A upper trough moved into northern California on March 1 and pushed a cold front through central California during the afternoon and evening hours. As the front crossed the Tehachapi Mountains and Mojave Desert Slopes, downslope winds picked up with several stations measuring gusts exceeding 45 mph.
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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 upper trough moved into northern California on March 1 and pushed a cold front through central California during the afternoon and evening hours. As the front crossed the Tehachapi Mountains and Mojave Desert Slopes, downslope winds picked up with several stations measuring gusts exceeding 45 mph.
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 1, 12:58 PM PST, 5 hours 2 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 1258 PM PST Sat Mar 1 2025 && .KEY MESSAGES... 1. A storm system moving through the area this weekend will bring a 60 to 900 percent chance for snowfall greater than 6 inches in the Sierra Nevada. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued valid from 10 PM this evening through 10 PM Monday. 2. Stronger wind gusts associated with the upcoming system will bring a 70 to 90 percent chance for wind gusts greater than 45 mph each day between today and Tuesday to the Mojave Desert Slopes. . A Wind Advisory has been issued for the area as a result. 3. After a brief stable period Tuesday, a second system is anticipated to pass through central California midweek with another round of rainfall in the San Joaquin Valley and snowfall in the Sierra Nevada, along with winds in the Kern County Desert. 4. Below average temperatures are expected through the next week beginning Saturday. && .DISCUSSION... An upper level low pressure system sits over southern California this morning after moving inland last night. An upper level ridge previously in place over central California has been somewhat eroded by the system, however this has set up a weak Rex Block pattern. As a result, clear and dry conditions have propagated across central California with temperatures well above season averages, which normally range between 64 and 68 degrees in the San Joaquin Valley. The following are probabilities from the National Blend of Models to exceed 75 degrees across the valley areas this afternoon. Bakersfield 95% Coalinga 80% Fresno 70% Hanford 90% Madera 25% Merced 25% Visalia 80% A pattern shift is expected to occur tomorrow as an upper level low pressure trough drops southward along the Pacific coast, which will deepen further as it builds into the Great Basin Monday morning. This system will bring widespread precipitation to central California, with moderate snowfall rates in the Sierra Nevada and light to moderate rainfall for the San Joaquin Valley. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for much of the Sierra Nevada excluding Kern County as four to ten inches of snowfall is expected, with up to two feet possible at the highest elevations, especially those in Tulare County. There are widespread favorable probabilities for rainfall greater than one tenth of an inch across the San Joaquin Valley, with NBM guidance expressing a 60 to 90 percent chance through 4 AM Monday. Probabilities for one quarter of an inch are somewhat lower, with a 25 to 65 percent chance and with the highest of these in the eastern valley. However, there is potential for few localized totals greater than indicated by ensemble guidance as there is a 10 to 20 percent chance for thunderstorms to develop Sunday afternoon. In addition to the conditions mentioned above with the upcoming system, increased wind gusts are expected to propagate in the Mojave Desert and Slopes, with an initial push later this afternoon on the backside of the current system. High resolution ensemble guidance expresses a 50 to 80 percent chance for wind gusts to exceed 45 miles per hour tonight, with strong crosswinds along California Highways 14 and 58. As the second system passes through the region later this weekend, a stronger pressure gradient is favorable to set up on its backside. Early Monday morning, there is up to a 40 percent chance for wind gusts to exceed 65 miles per hour in the Mojave Slopes. Due to expected winds, a Wind Advisory has been issued valid from 4 PM this afternoon through 4 AM Tuesday morning. A short reprieve from these conditions are expected on Tuesday, with temperatures near season averages under mostly clear skies and with less than a 10 percent chance for measurable rainfall. However, ensemble guidance shows the potential for another upper level system to descend along the Pacific coast Wednesday through Friday. This midweek system has similar probabilities for precipitation as this weekend’s system; the NBM shows a 30 to 70 percent chance for rainfall greater than one quarter inch in the San Joaquin Valley. Where this system differs will be in snow levels. As there is potential for this to be a colder system, mean snow levels are predicted to be between 3,000 and 4,000 feet Thursday morning. Above these levels, there is a 40 to 70 percent chance for snowfall greater than eight inches across 48 hours ending 4 AM Friday; the more favorable chances will be in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada. && .AVIATION... In the Sierra Nevada and adjacent foothills, VFR will prevail thru 06Z Sun. Increasing areas of MVFR with local mountain obscuring IFR in low clouds and precipitation after 06Z Sun. Scattered thunderstorms are possible extending from the central valley through the foothills between 18Z Sun and 03Z Mon. There is a 20 to 30 percent chance for thunderstorms after 00Z Mon due north of KFAT, with a 10 to 20 percent chance for the remainder of the San Joaquin Valley. VFR conditions will prevail across the valley areas through 12Z Sun. After 12Z, Broken areas at 5,000 feet will persist through the day. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... ISSUED: 02/28/2025 14:25 EXPIRES: 03/01/2025 23:59 None. && .CERTAINTY... The level of certainty for days 1 and 2 is medium. 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 and/or to provide feedback. && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory from 4 PM this afternoon to 4 AM PST Tuesday for CAZ338. Winter Weather Advisory from 10 PM this evening to 10 PM PST Monday for CAZ323-326>331. && public/aviation...SM weather.gov/hanford
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Mojave Airport AWOS measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
The Indian Wells Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 60 mph.
The Southern California Edison Station at Cottonwood Canyon West measured a peak wind gust of 63 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 2025
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: 1230071, 1230072, 1230073.