Lightning Strike and Heavy Rain in California, January 30 to 31, 2014

Name: Lightning Strike and Heavy Rain in California, January 30 to 31, 2014
Start: 2014-01-30T03:30
End: 2014-01-31T09:41
Location: California

January 30 to 31, 2014 · NWS HNX · 7 events in 7 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: $4,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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 weather changed beginning the evening of January 29th as the first storm in over seven weeks reached the central California interior. Rain and mountain snow moved into the northern half of the region during the late evening of the 29th, spread south through the 30th and tapered off the last day of the month. The storm brought wind gusts as high as 50 mph to the mountains and deserts and the first measurable rain since December 7th to the San Joaquin Valley. Fresno broke its driest start to a calendar year at 28 days; the previous record had been 21 days, set in 1903. Bakersfield’s dry start ended at 29 days, just breaking the old record of 28 days, set in 1963.

The heaviest snow totals occurred in the higher elevations of the Southern Sierra. For example, 14 inches fell near Devils Postpile, 12 inches just east of Cedar Grove, and 10 inches near Lake Wishon.

The average high temperature for January at Fresno was 12 degrees above normal, and Bakersfield was 11.3 degrees above normal. However, the very dry, stable airmass over the region allowed for strong radiational cooling most nights. The average low temperatures for Bakersfield and Fresno were less than two degrees above normal.

The well above normal high temperatures more than offset the near-normal lows. January 2014 was the second warmest January on record for both Bakersfield and 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 Jan 29, 9:45 PM PST, 5 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 29, 9:45 PM PST, 5 hours 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
945 PM PST WED JAN 29 2014

.UPDATE...
MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE TIMING OF THE STORM.

&&

.SYNOPSIS...
VALLEY SHOWER ACTIVITY CAN BE EXPECTED EARLY THIS MORNING THROUGH
THURSDAY NORTH OF THE SOUTHERN FRESNO COUNTY LINE. SIERRA NEVADA
SNOW WILL OCCUR MOSTLY NORTH OF THE KERN COUNTY LINE THROUGH
THURSDAY. GUSTY WINDS MAY EXIST IN THE KERN COUNTY DESERT AND
MOUNTAINS BY THURSDAY. DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO RETURN BY THE
WEEKEND.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
SATELLITE LOOPS SHOW THE COLD FRONT SLOWING AS IT APPROACHES CENTRAL
CALIFORNIA...WITH THE CLOUD SHIELD WRAPPING AROUND THE UPPER-LEVEL
RIDGE WEST OF BAJA CALIFORNIA. THIS HAS SLOWED THE COLD FRONT...WITH
THE RAIN/SNOW MAINLY OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA THIS EVENING.

THE LATEST RUNS OF THE HIGH-RESOLUTION RAPID-REFRESH /HRRR/ AND
NAM-12 MODELS HAVE PICKED UP ON THE SLOWER TIMING OF THE SYSTEM AS
IT MOVES INTO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. THESE MODELS ARE IN GENERAL
AGREEMENT WITH RAIN REACHING MERCED BETWEEN 09-12Z /0100-0400 PST/
THURSDAY...TO FRESNO AROUND 13Z /0500 PST/ AND THE HANFORD-VISALIA
AREA BY 14-15Z /0600-0700 PST/. HAVE OPTED TO REFINE THE TIMING
IN THE FORECAST DISCUSSION AS THE 12-HOUR GRIDS ALLOW FOR SOME
FLEXIBILITY IN THE FORECAST TIMING.

ONE UNCERTAINTY IS A PAIR OF VORTICITIES BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. ONE
VORTICITY IS NEAR 38N/135W...AND THE OTHER IS NORTH OF IT NEAR 42N/
137W. THE FIRST VORTICITY IS BEGINNING TO INTERACT WITH THE CLOUD
BAND ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT...AND THE TWO VORTICITIES APPEAR TO
BE MERGING. THE COMBINED FEATURE MAY SERVE TO KICK THE COLD FRONT
EASTWARD...ADDING TO UNCERTAINTY OVER TIMING. THE DEEPENING
VORTICITY ALSO MAY BE THE SOURCE OF THE SECONDARY WAVE THE MODELS
HAVE ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE TROUGH LATER TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY.

THE 00Z NAM-12 AND GFS AND THE 12Z ECMWF CONTINUE TO FORECAST A
10-10.5 C DROP IN 850-MB TEMPERATURES THURSDAY NIGHT. STILL EXPECT
THE SNOW LEVEL TO FALL TO AROUND 5000 FEET BY FRIDAY MORNING...BUT
THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION WILL HAVE ENDED BY THAT TIME.

