Heavy Rain — Kings, California

2014-11-01 · near Lemoore, Kings, California

Event narrative

An apartment roof collapsed due to heavy rain. Reported by local media via twitter. Rain estimated 0.75 inches from combination of nearby ASOS and COCORAHS reports.

Wider weather episode

The storm system that moved into central California on October 31, 2014 brought heavy snow in the mountains and significant rainfall to the San Joaquin Valley, along with gusty winds from the afternoon of October 30 to the morning of November 1. This was the first significant storm of winter 2014-2015 for central California.

As the storm approached, winds began to blow through the passes of the coastal mountains into the west side of the San Joaquin Valley on the evening of October 30. Winds gusted 35 to 45 mph for several hours in the late afternoon and evening.

Light rain arrived in the northwestern portion of the San Joaquin Valley, near Los Banos between 1 and 2 pm PST, but the more significant rain did not arrive until 4 pm PST on October 31. The rain spread slowly south and east across the Valley through the evening as snow developed in the Sierra Nevada. Ahead of the leading edge of precipitation, gusty winds developed, resulting in areas of blowing dust for a brief period before the rain began. Winds gusted up to 45 mph in Bakersfield with a report of wind damage.

Rainfall amounts ranged from a minimum 0.03 inches in the Kern County Desert, to a maximum of 2.57 inches in the Sierra Foothills. Across the San Joaquin Valley, rain was in the 0.5 to 1.00 inch range. The heavy rain caused minor flooding on roadways, but in general was seen as beneficial due to the ongoing exceptional drought conditions.

Snow amounts in the Sierra Nevada were 9 to 17 inches with the heaviest amounts occurring above 6000 feet. As much as 7 inches of snow was reported as low as 4000 feet elevation.

As unsettled conditions continued during the afternoon of November 1, a cold air funnel cloud developed in the San Joaquin Valley.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.3102, -119.7673)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 542756. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.