A Pacific low pressure system moved across northern California on April 19. This system did bring some light precipitation to the Yosemite Park area with several stations measuring a few hundredths of an inch of liquid precipitation.
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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.
A Pacific low pressure system moved across northern California on April 19. This system did bring some light precipitation to the Yosemite Park area with several stations measuring a few hundredths of an inch of liquid precipitation. Most of the precipitation from this system remained to the north of our area. However, as this system moved across northern California; onshore gradients strengthened enough per a period of windy conditions across the mountains and deserts of Kern County during the afternoon and evening of April 19. Several stations measured gusts exceeding 45 mph while a handful of stations had gusts exceeding 60 mph. The winds decreased by the early morning hours of April 20 as the system moved east of the area.
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 19, 2:36 AM PST, 9 hours 24 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 336 AM PDT Tue Apr 19 2022 .SYNOPSIS...A weak system will bring a chance of light precipitation from Fresno County northward today. Gusty winds are likely in the Kern County Deserts through this evening. A stronger storm system will impact Central California Thursday and Friday, resulting in widespread precipitation, cooler than normal temperatures and gusty winds. High pressure will bring dry conditions and a warming trend over the weekend. && .DISCUSSION...Pacific frontal system currently pushing through Norcal this morning. SREF indicating this system will push into central CA later this morning and bring some light precipitation from Fresno County northward through early this afternoon. QPF progs are trending lower with a tenth to a quarter inch of liquid precipitation expected for the Yosemite Park area with up to a tenth of an inch further south to Kings Canyon. A few hundredths of an inch of rain are possible in Merced County today southward to Madera and northern Fresno Counties. The snow level is expected to be around 7000 feet and an inch or two of snow is not out of the question today for higher elevations in Yosemite Park. Measurable precipitation is not anticipated south of Fresno County with this system. Another impact from this system will be a period of gusty winds over the Kern County Desert areas from later this morning through this evening. Gusts up to 55 mph will be possible along the Mojave Desert Slopes and a Wind Advisory is in effect for the Kern County Desert areas through this evening. Shortwave ridging moves into central CA for tonight and Wednesday which will provide for a period of dry weather and allow for a slight recovery in temperatures with slightly above normal daytime readings expected. The SREF is in good agreement with previous NBM runs in showing a fairly strong upper low approaching Norcal Wednesday night and brings a moist upper trough through CA Thursday morning through Friday afternoon. This system will bring widespread precipitation to our area along with cooler than normal temperatures along with a period of gusty winds across the mountains and deserts of Kern County. Precipitation is expected to spread southward into our area by Thursday morning with the bulk of the precipitation expected Thursday afternoon through Thursday night. Latest NAM progs are showing instability and CAPE will be sufficient enough for at least a slight chance of thunderstorms across much of our area by Thursday evening. QPF progs are indicating 0.75 to 1.5 inches of liquid precipitation across much of the Sierra Nevada and adjacent foothills with the snow level between 6500 and 7000 feet on Thursday lowering to around 5000 feet on Friday with a chance of post-frontal showers continuing over the area. One to two feet of snow are anticiapted over the Sierra Nevada north of Kings Canyon above 7000 feet while 8 to 16 inches are possible above 7000 feet further south in Tulare County. Most of the San Joaquin Valley and the Kern County Mountains can expected between quarter and a half inch of rainfall. With the snow level expected to remain above pass levels in Kern County, we are not anticipating any adverse impacts over the major passes in Kern County aside from gusty winds as times. A chance of post-frontal showers exists for nearly our entire are on Friday before the trough moves to the east of our area by Friday night. Medium range models and their ensemble members are in fairly good agreement with building a fairly strong upper ridge into CA over the weekend which will provide for dry weather along with a noticable warming trend. The ridge is progged to strengthen early next week resulting in daytime high temperatures of 10-13 Deg F above climatological normals next Monday and Tuesday. && .AVIATION...Areas of MVFR conditions with local mountain obscuring IFR in the Sierra Nevada from Fresno County northward through 24Z today. Otherwise, VFR conditions will prevail across the Central CA interior for at least 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... Wind Advisory from 4 AM early this morning to 1 AM PDT Wednesday for CAZ337>339. && public...DS aviation....DCH weather.gov/hanford
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Walker Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 67 mph.
The Mojave Airport AWOS measured a peak wind gust of 58 mph.
The Jawbone Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 66 mph.
The Bear Peak RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
The Bird Springs Pass RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 81 mph.
The Indian Wells Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 66 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 2022
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: 1008904, 1008907, 1008902, 1008905, 1008903, 1008906.