BOTH BAKERSFIELD AND FRESNO HAD HIGHS OF 71 DEGREES TODAY. THIS WAS
BAKERSFIELD/S 12TH DAY THIS MONTH WITH A HIGH OF 70B DEGREES OR
HIGHER...AND THE 11TH SUCH DAY FOR FRESNO. THESE ARE RECORDS FOR
BOTH CITIES. THE PREVIOUS RECORD FOR 70+ DEGREE DAYS IN JANUARY WAS
11 FOR BAKERSFIELD AND 8 FOR FRESNO...BOTH IN 1948.

THIS ALSO MARKS THE LONGEST DRY START FOR A CALENDAR YEAR FOR
BAKERSFIELD AT 29 CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITHOUT RAIN. THE PREVIOUS
RECTORY WAS 28 DAYS...SET IN 1963.

&&

.AVIATION...
IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...MVFR CONDITIONS WITH LOCAL IFR CEILINGS
AND MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS CAN BE EXPECTED AROUND YOSEMITE NATIONAL
PARK AFTER 06Z THURSDAY AS PRECIPITATION MOVES INTO THIS REGION.
AREAS MVFR AND LOCAL IFR AFTER 12Z THURSDAY AS PRECIPITATION SPREADS
SOUTH TO THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS. STRONG WINDS ARE LIKELY OVER THE
SIERRA CREST TONIGHT WITH GUSTS TO 70 MPH OR HIGHER...GUSTS AROUND
50 MPH IN THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERT AFTER 15Z THURSDAY.

&&

.PREV DISC... /ISSUED 424 PM PST WED JAN 29 2014/

DISCUSSION...HIGH CLOUD COVER DOMINATED TODAY/S WEATHER OVER
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WITH RAIN AND SNOW FALLING OVER THE NORTHERN
PART OF THE STATE. TODAY/S STORM HAS BEEN ABLE TO TAP INTO
SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE WITH PRECIP TOTAL RANGING FROM 0.50 OF AN
INCH TO ALMOST ONE FULL INCH SO FAR ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THIS STORM OVER THE NORTH...THE STAGE IS
NOW SET FOR POSSIBLE PRECIPITATION ACROSS CENTRAL CALIFORNIA LATER
THIS EVENING AND INTO THURSDAY. WEATHER FORECAST MODEL HAVE
INITIALIZED VERY WELL AND ARE INDICATING RAIN AND SNOW TO START
AROUND THE YOSEMITE AREA EARLY THIS EVENING.
THEREFORE...CONFIDENCE IN A POSSIBLE PRECIP SCENARIO HAS INCREASED
WITH A GOOD LIKELIHOOD OF RAIN AND SNOW FROM LATER TONIGHT THROUGH
EARLY FRIDAY MORNING.

NOW THAT THE RIDGE PATTERN HAS BROKEN DOWN AND STORMS ARE FINALLY
ABLE TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION...IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME
BEFORE RAIN AND SNOW MOVES INTO THE DISTRICT. THE ZONAL WIND FLOW
THAT MODELS HAVE BEEN INDICATING FOR SEVERAL DAYS IS FINALLY HERE
WITH RAIN EXPECTED OVER THE VALLEY FLOOR BY EARLY THURSDAY
MORNING. WHILE RAIN AND SNOW WILL BE OBSERVED OVER THE SIERRA
NEVADA FIRST /THIS EVENING/ DUE TO OROGRAPHIC EFFECTS...VORT MAX
ENERGY AND THE RIGHT REAR REGION OF A +100KT JET MAX WILL
PROVIDE ENOUGH LIFT TO PRODUCE PRECIP OVER THE VALLEY FROM MERCED
COUNTY TO POSSIBLY KERN COUNTY. THE VORT MAX/UPPER LEVEL
DIVERGENCE IS TIMED FOR AFTER SUNRISE ON THURSDAY...SO VALLEY RAIN
WILL START AT THAT TIME. AS MENTIONED BEFORE...SUBTROPICAL
MOISTURE IS CURRENTLY SURGING INTO THE REGION BUT WILL TURN OFF AS
THE GENERAL FLOW PATTERN TURNS FROM A SOUTHWEST-NORTHEAST
DIRECTION TO ONE THAT IS WEST-EAST. THEREFORE...WHILE MODELS
EXPECTED 2.5 INCHES OF WATER OVER THE MOUNTAINS NEAR YOSEMITE...WE
MAY ONLY SEE 1 TO 1.5 INCHES OF WATER AS THE TAP IS TURNED OFF
WITH THE CHANGE IN THE FLOW TO ONE THAT IS WEST-EAST.

