The upper low which had stalled off the southern California coast for a few days finally moved inland on March 13. However, showers and thunderstorms produced moderate to heavy rainfall in the Kern County Deserts during the evening of the March 12 and produced areas of flooding which resulted in some road closures that continued well into the following day when the high water finally receded.
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.
The upper low which had stalled off the southern California coast for a few days finally moved inland on March 13. However, showers and thunderstorms produced moderate to heavy rainfall in the Kern County Deserts during the evening of the March 12 and produced areas of flooding which resulted in some road closures that continued well into the following day when the high water finally receded.
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 12, 1:09 PM PST, 3 hours 51 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 209 PM PDT Thu Mar 12 2020 .SYNOPSIS...Storm system currently located along the Southern California Coast is bringing wrap around moisture to the southern portion of the forecast area this afternoon, leading to showers and perhaps a thunderstorm or two in Kern County including the Mojave Desert. The current storm system will exit the area tomorrow before a slow moving trough begins to impact the forecast area starting Saturday through midweek next week. && .DISCUSSION... Localized fog impacted the San Joaquin Valley this morning near Hanford, but has since lifted. Wrap around moisture has been making its way into the Mojave Desert today, which has been fueling showers this afternoon. A thunderstorm or two is possible throughout Kern County (Valley and Desert) through this evening, which could bring additional heavy rain. Periodic showers are likely to continue through tomorrow morning in the Mojave Desert before the storm system completely exits the area tomorrow night. Saturday, a trough of low pressure from the Pacific Northwest is forecast to approach the region. As it approaches, a ridge of high pressure will build in the Gulf of a Alaska, which will set up a blocking pattern. This set up will lead to a very slow moving trough, and this trough will start to impact the forecast area Saturday evening. Blended model guidance has been showing snowfall starting Saturday afternoon in the Southern Sierra Nevada near Yosemite National Park with snow levels initially around 5,500-6,000 feet. Snowfall will continue through the night and will spread southward through Sunday. As the trough gradually propagates south, snow levels will gradually fall into the 4,000-4,500 foot range. Snowfall rates area forecast to taper off by Tuesday morning throughout the Southern Sierra Nevada. Current model forecasts depict total snow accumulations of 1 to 2 feet are possible between 4,000 and 7,000 feet, with localized accumulations as high as 3 feet above 8,000 feet. Therefore, a Winter Storm Watch has been issued for the Southern Sierra Nevada, mainly north of Camp Nelson for Saturday afternoon through late Monday night for elevations above 4,000 feet. Valley rain is also forecast to be associated with this storm system starting this weekend, likely starting on Saturday afternoon. As the trough moves slowly southward, periodic valley showers are forecast to continue until the trough moves completely inland midweek next week. While the rainfall totals may not be enough to bring us back to normal for the water year, the added precipitation we get with the storm next week is greatly appreciated. Details of precip totals in the valley will be refined in later forecasts. In the extended (Thursday onward), models are showing a continued pattern of unsettled weather across Central California. && .AVIATION... MVFR to IFR conditions along the Tehachapi Mountains in periodic showers and mountains obscuring low clouds through 18z Friday. Otherwise, VFR conditions will prevail for the next 24 hours across the Central California Interior. && .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 Storm Watch from Saturday afternoon through late Monday night for CAZ192>194. && public...Bollenbacher aviation....Bollenbacher weather.gov/hanford
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Kern County Emergency Manager reported Redrock Randsburg Road was closed from SR 14 to US 395 due to flooding.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 2020
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: 871854.