A large upper low approached the northern California coast on March 22. The associated trough with this system pushed into central California by the evening bringing widespread precipitation to the area.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
A large upper low approached the northern California coast on March 22. The associated trough with this system pushed into central California by the evening bringing widespread precipitation to the area. Much of the San Joaquin Valley picked up between a half inch and an inch of rain while much of the Sierra Nevada and adjacent foothills picked up between 0.75 inches and 1.5 inches of liquid precipitation while several higher elevations SNOTELs picked up an estimated 10 to 15 inches of new snowfall. Most of the precipitation occurred during the afternoon and evening of March 23. Moderate rainfall in the Fresno area resulted in a fatal accident on SR 99 near the intersection of Clovis Ave. This system also brought a period of gusty winds to the Mojave Desert slopes between the evening of March 23 and the morning of March 24 with several stations measuring gusts exceeding 50 mph.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 heavy snow, 1 winter weather, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Paradise Meadow SNOTEL (7676 feet) picked up an estimated 13 inches of new snowfall.
The Tenaya Lake SNOTEL (8150 feet) picked up an estimated 17 inches of new snowfall.
The Chilkoot Meadow SNOTEL (7150 feet) picked up an estimated 14 inches of new snowfall.
The Devil's Postpile SNOTEL (8004 feet) picked up an estimated 13 inches of new snowfall.
The Blackcap Basin SNOTEL (10300 feet) picked up an estimated 12 inches of new snowfall.
The Farewell Gap SNOTEL (9500 feet) picked up an estimated 13 inches of new snowfall.
A Fresno television station reported a single vehicle accident on SR 99 3 miles south of Fresno during the early evening of March 23 in which a pickup truck flipped over on a wet roadway while moderate rainfall was occurring across the area. The accident resulted in a 12 year old boy being killed and 3 adults being injured.
The Mojave Airport AWOS measured a peak wind gust of 69 mph.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather, Fresno - Clovis | 2024-03-23 | 12 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 2024
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1160829, 1160830, 1160831, 1160832, 1160833, 1160834, 1160836, 1160835.