Nearly all of the central California Interior was classified as being in an extreme or exceptional drought by the end of May, 2021 due to a long term precipitation deficit. As of May 31, 2021, most of 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 was classified as being in an extreme or exceptional drought by the end of May, 2021 due to a long term precipitation deficit. As of May 31, 2021, most of 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 Apr 30, 11:05 AM PST, 12 hours 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 1205 PM PDT Fri Apr 30 2021 .SYNOPSIS...Breezy to locally windy conditions can be expected over the district this weekend with high temperatures lowering to seasonable levels Sunday. Another warming trend will occur next week with a return of 90-degree heat in the San Joaquin Valley, lower foothills and the Kern County desert by Tuesday. Other than a slight chance of afternoon showers near the Sierra crest Sunday, dry weather will prevail over the district for the next several days. && .DISCUSSION...Temperatures are sprinting upward today under sunny skies and will end up reaching their warmest levels yet this year in most places by late this afternoon. In the San Joaquin Valley, lower foothills and the Kern desert, that means high temperatures will peak well into the 90s before the day is through. If this was July, residents in the above referenced areas would simply be overjoyed with thermometer readings staying below the century mark. However, 90-degree weather at the end of April is something most people haven't yet acclimated to and might be stressful for heat sensitive individuals. The good news is that high temperatures will trend downward this weekend. Be forewarned that 90-degree heat will make a comeback in the valley, lower foothills and the desert by Tuesday and continue through at least Thursday. We can blame this afternoon's toasty temperatures on a strong upper level ridge of high pressure that's been parked over central and southern California since yesterday. This ridge will be shunted southward during the next 24 hours by an upper level trough over the Pacific Northwest. As this trough slides into the Great Basin later this weekend, it will produce a robust onshore flow across central California. A noticeably cooler air mass will be brought into the CWA by brisk winds this weekend. Gusty winds can be expected through and below the passes during the afternoon and evening hours Saturday and Sunday. This includes the west side of the San Joaquin Valley as well as the Kern county mountains and desert. Wind gusts of up to 40 mph may occur right below the passes on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley along with areas of blowing dust. Meanwhile, local wind gusts of 60 mph or higher are possible right below the mountain passes in Kern County. The NBM forecasts a 37 percent chance that winds will gust to 45 mph in Inyokern Saturday afternoon. We currently have a wind advisory in effect for the Kern county mountains and desert for the first half of this weekend, but that advisory may need to be extended through Sunday evening as the core of the 300 mb jet noses southward into central California on the backside of the upper level trough over the Great Basin. The NBM forecasts a 66 percent chance of a wind gust to 45 mph in Mojave Sunday afternoon. Additionally, although moisture starved, this trough could produce isolated showers along the Sierra crest Sunday afternoon. The upper level ridge will build back over the Golden State early next week. We already know what that means...it's a return of well above normal high temperatures over the central California interior Monday through at least Thursday. The ensembles bring another upper level trough into the Pacific Northwest toward the end of next week. If so, we'll see the return of an onshore flow and slightly cooler weather over much of our CWA next Friday. Otherwise, our pattern will remain dry through at least the first week of May. && .AVIATION...Wind gusts in excess of 35 knots are likely through and below the Kern County mountain passes after 19z Saturday. Otherwise, VFR conditions can be expected 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 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... Wind Advisory from noon Saturday to 5 AM PDT Sunday for CAZ194>199. && synopsis...Durfee public/aviation/fw...Durfee PIO/IDSS...DS weather.gov/hanford
21 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Much of the West Side Hills was classified as being in an extreme drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
Much of the San Joaquin Confluence in the San Joaquin Valley was classified as being in an extreme drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The Merced and Madera area in the San Joaquin Valley was classified as being in an extreme drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
Much of the western San Joaquin Valley was classified as being in an extreme drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The Foggy Bottom area in the San Joaquin Valley was classified as being in an extreme drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The Fresno area in the San Joaquin Valley was classified as being in an extreme drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The Tulare County portion in the San Joaquin Valley was classified as being in an extreme drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
Southern Kings County in the San Joaquin Valley was classified as being in an extreme drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The western San Joaquin Valley in Kern County was classified as being in an extreme drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The eastern San Joaquin Valley in Kern County was classified as being in an extreme drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The Bakersfield area in the San Joaquin Valley was classified as being in an extreme drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The central Sierra Foothills was classified as being in an extreme drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The southern Sierra Foothills was classified as being in an extreme drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The central Sierra was classified as being in an extreme drought due to a long term precipitation deficit.
The north Kings River portion of the Sierra Nevada was classified as being in an extreme 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 extreme 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 extreme 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, May 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: 952709, 952710, 952711, 952712, 952713, 952714, 952715, 952716, 952717, 952718, 952719, 952720, 952721, 952722, 952723, 952724, 952725, 952726, 952727, 952728, 952729.