Flood and Heavy Rain in California, February 5 to 8, 2014

Name: Flood and Heavy Rain in California, February 5 to 8, 2014
Start: 2014-02-05T02:00
End: 2014-02-08T04:00
Location: California

February 5 to 8, 2014 · NWS HNX · 15 events in 10 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 15

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 storm that reached the central California interior at the end of January heralded a week of unsettled weather for the region. February 1st saw low-level clouds banked against the San Joaquin Valley-facing slopes of the mountains in Kern and Tulare Counties, with clouds pushing into the Tehachapi Pass. The next day, a low-pressure system dropped south along the northern California coast, bringing precipitation to the region during the afternoon. This was a cold system, with the snow level down to around 3000 feet (and even lower in stronger snow showers). Yet despite the cold, unstable airmass, cloud cover inhibited thunderstorm development.

Despite the generally light rainfall amounts on the San Joaquin Valley floor, there was enough boundary-layer moisture to trigger patchy dense fog development in eastern Kings and western Tulare Counties (where the heaviest rain had fallen) around sunrise on February 3rd. Over the mountains, clouds rimmed the San Joaquin Valley and isolated showers were reported over the Southern Sierra Nevada.

Low temperatures in the central and southern San Joaquin Valley dropped below freezing during the morning of February 4th, with patchy frost reported in the coldest rural areas. These cold low temperatures continued the next morning, then clouds associated with the first major winter storm of the season arrived during the afternoon of the 5th.

The storm brought moderate to heavy rain to the central and southern San Joaquin Valley on February 6th, except for the strongly rain-shadowed south end of the Valley. Fresno received 0.80 inch of rain on the 6th, nearly two thirds of the total for November through January of 1.26 inch. In sharp contrast, Bakersfield only recorded 0.04 inch, one twentieth of Fresno’s amount. Heavy snow fell in the Southern Sierra Nevada, with the snotel at Big Meadows receiving an estimated two feet of new snow, with Dana Meadows getting only a few inches less.

Unsettled weather continued through February 10th. As upper-level impulses moved over the area, periods of light showers continued across the central California interior. However, rainfall amounts, even when totaled from February 7th through the 10th, were considerably less than on the 6th. In the Southern Sierra Nevada, an estimated 4 to 7 inches of additional snow fell above 9000 feet. Further south, a mix of rain and snow was reported on February 7th near Bear Valley Springs in the Tehachapi Mountains.

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 Feb 4, 2:15 PM PST, 11 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 4, 2:15 PM PST, 11 hours 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
215 PM PST TUE FEB 4 2014

.SYNOPSIS...
PASSING MIDDLE AND HIGH CLOUDS WILL CLEAR OUT TONIGHT ALLOWING
MINIMUM TEMPERATURES TO DROP TO HARD FREEZE LEVELS. POSSIBLE SHOWER
ACTIVITY AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW FOR THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND
THURSDAY AS WEAK FRONTAL SYSTEM BRUSHES BY.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
THE IMMEDIATE CONCERN FOR THE FORECAST THIS AFTERNOON IS THE
POTENTIAL FOR A MORE WIDESPREAD FROST WEDNESDAY MORNING. THERE WAS
PATCHY DENSE FOG IN THE VISALIA AREA AGAIN THIS MORNING AROUND
SUNRISE...AS WELL AS PATCHY FROST IN THE COLDEST SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
LOCATIONS. EXPECT A REPEAT OF THE FOG TOWARD DAYBREAK WEDNESDAY...SO
HAVE ADDED AN AREA OF PATCHY DENSE FOG TO THE VISALIA-TULARE AREA
FOR 11-16Z /0300-0800 PST/.

UPSLOPE CLOUDS CONTINUE ALONG THE VALLEY-FACING SLOPES OF THE
SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...MAINLY IN KERN AND TULARE COUNTIES...AND
THE TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS. THE 2154Z /1354 PST/ OBSERVATION FROM
MEADOWS FIELD SHOWED THAT THE CLOUDS WERE BEGINNING TO DISSIPATE.
HAVE ADDED AREAS OF CLOUDS TO THIS EVENING/S SKY GRIDS.

