Funnel Cloud, Kings
- When
- March 7, 5:10 PM PST to 5:20 PM PST
- Where
- Kings County, 0.89 mi SE of Shirley
- Reported by
- NWS Employee
- Coordinates
- 36.390, -119.640
An NWS employee spotted a funnel cloud 4N Hanford which remained well above the ground.
Flood and High Wind in California, March 7 to 8, 2019
Following the departure of the warm and very moist system which brought heavy rain to portions of the area on March 6, a cold upper trough approached the area on March 7 and moved through the region during the morning of March 8. This system provided additional liquid precipitation totals of half an inch to an inch over much of the southern Sierra Nevada with the snow level lowering from 5000…
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 9
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.
Following the departure of the warm and very moist system which brought heavy rain to portions of the area on March 6, a cold upper trough approached the area on March 7 and moved through the region during the morning of March 8. This system provided additional liquid precipitation totals of half an inch to an inch over much of the southern Sierra Nevada with the snow level lowering from 5000 feet during the evening of March 7 to 3500 feet by the afternoon of March 8. While precipitation amounts were generally lower in the San Joaquin Valley and the Kern County Mountains, a few locations impacted by heavier showers or thunderstorms on March 8 received over half an inch. Several locations in the higher elevations of the southern Sierra Nevada (above 7000 feet) picked up between 6 an 12 inches of new snow between the evening of March 7 and the afternoon of March 8. There were some reports of funnel clouds in the San Joaquin Valley although there were no confirmed reports of tornadoes from this system. There were several reports of wind gusts exceeding 45 mph in the Kern County Mountains and Deserts and a few low impact indicator sites measured gusts exceeding 70 mph. This cold system moved out of the area during the evening of March 8 with a drier airmass moving into the area behind it.
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 7, 3:05 PM PST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 7, 3:05 PM PST, 2 hours 5 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA 305 PM PST Thu Mar 7 2019 .SYNOPSIS... Another disturbance brings light valley rain and mountain snow through tomorrow morning. A break from precip on Saturday before precip chances return Sunday. Precip again on Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning as another system impacts the region. && .DISCUSSION... An upper level disturbance is bringing a few showers into the valley this afternoon. A thunderstorm or two is conceivable through 6 PM in the valley north of Kern County. Snow levels are currently running around 5,000 feet, but will drop to around 3,000 feet as cold air aloft moves into the region. This has promoted us to issue a few Winter Weather products. First off, a Winter Weather Advisory will be in effect for the Sierra Nevada from Yosemite to Kings Canyon and Tulare County Mountains from 4 PM this afternoon through 10 AM Friday. Another Winter Weather Advisory will be in effect for the Mariposa, Madera, Fresno, and Tulare County Foothills all above 3,000 feet from 4 PM this afternoon through 10 AM Friday. Snowfall accumulations in the foothills above 3,000 feet could be as much as 3 inches, while accumulations in the mountains could be as high as 9 inches. Another winter weather impact will be the possibility of snow on the Grapevine tonight and tomorrow morning. As snow levels drop to around 3,000 feet, there is concern that travel conditions may deteriorate due to black ice and snow. Therefore, we have also issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the Kern County Mountains above 3,000 feet starting at 8 PM tonight through noon Friday. Up to 2 inches of snow is possible tonight and tomorrow morning on Interstate 5 through Lebec, as well as Highway 58 through Tehachapi Pass. The greatest impacts in the Kern County Mountains will likely occur between 3 AM and 8 AM tomorrow. A few showers may linger/upslope through Friday. Post frontal winds will also be quite strong in the Mojave Desert, with wind gusts as high was 55 mph. A Wind Advisory will be valid from 10 AM through 10 PM Friday in the Mojave Desert. By Saturday, models are in agreement that Central California will have zonal flow aloft, which will keep us dry. Saturday afternoon into Sunday, a "coastal hugger" will drop down from the Gulf of Alaska and will reintroduce the chance of precipitaton for the CWA Sunday. Model progs are not showing much QPF for the forecast area with this system, as the bulk of the precip will likely remain offshore. Another break in precipitation will likely occur Monday through Tuesday morning, before another disturbance aloft brings chances of precip across Central California for Tuesday afternoon and early Wednesday morning. Light rain in the valley and a few inches of mountain snow could occur with this system. Wednesday and Thursday will likely be dry as northwest flow aloft dominates over the region. EPS and GEFS progs are showing a high-amplitude ridge of high pressure aloft building over the EPAC. This ridge of high pressure aloft will likely bring us a more settled, calmer weather pattern in the extended. && .AVIATION... Local MVFR in the San Joaquin Valley and southern Sierra foothills in low clouds and showers. Widespread mountain obscuring IFR due to low clouds and precipitation over the Southern Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountains. A few thunderstorms possible from 21z through 02z Friday in the valley north of Kern County. Otherwise VFR conditions will prevail in the Central CA 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 10 AM PST Friday CAZ096-097. Winter Weather Advisory from 8 PM this evening to noon PST Friday ABOVE 3000 FEET FOR THE CAZ095. Wind Advisory from 10 AM to 10 PM PST Friday CAZ095-098-099. Winter Weather Advisory until 10 AM PST Friday ABOVE 3000 FEET FOR THE CAZ093-094. && public...Bollenbacher avn/fw...Bollenbacher synopsis...Bollenbacher weather.gov/hanford
In the hours before
Local storm report, Mar 7, 4:30 PM PST, 40 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
430 PM PST THU MAR 7 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0150 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 9 NE MADERA 37.05N 119.94W
03/06/2019 MADERA CA STORM CHASER
FUNNEL CLOUD VIDEO SHARED WITH MEDIA AND
OFFICE BY STORM CHASER.
&&
KMThe radar
The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 8 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:08 UTC.
Event by event
6 high wind, 2 funnel cloud, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Tulare
- When
- March 8, 5:47 AM PST to 9:47 AM PST
- Where
- Tulare County, 3.48 mi SW of Springville to 3.62 mi SW of Springville
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
- Coordinates
- 36.100, -118.870
California Highway Patrol reported flooding at the intersection of State Route 190 and Pleasant Oaks Dr. 4SW Springville.
High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns
- When
- March 8, 6:14 AM PST
- Where
- Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Measured
- 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- RAWS
The Jawbone Canyon RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 73 mph.
High Wind, Indian Wells Vly
- When
- March 8, 7:26 AM PST
- Where
- Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- RAWS
The Indian Wells Canyon RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns
- When
- March 8, 7:32 AM PST
- Where
- Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- RAWS
The Blue Max RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
High Wind, Tulare Cty Mtns
- When
- March 8, 10:10 AM PST
- Where
- Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Measured
- 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- RAWS
The Bear Peak RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 61 mph.
Funnel Cloud, Tulare
- When
- March 8, 10:25 AM PST to 10:35 AM PST
- Where
- Tulare County, 2.15 mi NNW of Nanceville
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 36.100, -119.080
Several media reports of a cold air funnel northwest of Porterville.
High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns
- When
- March 8, 3:27 PM PST
- Where
- Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Measured
- 64 kt (74 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- RAWS
The Bird Springs Pass RAWS reported a peak wind gust of 74 mph.
High Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert
- When
- March 8, 10:40 PM PST
- Where
- Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- Mesonet
Mojave Warren Siding reported a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
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.
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
More
Every storm in California in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 802321, 802320, 802316, 802318, 802317, 802313, 802322, 802314, 802319.