THE WESTERLY WIND FLOW WILL PRODUCE ADVISORY LEVEL SNOW FALL FROM
YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON...IT MAY ALSO PREVENT THE WEST SIDE OF
THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY FROM OBSERVING SIGNIFICANT PRECIP. IN
ADDITION...THE WARM TEMPERATURES OVER CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WILL
LIMIT SIGNIFICANT SNOW FALL TO AREAS ABOVE 7000 FEET. COLDER AIR
WILL NOT MOVE INTO THE REGION UNTIL AFTER THE FLOW BECOMES MORE
NORTHERLY...WHILE WILL OCCUR BY THE END OF THE WEEK.
THEREFORE...WILL MAINTAIN THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON ABOVE 7000 FEET.
CURRENT ESTIMATES HAVE 6 TO 12 INCHES OF NEW SNOW FALLING ACROSS
THE SIERRA NEVADA BETWEEN LATE THIS EVENING AND THURSDAY. BY
FRIDAY...LINGERING SHOWERS MAY CONTINUE... MAINLY OVER THE
MOUNTAINS...AS ONE FINAL VORT LOBE MOVES THROUGH THE REGION.
MODELS THEN SHOW A SHORT WAVE RIDGE MOVING THROUGH THE WEST
COAST. BY THIS WEEKEND...IF PRECIPITATION MOVES BACK IN...THE SNOW
WILL FALL DOWN TO AROUND 4500 TO 5000 FEET. HOWEVER...MODELS
CONTINUE TO SHOW HIGH UNCERTAINTY WITH THE WEEKEND STORM. IF THE
STORM REMAINS OFF-SHORE THE DISTRICT WILL NOT SEE ANY
PRECIPITATION. WILL WAIT FOR BETTER MODEL CONSENSUS BEFORE A
MENTION OF PRECIP IS PLACED IN THE FORECAST.

&&

.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 01-29       73:1960     43:2002     55:1911     24:1902
KFAT 01-30       74:1984     41:1923     56:1911     25:1946
KFAT 01-31       75:1984     39:1969     55:1963     26:1949

KBFL 01-29       74:1986     42:2002     54:1986     27:1903
KBFL 01-30       77:1911     44:1951     60:1911     23:1902
KBFL 01-31       82:1984     45:1969     57:1963     23:1902

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST FRIDAY ABOVE 7000 FEET
FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON
/CAZ096/.

WIND ADVISORY FROM 7 AM TO 10 PM PST THURSDAY FOR THE KERN COUNTY
MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS /CAZ095-098-099/.

&&

PUBLIC...SANGER
AVN/FW...DS/DCH
PREV DISCUSSION...MOLINA
SYNOPSIS...PJ

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

The radar

The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 55 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:36 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 heavy rain, 1 strong wind, 1 winter weather, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Indian Wells Vly

When: January 30, 3:30 AM PST to 12:00 PM PST
Where: Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Measured: 46 kt (53 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: Mesonet

Winter Weather, S Sierra Mtns

When: January 30, 4:00 AM PST to January 31, 4:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: Park/Forest Service

Heavy Rain, Fresno

When: January 30, 8:34 AM PST to January 31, 8:34 AM PST
Where: Fresno County, 1.3 mi ESE of Melvin
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.810, -119.650

Twenty four hour storm spotter rainfall of 0.60 inch in Clovis.

Heavy Rain, Kern

When: January 30, 8:34 AM PST to January 31, 8:34 AM PST
Where: Kern County, Glennville
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.730, -118.700

Twenty four hour spotter rainfall in Glennville of 1.0 inch.

Heavy Rain, Kings

When: January 30, 8:35 AM PST to January 31, 8:35 AM PST
Where: Kings County, 0.89 mi SW of Cimarron
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.290, -119.790

Twenty four hour spotter rainfall in Lemoore of 0.17 inch.

Heavy Rain, Mariposa

When: January 30, 9:41 AM PST to January 31, 9:41 AM PST
Where: Mariposa County, 1.65 mi E of Elliott Corner
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.470, -119.740

Storm spotter 24 hour rainfall 1.61 inches.

Lightning, Madera

When: January 30, 11:14 PM PST
Where: Madera County, 3.38 mi WSW of Oneals
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.120, -119.760

Weather spotter reported several cloud to ground lightning strikes.

What these are

Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
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.
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

Every storm in California in 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in California, January 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: 498455, 498454, 498448, 498449, 498450, 498451, 498452.