LOWS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN THIS MORNING WERE IN
THE LOWER TO MID 30S. AT 20Z /NOON PST/ WERE DOWN A COUPLE OF
DEGREES AND IF THE HIGH CLOUDS CLEAR OUT AS THE MODELS INDICATE...
LOWS WEDNESDAY MORNING COULD BE A DEGREE OR TWO COLDER WITH MORE
WIDESPREAD TEMPERATURES AT OR BELOW 32 DEGREES. THEREFORE HAVE
ISSUED A FREEZE WARNING FROM 11-16Z /0300-0800 PST/ WEDNESDAY
MORNING.

THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT-FRIDAY STORM CONTINUES TO LOOK ON TRACK. EXPECT
PRECIPITATION TO REACH MERCED AND MADERA COUNTIES WEDNESDAY EVENING
AND SPREAD SOUTH OVERNIGHT INTO THURSDAY. COULD SEE AROUND A QUARTER
INCH OF RAIN IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY...TAPERING OFF TO LESS THAN A
TENTH OF AN INCH IN THE SOUTH END OF THE VALLEY. IN THE SOUTHERN
SIERRA NEVADA...QPF WILL RANGE FROM NEARLY AN INCH OVER THE YOSEMITE
HIGH COUNTRY TO AROUND A THIRD OF AN INCH IN SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK.
SNOW LEVELS WILL FALL TO AROUND 3500-4000 FEET.

THERE HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE FORECASTED WEATHER PATTERN
FOR FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY IN THE LATEST MODEL RUNS. AFTER SEVERAL
DAYS OF FORECASTING FREEZING TEMPERATURES SATURDAY MORNING...THE
LAST COUPLE OF MODEL RUNS HAVE BEGUN PICKING UP A LONG FETCH OF
TROPICAL MOISTURE THAT IS NOW EXPECTED TO KEEP OVERNIGHT SAN JOAQUIN
VALLEY LOWS MOSTLY ABOVE FREEZING WITH THE COLDEST LOCATIONS IN THE
29-32-DEGREES RANGE.

THIS ATMOSPHERIC RIVER IS FORECAST TO AIM AT NORTHERN AND NORTH-
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA OVER THE COMING WEEKEND. THIS WILL BRING A WETTER
AND LONGER PERIOD OF RAIN AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW EXTENDING FROM
SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH NEXT MONDAY. DUE TO THE TROPICAL NATURE
OF THE MOISTURE...SNOW LEVELS WILL BE HIGHER WITH THIS SYSTEM THAN
WITH THE THURSDAY STORM AND TEMPERATURES WILL BE WARMER.

&&

.AVIATION...
IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...AREAS OF MVFR AND LOCAL IFR DUE TO MIST/
HAZE BETWEEN 12Z AND 17Z WEDNESDAY. IN THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA
AND TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS...AREAS OF MVFR AND LOCAL MOUNTAIN OBSCURING
IFR FROM UPSLOPE CLOUDS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY. ELSEWHERE...VFR
CONDITIONS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
NONE.

&&

.CERTAINTY...

THE LEVEL OF CERTAINTY FOR DAYS 1 AND 2 IS HIGH.
THE LEVEL OF CERTAINTY FOR DAYS 3 THROUGH 7 IS MEDIUM.

THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED AS PART OF A TRIAL PROJECT CONDUCTED
BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD.
CERTAINTY LEVELS INCLUDE LOW...MEDIUM...AND HIGH. PLEASE VISIT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HNX/CERTAINTY.PHP /ALL LOWER CASE/ FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND/OR TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK.

