While a large upper level trough centered over southern Nevada remained nearly stagnant, a cold northerly flow behind the trough kept a cool and unstable airmass over central California. Showers and isolated thunderstorms continued throughout the day over the area on May 22.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
While a large upper level trough centered over southern Nevada remained nearly stagnant, a cold northerly flow behind the trough kept a cool and unstable airmass over central California. Showers and isolated thunderstorms continued throughout the day over the area on May 22. This was followed by another round of scattered showers and thunderstorms on May 23. Precipitation amounts were generally light, but a few cold air funnels were observed over the southern San Joaquin Valley.
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 May 22, 6:46 AM PST, 2 hours 14 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA 746 AM PDT Wed May 22 2019 ...Updated Aviation discusssion... .SYNOPSIS... Temperatures this afternoon will be near daily record values for coolest high temperatures ever measured on May 22nd. Temperatures will gradually moderate into the weekend, but will remain below normal for this time of year. The majority of precipitation this week should be confined to the Southern Sierra Nevada. A weekend storm system may be responsible for more widespread precipitation, beginning Saturday. && .DISCUSSION... West to northwest wind gusts near 50 mph are currently being measured at Mojave Airport. These wind gusts should gradually subside this morning. The Wind Advisory for the Kern County mountains and desert may need to be extended past 4 AM PDT. Meanwhile, an area of low pressure aloft will meander around Southern California today. High temperatures this afternoon will be fifteen to twenty degrees below normal for this time of year. The daily record for coolest maximum temperature ever measured in Bakersfield on May 22nd will likely be set today. The current record is 68 degrees, initially established in 1965 and most recently observed in 2010. Temperature records at Bakersfield date back to 1889. Valley rain showers and mountain snow showers are possible throughout Central California this morning. Precipitation should be confined to the Southern Sierra Nevada and adjacent foothills, as well as the Kern County mountains and desert this afternoon into this evening. The aforementioned upper-level area of low pressure will move to the northeast tonight through Friday. This will allow temperatures to gradually moderate. Be that as it may, a trough of low pressure aloft will remain over Southern California tonight through Friday. This upper-level trough of low pressure will provide enough atmospheric instability for the possibility of snow showers in the Southern Sierra Nevada and rain showers in the Southern Sierra Nevada foothills tonight through Thursday evening, as well as Friday afternoon and Friday evening. An area of low pressure aloft near the coast of the Pacific Northwest should dive southward Friday night. Although the exact track of this atmospheric disturbance is still in question at this time, it could move southward near the coast of California Saturday through Sunday. A Winter Storm Watch may be required for the Southern Sierra Nevada this weekend, starting Saturday. The upper-level area of low pressure may move inland over Southern California Sunday night. This area of low pressure aloft should rapidly progress to the northeast over the Great Plains Monday, where it may stall Monday night and Tuesday. && .AVIATION... MVFR conditions, with local IFR ceilings, can be expected in the foothills and higher elevations of the Sierra and the Kern county mountains through at least 12z Thursday. Local IFR ceilings will occur in the San Joaquin Valley until 18z. Additionally, wind gusts of 35 knots or greater will continue right below the Kern county mountain passes through 06z Thursday. VFR conditions will prevail elsewhere over the central California interior during 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 low. Certainty levels include low, medium, And high. Please visit www.weather.gov/hnx/certainty.html for additional information and/or to provide feedback. && .HNX Watches/Warnings/Advisories... Wind Advisory until 4 AM PDT early this morning CAZ195>199. && public...BS avn/fw...Durfee synopsis...BS weather.gov/hanford
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
531 AM PDT WED MAY 22 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0500 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 ENE MOJAVE 35.07N 118.15W
05/22/2019 M62 MPH KERN CA AWOS
AWOS STATION KMHV MOJAVE AIRPORT.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
931 AM PDT WED MAY 22 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0900 AM HEAVY SNOW 3 N PINE MOUNTAIN CLUB 34.89N 119.16W
05/22/2019 E2.0 INCH KERN CA PUBLIC
TWITTER REPORT OF 2+ INCHES SNOW ESTIMATED
AT 6250 FEET ELEVATION AT PINE MOUNTAIN
CLUB.
&&
ABThe Los Angeles radar (KVTX), 109 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:02 UTC.
2 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
A brief cold air funnel occurred in east Bakersfield. Pictures of the funnel were posted on Facebook and relayed by broadcast media.
A cold air funnel cloud was observed just east of Porterville, and pictures of the funnel were posted on Facebook.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in California, May 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: 814370, 814371.