Drought, W Central S.J. Valley
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
Drought in California, March 1 to 31, 2015
The California drought continued in full force during the month of March, 2015. The month was exceptionally warm and much drier than normal.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 11
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 California drought continued in full force during the month of March, 2015. The month was exceptionally warm and much drier than normal. In fact, it was the warmest March ever in Fresno and the 3rd warmest on record in Bakersfield. March, 2015 was the 6th driest March on record in Fresno, tied with March, 1923 with a measly precipitation total of only six hundredths of an inch. The month’s unseasonably warm weather tied or established new records for high minimum and maximum temperatures on several occasions in the San Joaquin Valley. In fact, temperatures averaged above normal every single day of the month except the 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
The U.S. Drought Monitor continued to report exceptional drought conditions across the entire Central California region. This extent of exceptional drought is extremely unusual for California. The 2013-2014 water year (July 1 - June 30) concluded with Fresno setting its second driest on record (4.81 inches) and Bakersfield setting its third driest (2.41 inches). For the calendar year, 2014 was the warmest year on record for Fresno and Bakersfield. The trend of below normal precipitation and above normal temperatures has continued through the first few months of 2015.
There continues to be significant media coverage on the on-going drought conditions. These reports include discussion of significant re-allocation of water resources from the east to west side of the San Joaquin Valley, farmers forgoing planting of some crops, a decrease in the snow-related tourism activity in the Southern Sierra Nevada, reduction in air quality due to persistent stagnant air, loss or reduction of ground water, wells drying up in several communities leaving them with no water, and an unprecedented increase in fire danger across the Southern Sierra Nevada and 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 28, 2:40 PM PST, 9 hours 20 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 28, 2:40 PM PST, 9 hours 20 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
240 PM PST SAT FEB 28 2015
.SYNOPSIS...
A PAIR OF STORM SYSTEMS TRACKING SOUTH INTO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WILL
BRING COOL...WET WEATHER TO MUCH OF THE REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND
AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
SHOWERS AND CLOUDS DOMINATE THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR TODAY
AS A SLOW MOVING UPPER LOW ROUNDS THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA. THE
REGION IS CURRENTLY ON THE INFLOW SIDE OF THE UPPER LOW WITH GOOD
DYNAMICS AND LIMITED MOISTURE MOVING ACROSS THE AREA. WHILE
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY TODAY...OROGRAPHIC UPFLOW WILL FAVOR THE
FOOTHILLS AND SIERRA NEVADA. PRECIP VALUES SO FAR THIS AFTERNOON
RANGE FROM FEW ONE HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH ACROSS THE VALLEY TO
BETWEEN A QUARTER TO ONE HALF OF AN INCH FOR THE FOOTHILLS AND
MOUNTAINS. IN ADDITION...A STRONG +100KT JET WILL CONTINUE TO
EXIST OVER THE SOUTH END OF THE DISTRICT TODAY...ALLOWING FOR
STRONG SURFACE WINDS ACROSS THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS.
WHILE THE JET WILL BEGIN SHIFTING SOUTHEAST TONIGHT...WILL HAVE TO
RE-EVALUATE IF THE WIND ADVISORY WILL NEED TO BE EXTENDED BEYOND
400 PM PST.
THE UPPER LOW PRODUCING TODAY/S WEATHER WILL SLOWLY MOVE SOUTHWARD
AND BE CENTERED NEAR SANTA BARBARA BY SUNDAY MORNING. THEREFORE...
WILL SEE LITTLE CHANGE IN THE WEATHER ON SUNDAY AS SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE. MODELS PROGS LESS INSTABILITY DURING
THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AS THE COLD AIR ALOFT REMAINS OFFSHORE...ALONG
WITH OVERNIGHT CONVECTION. DAYTIME HEATING ON SUNDAY WILL ALLOW
FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS. WITH THE UPPER LOW FURTHER
SOUTH...THE MAIN CONVECTIVE THREAT WILL REMAIN OVER THE SOUTH END
OF THE VALLEY AND ACROSS MOST OF KERN COUNTY.
BY MONDAY...THE FIRST DISTURBANCE WILL EXIT THE REGION OF CENTRAL
CALIFORNIA AND MOVE INTO THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. YET...A SECOND
STORM WILL THEN DROP FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND ALSO MOVE
ALONG THE CALIFORNIA COAST. THIS NEXT STORM WILL ALLOW FOR THE
CONTINUATION OF SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE CONVECTION ON MONDAY. YET...
