A strong weather system arrived on the 15th, which brought colder air to the region. Gusty winds���to around 50mph���continued over the mountains and deserts, and gusts even developed over parts of the San Joaquin Valley (where gusts to 37 mph were reported). The main impact of the trough was precipitation, as measurable snow fell as low as 3500 feet on the Grapevine, and thunderstorms developed over the west side of the San Joaquin Valley during the afternoon of the 15th. One thunderstorm, near Mendota, reached severe levels and produced ��-inch hail and damaging winds. Other thunderstorms generated hail that ranged from pea-size to ��-inch in diameter. These storms extended south along the Interstate 5 corridor to near Taft, and as far east as Visalia and Arvin (where the ��-inch hail fell and knocked out power to part of the town when a transformer insulator hub was shattered). A thunderstorm near Maricopa during the late afternoon approached severe criteria, prompting the second Severe Thunderstorm Warning of the day, but the storm weakened before becoming severe.
Up to 4 inches of snow fell on the Frazier Park area, with 4-6 inches falling above 6500 feet in the western Tehachapi Mountains. In the Southern Sierra Nevada, snow amounts ranged from 5 inches at Ponderosa to one-inch accumulations at Lodgepole and Tuolumne Meadows. Other snow reports included 1.5 inches at Bear Valley Springs and Hume Lake, and 2 inches at Grant Grove.
A cold, dry airmass moved into the central California interior with the trough. Several Valley sites reached freezing the morning of the 16th and the 17th, causing frost to form in a few areas.

Frost/Freeze in SW S.J. VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
From 17-MAR-08 03:45:00 to 17-MAR-08 08:15:00 (PST-8)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 20.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Strong Wind in SW S.J. VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
From 16-MAR-08 13:50:00 to 16-MAR-08 17:00:00 (PST-8)
Magnitude: 36.00 MG
Property damage: 1.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Strong Wind in W CENTRAL S.J. VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
From 16-MAR-08 10:00:00 to 16-MAR-08 17:00:00 (PST-8)
Magnitude: 32.00 MG
Property damage: 1.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Frost/Freeze in W CENTRAL S.J. VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
From 17-MAR-08 03:45:00 to 17-MAR-08 08:15:00 (PST-8)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 20.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Strong Wind in INDIAN WELLS VLY, CALIFORNIA
From 16-MAR-08 13:13:00 to 16-MAR-08 19:00:00 (PST-8)
Magnitude: 44.00 MG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 1.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Thunderstorm Wind in FRESNO, CALIFORNIA
From 15-MAR-08 16:30:00 to 15-MAR-08 16:32:00 (PST-8)
Location: MENDOTA
Magnitude: 50.00 EG
Property damage: 10.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A trained spotter reported damage to his antenna due to thunderstorm winds.

Strong Wind in SE KERN CTY DESERT, CALIFORNIA
From 14-MAR-08 14:06:00 to 15-MAR-08 20:00:00 (PST-8)
Magnitude: 37.00 MG
Property damage: 1.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Strong Wind in INDIAN WELLS VLY, CALIFORNIA
From 15-MAR-08 12:00:00 to 15-MAR-08 20:00:00 (PST-8)
Magnitude: 37.00 MG
Property damage: 1.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Hail in FRESNO, CALIFORNIA
From 15-MAR-08 16:25:00 to 15-MAR-08 16:27:00 (PST-8)
Location: ARBIOS
Magnitude: 0.75 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

Penny sized hail was reported near Mendota.

Strong Wind in KERN CTY MTNS, CALIFORNIA
From 15-MAR-08 13:00:00 to 15-MAR-08 20:00:00 (PST-8)
Magnitude: 36.00 MG
Property damage: 1.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Frost/Freeze in SE S.J. VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
From 17-MAR-08 03:45:00 to 17-MAR-08 08:15:00 (PST-8)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 20.00K
Reported by: Mesonet