Drought in California, July 1 to 31, 2016

Name: Drought in California, July 1 to 31, 2016
Start: 2016-07-01T00:00
End: 2016-07-31T23:59
Location: California

July 1 to 31, 2016 · NWS HNX · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

The California drought continues during the month of July, 2016. Both Fresno and Bakersfield received no precipitation during the month.

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 continues during the month of July, 2016. Both Fresno and Bakersfield received no precipitation during the month. No precipitation and above normal temperatures we received this month did allow for increased evaporation rates and soil moisture to decrease.

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 general trend of below normal precipitation and above normal temperatures has continued this year.

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, 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. Also, communities in Central California interior face state mandated reductions in municipal water use.

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 Jun 30, 4:07 PM PST, 7 hours 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 30, 4:07 PM PST, 7 hours 53 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA
507 PM PDT THU JUN 30 2016

.Update...updated air quality issues.

&&

.SYNOPSIS...
A large high pressure ridge prevail over the Great Basin for the
remainder of the week. As a result, temperatures will continue to be
much above normal through Friday. Showers and isolated thunderstorms
are possible through Friday in the southern Sierra Nevada. The high
will weaken over the weekend allowing for temperatures to lower to
near normal.

&&

.DISCUSSION...Latest radar and satellite imagery show a few showers
and isolated thunderstorms developing along the Sierra Nevada
crest mainly in Sequoia NP around Mt Whitney. Shower/thunderstorm
activity will continue for the remainder of this afternoon and
into the evening hours, though moisture is further limited
compared to recent days. In addition, temperatures have been
trending several degrees cooler than this time yesterday, at least
north of Kern County, as the high pressure has begun to weaken.

The high pressure will further weaken and allow temperatures to
lower a little more on Friday while an upper level disturbance
moves over northern California. This feature will allow shower
and isolated thunderstorm activity to develop along the crest once
again, although the focus will likely shift north towards
Yosemite.

Expect slightly lower temperatures by the upcoming holiday weekend
and into the middle of next week as an onshore pattern will
develops. A few isolated thunderstorms will remain possible along
the Sierra Nevada crest on Saturday afternoon due to lingering
moisture. Locally gusty winds are possible on Saturday as cooler
air begins to flow into central California but will likely remain
below advisory or warning criteria. Otherwise, dry weather will
prevail, although we expect just slightly lower daytime highs
through the period. High temperatures will at least lower to just
below 100 degrees in much of the San Joaquin Valley and Kern
County desert, while low temperatures will be generally near or
slightly lower than average.

During Wednesday and next Thursday, another low pressure trough
will move over the Pacific Northwest and northern California, so
this will prevent strong high pressure ridging from developing.
Thus, we expect temperatures will likely remain around average,
though still fairly warm, in central California.

&&

.AVIATION...
Local mountain obscurations in showers and thunderstorms over the
southern Sierra Nevada this afternoon and evening. Otherwise, VFR
conditions will prevail throughout the Central CA interior during
the next 24 hours.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
On Friday July 1 2016... Unhealthy for sensitive groups in
Fresno... Kern... and Tulare Counties and Sequoia National
Park and Forest.
Further information is available at Valleyair.org

&&

.CERTAINTY...

The level of certainty for days 1 and 2 is high.
The level of certainty for days 3 through 7 is medium.

Certainty levels include low...medium...and high. Please visit
www.weather.gov/hnx/certainty.php for additional information
an/or to provide feedback.

&&

.HNX Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
NONE.
&&

public...BSO
avn/fw...BSO
synopsis...BSO

weather.gov/hanford