&&

.CLIMATE...
             RECORDS
SITE DATE    HI_MAX:YEAR LO_MAX:YEAR HI_MIN:YEAR LO_MIN:YEAR

KFAT 02-04       74:2009     43:1899     54:1907     28:1988
KFAT 02-05       75:1930     42:1989     56:1978     24:1899
KFAT 02-06       73:1930     45:1989     52:1898     24:1899

KBFL 02-04       85:2009     46:1989     53:1996     26:1923
KBFL 02-05       87:1912     39:1989     61:1978     28:1989
KBFL 02-06       77:1930     45:1989     55:1978     27:1989

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FREEZE WARNING FROM 3 AM TO 8 AM PST WEDNESDAY FOR THE CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY /CAZ089>092/.

&&

PUBLIC...SANGER
AVN/FW...SANGER
SYNOPSIS...WP

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 4, 12:43 PM PST, 13 hours 17 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
1243 PM PST TUE FEB 4 2014

CAZ089>092-042145-
WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
1243 PM PST TUE FEB 4 2014

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

* STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS
  SOURCE...FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR
UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

WP

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 heavy rain, 4 frost/freeze, 2 winter weather, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Frost/Freeze, W Central S.J. Valley

When: February 5, 2:00 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
Where: W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet

Frost/Freeze, E Central S.J. Valley

When: February 5, 2:00 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
Where: E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet

Frost/Freeze, Sw S.J. Valley

When: February 5, 2:00 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
Where: Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet

Frost/Freeze, Se S.J. Valley

When: February 5, 2:00 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
Where: Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet

Winter Weather, S Sierra Mtns

When: February 6, 4:00 AM PST to February 8, 4:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: Park/Forest Service

Winter Weather, Tulare Cty Mtns

When: February 6, 4:00 AM PST to February 8, 4:00 AM PST
Where: Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: Park/Forest Service

Heavy Rain, Mariposa

When: February 6, 8:19 AM PST
Where: Mariposa County, 1.65 mi E of Elliott Corner
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.470, -119.740

Trained spotter reported 0.22 inches of rain in Ponderosa Basin.

Heavy Rain, Fresno

When: February 6, 11:15 AM PST
Where: Fresno County, 2.32 mi WNW of Glorietta
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.860, -119.710

Spotter reported heavy rain with 0.89 inches in Clovis.

Heavy Rain, Fresno

When: February 6, 12:40 PM PST
Where: Fresno County, 2.32 mi WNW of Glorietta
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.860, -119.710

Heavy rain in Clovis with 1.05 inches.

Heavy Rain, Fresno

When: February 6, 12:55 PM PST
Where: Fresno County, 1.3 mi ESE of Melvin
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.810, -119.650

One inch of new rainfall in Clovis.

Flood, Tulare

When: February 6, 12:56 PM PST to 1:56 PM PST
Where: Tulare County, 3.55 mi NW of Traver to 4.97 mi WSW of Delft Colony
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 36.490, -119.520

Flooding on SR 99 and 384 near Traver.

Heavy Rain, Kern

When: February 7, 8:41 AM PST
Where: Kern County, Glennville
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.730, -118.700

Heavy rain with 0.66 inches.

Heavy Rain, Mariposa

When: February 7, 9:26 AM PST
Where: Mariposa County, 1.65 mi E of Elliott Corner
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.470, -119.740

Twenty six hundredths of an inch reported by a spotter.

Heavy Rain, Kern

When: February 7, 11:35 AM PST
Where: Kern County, 3.56 mi NE of Lake Isabella
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.640, -118.410

Heavy rainfall in Lake Isabella.

Heavy Rain, Kern

When: February 7, 11:40 AM PST
Where: Kern County, 4.19 mi WSW of Rowen
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.200, -118.670

A rain and snow mix. Heavy rain also occurred during a 24 hour period in Bear Valley Springs.

What these are

Frost/Freeze: Frost or temperatures at or below freezing during the growing season, usually filed for crop damage.
Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
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.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in California, February 2014

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: 509982, 509983, 509984, 509985, 509986, 509987, 509976, 509977, 509978, 509979, 509975, 509980, 509981, 509974, 509973.