SATELLITE BLENDED PRECIP WATER CHARTS SHOWING THE BULK OF THE
MOISTURE MORE OVER THE CENTRAL PACIFIC. THEREFORE...WILL HAVE TO
WORK WITH LIMITED MOISTURE OVER THE WEST COAST DURING THE SECOND
ROUND OF WEATHER. ONE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO STORMS IS THAT
THE SECOND WILL MOVE FASTER AND EXIT THE REGION BY TUESDAY
MORNING. THEREFORE...WHILE TUESDAY MAY SEE SOME LINGERING MOUNTAIN
SHOWERS...THE TREND WILL BE TO GO DRY. BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK
...THE WEST COAST RIDGE WILL RETURN AND PROVIDE A BLOCKING PATTERN
FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK.
&&
.AVIATION...
OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...WIDESPREAD IFR AND MOUNTAIN
OBSCURATION IN SHOWERS. AREAS OF MVFR CEILINGS CAN BE EXPECTED IN
THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS AND ALONG THE NORTH FACING SLOPES OF THE
TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS. LOCAL MVFR IS POSSIBLE IN HEAVIER SHOWERS IN
THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. ADDITIONALLY...WIND GUSTS OF 30 KNOTS OR
GREATER WILL OCCUR IN THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERT THROUGH
06Z SUNDAY. VFR CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED ELSEWHERE OVER THE
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR 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 02-28 79:1926 51:1971 59:1986 28:1962
KFAT 03-01 79:1975 50:1951 59:1986 28:1888
KFAT 03-02 82:1921 48:1976 57:1986 26:1953
KBFL 02-28 81:1926 49:1945 56:1968 22:1893
KBFL 03-01 86:2009 48:1919 59:1920 26:1907
KBFL 03-02 87:1926 50:1919 57:2009 28:1907
&&
.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING ABOVE 4000
FEET FOR THE CAZ096-097.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 AM PST
MONDAY CAZ095.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON CAZ095-098-099.
&&
PUBLIC...MOLINA
AVN/FW...JEB
SYNOPSIS...BSO
WEATHER.GOV/HANFORDHazardous weather outlook, Feb 28, 10:06 PM PST, 1 hour 54 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 1006 PM PST SAT FEB 28 2015 CAZ089-090-093-094-020615- WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS- TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS- 1006 PM PST SAT FEB 28 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 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... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. CAZ091-092-020615- SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- 1006 PM PST SAT FEB 28 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. ...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE SUNDAY AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY EVENING... .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY * TIMING: SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY EVENING * IMPACTS: CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS * STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS SOURCE...FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. CAZ096-097-020615- SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON- TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 1006 PM PST SAT FEB 28 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 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... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
In the hours before
Local storm report, Feb 28, 10:44 PM PST, 1 hour 16 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
1044 PM PST SAT FEB 28 2015
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1043 PM HEAVY SNOW 6 SW KEENE 35.16N 118.63W
02/28/2015 E2.0 INCH KERN CA PUBLIC
BEAR VALLEY SPRINGS 6000 FEET
&&
JDBLocal storm report, Feb 28, 10:47 PM PST, 1 hour 13 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
1047 PM PST SAT FEB 28 2015
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0945 PM HEAVY RAIN LEMOORE 36.29N 119.79W
02/28/2015 M0.16 INCH KINGS CA TRAINED SPOTTER
STORM TOTAL RAINFALL.
&&
KDEvent by event
11 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Drought, E Central S.J. Valley
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
Drought, Sw S.J. Valley
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
Drought, Se S.J. Valley
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
Drought, S Sierra Foothills
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- S Sierra Foothills forecast zone
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
Drought, Tulare Cty Foothills
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- Tulare Cty Foothills forecast zone
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
Drought, Kern Cty Mtns
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
Drought, S Sierra Mtns
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
Drought, Tulare Cty Mtns
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
Drought, Indian Wells Vly
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
Drought, Se Kern Cty Desert
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM PST to March 31, 11:59 PM PST
- Where
- Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
- Reported by
- Emergency Manager
What these are
- Drought
- A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm and Flooding in Kentucky, March 1 to 19, 2015
- Winter Storm in Utah, March 1 to 3, 2015
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Delaware, March 1, 2015
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in New Jersey, March 1, 2015
- Drought in Texas, March 1 to 31, 2015
- Winter Weather in Virginia, March 1, 2015
- Drought in Oklahoma, March 1 to 31, 2015
- Heavy Snow in Indiana, March 1, 2015
- Winter Weather in Virginia, March 1, 2015
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Ohio, March 1, 2015
- Blizzard and Winter Storm in Colorado, March 1 to 4, 2015
- Drought in Texas, March 1 to 31, 2015
More
Every storm in California in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 2015
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: 562209, 562210, 562211, 562212, 562213, 562214, 562215, 562216, 562217, 562218, 562219.