A cold and moist upper trough pushed through the region between the evening of March 4 through the evening of March 5. 50 inches of rainfall.
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.
The episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.
A cold and moist upper trough pushed through the region between the evening of March 4 through the evening of March 5. This system produced widespread precipitation with several locations in the Southern Sierra Nevada and adjacent foothills measuring between 0.75 inches to 1.50 inches of rainfall. In addition, 6 to 12 inches of snow was measured at several locations above 6000 feet. Rain shadowing kept rainfall totals below a quarter of an inch across most of the San Joaquin Valley. Gusty post-frontal winds were observed across the Kern County Mountains and Deserts during the afternoon and evening hours of March 5 with several locations measuring gusts above 45 mph.
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 5, 4:15 AM PST, 5 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA 415 AM PST Sun Mar 5 2017 .SYNOPSIS... Wet, cooler and gusty today as a storm system moves through the region. Precipitation will diminish tonight though a few light showers will remain possible north of Fresno County into Monday. Dry weather and a warming trend are expected from Tuesday through Friday, then another storm system is possible next weekend. && .DISCUSSION... Satellite water vapor imagery shows the cold upper low spinning off the Washington coast with the associated trough digging south along the California coast. Regional radar shows the leading band of precip from Cambria northeast to Yosemite, though there is not much over the San Joaquin Valley due to rain shadowing. Automated rain gauges and MRMS estimates show light precip totals thus far with rain rates generally a tenth of an inch or less. The snow level is currently around 5500 feet and will continue to lower through the day. A nearly 140 KT upper jet is moving into central CA and the strong southwest flow aloft will help provide enhanced orographic precipitation over the southern Sierra. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from Yosemite NP to Kings Canyon NP where 10 to 20 inches of snow is possible above 6000 feet. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the Tulare County portion of the Sierra where 4 to 12 inches of snow is possible. While the strong flow aloft is favorable for precip over the Sierra, it limits rain for the SJ Valley. Rain shadowing could keep many areas from receiving much more than a few hundredths of an inch, especially along the west side and south end of the valley. Some higher amounts are possible, mainly along the east side of the valley. A few areas could see around a quarter of an inch to perhaps isolated amounts of one half of an inch. Colder air aloft will move in and bring increased instability for a slight chance for thunderstorms with small hail north of Kern County this afternoon. Snow levels will fall to around 3000 feet north of Kern County by late afternoon. But the trough axis will have shifted east with the flow aloft turning northwesterly by that time. This will end the widespread orographic precip with scattered light showers gradually diminishing through the evening. Snow levels will plunge all the way down to around 2000 feet overnight. While most areas will see little if any accumulation, a few foothill locations could see an inch or two. Snow levels in the Kern County mountains are forecast to be around 4000 feet this evening, then 3000 feet overnight. Some light snowfall is possible along the passes, but do not expect much more than a dusting. Winds will continue to increase today with strong gusts to around 55 mph in the Kern County Desert, where a Wind Advisory remains in effect. Once the front moves through later this morning, northwest gusts to around 30 mph will occur over parts of the SJ Valley into the afternoon. Winds will diminish rather quickly this evening. High pressure from the eastern Pacific will begin to build in on Monday and shift the storm track north, but a few light showers will remain possible north of Fresno County. Dry conditions and a warming trend will push temperatures to a little above normal by Thursday. The medium range models are showing a little better agreement in another system affecting central CA next weekend. && .AVIATION... Precipitation and low clouds will spread south over the region today resulting in increased areas of MVFR, with local mountain obscuring IFR conditions in the higher terrain. Wind gusts over 60 KTS will occur over the Sierra crest. Gusts to 50 KTS are possible across the Kern County mountain and desert areas after 18Z today. Otherwise, VFR conditions can be expected across the central CA 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. 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... Winter Weather Advisory until 10 PM PST this evening CAZ097. Winter Storm Warning until 10 PM PST this evening CAZ096. Wind Advisory from 1 PM this afternoon to 10 PM PST this evening CAZ095-098-099. && public...DCH avn/fw...DS synopsis...DCH weather.gov/hanford
1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Yosemite National Park reported that a tree fell on a woman and killed her in the park. A heavy snow shower and gusty winds were occurring at the time.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind, S Sierra Mtns | 2017-03-05 | 20 | Female | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 2017
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: 685298.