Flash Flood and Flood in California, March 20, 2019

Name: Flash Flood and Flood in California, March 20, 2019
Start: 2019-03-20T12:00
End: 2019-03-20T21:30
Location: California

March 20, 2019 · NWS HNX · 5 events in 2 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: $10,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

A slow moving low pressure system near the California coast spread moisture inland during the evening of March 19 and the morning of March 20. This produced a band of mainly light rainfall which was most noticeable north of Fresno County. Skies cleared out in the San Joaquin Valley during the afternoon of March 20 and with a post-frontal unstable airmass present, thunderstorms broke out in the valley during the afternoon through the early evening. The thunderstorms produced some locally heavy rainfall and there were a few reports of flooding in Tulare County with a road washed out near Woodlake. There were also a few reports of funnel clouds which were posted online. Most locations in the San Joaquin Valley picked up a tenth to a third of an inch of rainfall while many locations in the Southern Sierra Nevada picked up between a third of an inch to an inch of liquid precipitation with locally higher amounts measured at a few stations.

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 Mar 20, 2:56 AM PST, 9 hours 4 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 2:56 AM PST, 9 hours 4 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA
356 AM PDT Wed Mar 20 2019

.SYNOPSIS...
A Pacific storm system will affect the region today through
Thursday. High pressure will build over the area Friday before
another weaker storm system moves across the region Saturday.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
An upper disturbance moved through central CA overnight bringing
widespread precipitation. The heavier amounts in the SJ valley
were recorded towards Merced county and the Sierra Nevada. The
more widespread band of precipitation has moved north into N CA.
However another disturbance over the central coast will move
through the central valley this morning bringing another round of
precipitation. The main trough axis remains offshore with a mild
southerly flow and snow level near 6kft in central CA. Models
indicate unstable conditions for early this afternoon. The higher
cape values 600-800J/Kg are indicated along the sierra foothills
and east side of the valley. Thus expect scattered showers and
isolated thunderstorms this afternoon. Pressure gradients remain
weak so gusty wind should not be an issue. Snow level lowering
toward 5kft tonight as the trough axis moves through central CA
this evening. The higher resolution models indicate the higher
rain amounts around half inch towards the Mount Pinos area.
Otherwise rainfall a quarter to half inch in the Mountains and
scattered amounts of 1-2 tenths in the San Joaquin Valley.
Isolated showers will continue to be possible Thursday but
development will be mainly over the mountains and towards the
Bakersfield area with wind flow from the NW.

Any lingering showers over the mountains will diminish by
Thursday night as weak ridge enters the region.
Another storm moves through N and Central CA Friday night and
Saturday. This system quickly moves out of area Saturday night
leaving a warm and dry trend for Sunday. The weather pattern
remain active with yet another weather system moving across CA
during mid week. However model timing consensus remains poor with
this midweek system.

&&

.AVIATION...
Wind gusts exceeding 35KT possible near the Tehachapi Mountain
passes and along the west side of the San Joaquin Valley thru 07Z
Wed. Increasing areas of mountain obscuring IFR in the Southern
Sierra Nevada after 03Z Wed and in the Tehachapi Mountains after 09Z
Wed. Local MVFR conditions in low clouds and showers in the San
Joaquin Valley and southern Sierra foothills after 18Z Wed. Isolated
thunderstorms possible after 18Z Wed. Otherwise VFR conditions will
prevail elsewhere across the Central CA Interior the next 24 hours.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
None.

&&

.CERTAINTY...

The level of certainty for days 1 and 2 is medium.
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...
NONE.
&&

public...MV
avn/fw...Dudley
synopsis...MV

weather.gov/hanford

The radar

The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 88 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 funnel cloud, 1 flood, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Funnel Cloud, Madera

When: March 20, 12:00 PM PST to 12:10 PM PST
Where: Madera County, 4.62 mi S of Daulton
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 37.054, -119.993

A television station posted a photo of a a funnel cloud near Madera.

Funnel Cloud, Tulare

When: March 20, 4:46 PM PST to 4:51 PM PST
Where: Tulare County, 2.57 mi E of Woodlake
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 36.413, -119.055

Pictures posted on Twitter of a funnel cloud east of Woodlake.

Funnel Cloud, Tulare

When: March 20, 5:10 PM PST
Where: Tulare County, 2.09 mi SSE of Merry Man
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 36.301, -119.068

Pictures posted on Twitter of a funnel cloud east of Exeter.

Flood, Tulare

When: March 20, 5:49 PM PST to 7:49 PM PST
Where: Tulare County, 0.29 mi NW of Lemoncove to 0.33 mi NW of Lemoncove
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates: 36.383, -119.024

Tulare County Fire Department reported Eastbound State Route 198 flooded near Ave. 328 in Lemon Cove.

Flash Flood, Tulare

When: March 20, 5:59 PM PST to 9:30 PM PST
Where: Tulare County, 2.15 mi ENE of Woodlake Arpt to 2.08 mi E of Woodlake Arpt
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates: 36.407, -119.062

Tulare County Fire Department reported the intersection of State Route 216 and Road 228 washed out.

What these are

Funnel Cloud: A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 2019 Every state in 2019 This day in weather history Warnings in California, March 2019

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: 802604, 802792, 802797, 802602, 802599.