SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO LOWER TO ABOUT 3500 FEET...WITH SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE AT PASS LEVELS. HIGHWAYS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED ARE INTERSTATE 5 OVER THE GRAPEVINE...HIGHWAY 58 THROUGH TEHACHAPI PASS...AND HIGHWAY 178 OVER WALKER PASS. WHILE ACCUMULATING SNOW IS NOT EXPECTED ON THE DESERT FLOOR FRIDAY... SOME OF THE PEAKS AND RIDGES ABOVE 3500 FEET COULD SEE A DUSTING IN HEAVIER SHOWERS. BINGHAM
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Rain, Madera
- When
- March 2, 9:30 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- Madera County, Countywide
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 37.218, -119.763 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Fresno
- When
- March 2, 10:00 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM 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, Tulare
- When
- March 2, 11:00 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- Tulare County, Countywide
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 36.220, -118.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Kings
- When
- March 2, 11:00 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- Kings County, Countywide
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 36.075, -119.815 (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
- Heavy Snow in New York, March 2, 2006
- Strong Wind in Maryland, March 2, 2006
- Strong Wind in West Virginia, March 2, 2006
- Wildfire in Virginia, March 2, 2006
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in New Jersey, March 2, 2006
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, March 2, 2006
- Heavy Snow in New York, March 2, 2006
- Winter Storm in Connecticut, March 2, 2006
- Winter Storm in Michigan, March 2, 2006
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, March 2, 2006
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in California, March 2 to 3, 2006
- Winter Storm in New York, March 2, 2006
More
Every storm in California in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5499064, 5499065, 5499063, 5496339, 5499066.