Nearly all of the central California Interior remained classified as being in an exceptional drought by the end of August, 2021 due to a long term precipitation deficit. As of August 31, 2021, the impacted area has received less than 50% of normal precipitation since July 1, 2020.
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.
Nearly all of the central California Interior remained classified as being in an exceptional drought by the end of August, 2021 due to a long term precipitation deficit. As of August 31, 2021, the impacted area has received less than 50% of normal precipitation since July 1, 2020.
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 Jul 31, 6:51 PM PST, 5 hours 9 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 751 PM PDT Sat Jul 31 2021 .UPDATE...Updated for the air quality section. The Flash Flood Watch for the Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi's has also been allowed to expire at 8 PM PDT. && .SYNOPSIS... Afternoon thunderstorms with the potential for heavy rainfall are forecast to occur again this afternoon in the Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountains. Thunderstorms in the Sierra Nevada look possible tomorrow, but with less coverage and rainfall. Dry, warm weather to continue through the middle of next week due to a ridge of high pressure overhead. && .DISCUSSION... Strong thunderstorms with heavy rain occurred yesterday afternoon as subtropical moisture was funneled over the region. A similar scenario is expected to unfold this afternoon as monsoonal moisture continues to reach the area between the Plains ridge and a weak low off the Pacific coast. High PWATS are still over the region today as the synoptic setup has not changed much from yesterday. This means that heavy rainfall and isolated occurrences of flash flooding are possible, especially in any slow moving or backbuilding cells. The Flash Flood Watch will remain in effect for through 8 PM tonight. On Sunday, southwesterly flow begins to take over, leading to a dryer pattern aloft. For us, this will shunt a lot of the moisture that we have had over the region. That said, there will still be fuel for afternoon convection, but the likelihood of heavy rainfall and flash flooding will be greatly reduced from today's threat. The coverage will likely be confined to the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada as well. By Monday, the ridge of high pressure will shift west over the area, keeping us dry. This will allow for afternoon high temperatures to remain above average for the entire forecast area. Blended model guidance is forecasting highs around 100-103 degrees for most of the San Joaquin Valley through Wednesday. By Thursday, ensemble guidance is showing a chance of a 4-6 degree cooldown as a trough of low pressure passes through northern California. This would bring some onshore flow to the area as well as weaken the ridge of high pressure over Southern California. Friday and Saturday, afternoon highs may rebound a couple of degrees, with NBM guidance showing the SJ Valley hovering around the Century Mark with dry weather expected to continue. && .AVIATION... Mountain obscurations in showers and scattered thunderstorms over the Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountains until 03z Sunday. Otherwise, VFR conditions will prevail through 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 high. 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...Bollenbacher aviation....Bollenbacher weather.gov/hanford
21 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
The West Side Hills was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The San Joaquin Confluence in the San Joaquin Valley was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The Merced and Madera area in the San Joaquin Valley was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The western San Joaquin Valley was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The Foggy Bottom area in the San Joaquin Valley was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The Fresno area in the San Joaquin Valley was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The Tulare County portion in the San Joaquin Valley was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
Southern Kings County in the San Joaquin Valley was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The western San Joaquin Valley in Kern County was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The eastern San Joaquin Valley in Kern County was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The Bakersfield area in the San Joaquin Valley was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The central Sierra Foothills were classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The southern Sierra Foothills were classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The central Sierra was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The north Kings River portion of the Sierra Nevada was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The Sequoia Kings area of the Sierra Nevada was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The Lake Isabella area was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The Tehachapi area was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The Fort Tejon area was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The Indian Wells Valley was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The Kern County Desert was classified as being in an exceptional drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in California, August 2021
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: 971190, 971191, 971192, 971193, 971194, 971195, 971196, 971197, 971198, 971199, 971200, 971202, 971204, 971205, 971207, 971209, 971211, 971213, 971215, 971217, 971219.