A strong Pacific storm system moved through central California on March 2. Light precipitation began ahead of the storm during the evening of March 1 then became moderate to locally heavy during the morning of March 2.
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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 strong Pacific storm system moved through central California on March 2. Light precipitation began ahead of the storm during the evening of March 1 then became moderate to locally heavy during the morning of March 2. As a cold front pushed through the area during the late morning and early afternoon hours, thunderstorms developed in the cooler post-frontal airmass producing areas of flooding as well as a small tornado near Mendota which caused minor roof damage to a few homes. Between 1 and 3 inches of liquid precipitation fell across most of the Southern Sierra Nevada. Snow levels were above 8000 feet for much of the event, but lowered to around 5000 feet behind the cold front on Tuesday afternoon. Much of the San Joaquin Valley and Kern County Mountains picked up half an inch to an inch of rain and the Kern County Deserts generally picked up between a tenth to a half an inch of rainfall. The storm moved east of the area by the morning of March 3.
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 2, 2:35 AM PST, 9 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA 235 AM PST Sat Mar 2 2019 .SYNOPSIS...A Pacific storm system will move across and out of the area today and tonight before drying sets in Sunday and Monday. Another potentially very wet storm system will move into California in the Tuesday through Thursday time frame. && .DISCUSSION...Radar shows a large area of moderate to heavy rain pushing quickly east across the forecast area. Rainfall amounts up to 0.35" have been reported on the mesonet over Kern County with Mettler and Gravevine receiving the most as of 2 am. The rain has pushed across the Tehachapi Mountains and is now over the desert areas where a nice soaking will occur through the night. Meanwhile out to the west, radar shows other bands of rain moving onshore across the Central Coast and Southwest California. Water vapor satellite imagery shows a strong frontal boundary now pushing into Point Conception with a fast jet stream moving into Southern California. Expect the nature of all precipitation to turn showery over the next couple of hours however with the strong dynamics in place and some colder air aloft filtering in behind the front, isolated thunderstorm are a good bet later this morning through the afternoon. Gusty winds are still likely over the Grapevine region and along the west side of the San Joaquin Valley today. Over the Kern County Desert areas, in the wake of the frontal passage this afternoon winds will get rather gusty here too. Latest model precipitation forecasts show 1-2 feet of new snow in the Sierra and lower elevation rain totals of 0.40-0.80" in the San Joaquin Valley with 0.15-0.30" in the Kern County Desert before all precipitation ends on Sunday. Potentially much more wet weather will arrive next week and will be explained below. Models quickly move this system east this evening and widespread lower elevation precipitation will come to an end. Over the Sierra the orographics will keep a relatively moist southwest to west flow cranking out rain and snow into Sunday before the flow becomes amplified from a building shortwave ridge off the west coast and all precipitation ends. Should see a dry period from later Sunday through Monday under the ridge. The next potentially very wet Pacific system is progged to arrive Tuesday and push a concentrated "atmospheric river" of moisture into the Point Conception region and target So Cal and Kern County. With a couple of low pressure centers progged to push into the Central Coast on Wednesday, the entire forecast area should see a robust precipitation event either from the southern AR event or the strong trough and low pressure passage in its wake. Will need to keep an eye on this situation as antecedent conditions over the area will be very wet and of course a deep snow pack continues to build over the Sierra. && .AVIATION... In the San Joaquin Valley, MVFR with local IVR visibility at times in rain through 06Z Sunday. Over the Sierra Nevada, expect mountain obscurations due to clouds and precipitation through Sunday. Otherwise VFR conditions will prevail across the Central California Interior for 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.html for additional information an/or to provide feedback. && .HNX Watches/Warnings/Advisories... Winter Weather Advisory until 7 PM PST this evening ABOVE 7000 FEET FOR THE CAZ097. Winter Storm Warning until 7 PM PST this evening ABOVE 7000 FEET FOR THE CAZ096. Wind Advisory until noon PST today CAZ091-095. Wind Advisory until 9 AM PST this morning CAZ089-090. && public...Dudley avn/fw...BS synopsis...Dudley weather.gov/hanford
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley CA 1149 AM PST SAT MAR 2 2019 CAZ089-090-093-022030- Mariposa, Madera, and Fresno County Foothills CA-East- Central San Joaquin Valley CA-West-Central San Joaquin Valley CA- 1149 AM PST SAT MAR 2 2019 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTH CENTRAL MARIPOSA... SOUTHWESTERN MADERA...EAST CENTRAL MERCED AND WEST CENTRAL FRESNO COUNTIES UNTIL 1230 PM PST... At 1147 AM PST, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 8 miles southwest of Chowchilla, or 17 miles west of Madera, moving northeast at 30 mph. Heavy rain, dime size hail and winds in excess of 35 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Madera, Chowchilla, Mendota, Firebaugh, Bonadelle Ranchos-Madera Ranchos, Madera Acres, Parkwood, Parksdale, Yosemite Lakes, Friant, Millerton Lake and Le Grand. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm, and may lead to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. && LAT...LON 3673 12042 3706 12052 3737 12001 3696 11963 TIME...MOT...LOC 1947Z 213DEG 41KT 3705 12038 mv
The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:07 UTC.
5 debris flow, 4 flood, 1 funnel cloud, 1 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A funnel cloud was spotted 5 miles west of Mendota and was shared on Twitter and on media.
NWS Storm Survey determined an EF0 tornado estimated at 70 mph with a path length of 300 yards and a width of 10 yards damaged three roofs between Valenzuela St. and the corner of San Pedro St. and Oxnard St. The time was confirmed from residents videos shared with NWS.
Several social media reports and images of several downed trees and broken branches at Road 28 just north of Ave. 21 1/2.
California Highway Patrol reported roadway flooding on North Friant Rd. at the intersection of North Fork Rd.
A trained spotter in Sanger measured 1.5 inches of rainfall between 1415 PST AND 1545 PST and reported extensive roadway flooding in Sanger.
California Highway Patrol reported small trees and debris going across North Piedra Rd and Avocado Lake Park Dr. at 1540 PST.
California Highway Patrol reported roadway flooding at the intersection of State Route 180 and Newmark Ave. in Sanger.
California Highway Patrol reported water over the roadway at the intersection of Mormon Bar Crossing and Ben Hur Rd. in Mariposa.
California Highway Patrol reported mud, rocks and dirt on State Route 140 at Ferguson Slide Bridge near Briceburg at 1618 PST.
California Highway Patrol reported rocks and boulders on State Route 190 near Pier Point. Water was also flowing across the roadway.
California Highway Patrol reported tree limbs, boulders and other debris in the roadway on State Route 198 in front of the Totem Market in Three Rivers.
California Highway Patrol reported a mudslide across the entire roadway on MacDonough Ave. northeast of Sanger.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for California, 2019Warnings in California, March 2019
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: 801140, 801141, 801142, 801136, 801137, 801143, 801138, 801139, 801144, 801145, 801146, 801147.