Winter Storm in California, February 11 to 12, 2001

Name: Winter Storm in California, February 11 to 12, 2001
Start: 2001-02-11T01:00
End: 2001-02-12T16:00
Location: California

February 11 to 12, 2001 · NWS HNX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Another major winter storm followed closely on the heels of the one ending the morning of the 10th. ) for a 2-day total of 16"; Ponderosa Basin 17"; North Fork with a 2-day total of 26"; Yosemite 2-day total of 38"; Hume Lake 19"; Lodgepole 23"; Big Meadows (7600 ft); 40"; Alta Sierra 17" (2-day total of 24"); Glennville 5"; and Sequoia Park Rangers indicated snow accumulation over 2 days…

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.

Another major winter storm followed closely on the heels of the one ending the morning of the 10th. With snow levels reported as low as 1500 feet, snow amounts reported were: Up to 11" at Mariposa (3200 feet M.S.L.) for a 2-day total of 16"; Ponderosa Basin 17"; North Fork with a 2-day total of 26"; Yosemite 2-day total of 38"; Hume Lake 19"; Lodgepole 23"; Big Meadows (7600 ft); 40"; Alta Sierra 17" (2-day total of 24"); Glennville 5"; and Sequoia Park Rangers indicated snow accumulation over 2 days between 3500-4000 ft at 12-24". Local utility companies reported up to 7,000 mountain customers without power by the 14th due to continued heavy snow damage due to falling trees.

What forecasters said that day

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 Feb 10, 9:05 PM PST, 3 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 10, 9:05 PM PST, 3 hours 55 minutes before

INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
905 PM PST SAT FEB 10 2001

QUITE AN ACTIVE EVENING OVER THE FORECAST AREA WITH THE SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS EARLIER. RADAR IMAGERY FROM HANFORD SHOWING SNOW
SHOWERS CONTINUING IN THE SIERRA AS UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE NOT THROUGH
WITH US YET. OVER THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY A BRIEF BREAK IN PRECIPITATION
NOW GOING ON...BUT IT WILL BE BRIEF. MONTEREY RADAR ALREADY SHOWING
THE LIFT FROM THE NEXT SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE BAY AREA AS ECHOES
INCREASING IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY. SATELLITE IMAGERY KINDA FLAKEY
THIS EVENING BUT LATEST IMAGES SHOW COLD PACIFIC LOW DUE WEST OF THE
CENTRAL OREGON COAST AND HEADING SOUTH. WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT
THIS NEXT SYSTEM BUT IT HAS IT ALL. 00Z MODELS IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT IN
BRINGING THE LOW TO NEAR EUREKA BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND TO NEAR SFO BY
MID DAY ON MONDAY. THIS SYSTEM HAS STRONG DYNAMICS...STRONG OMEGA
(LIFT) AND LOTS OF COLD...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR TO GO WITH JET
DYNAMICS. IN ADDITION PROGGED SOUTHWEST TO WEST FLOW WILL AID IN VERY
GOOD OROGRAPHICS...THUS ANOTHER SIERRA SNOW DUMP WILL OCCUR. EXPECT
WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION TO PICK UP MERCED COUNTY AND YOSEMITE AREAS
AFTER MIDNIGHT AND SPREAD SOUTHWARD OVERNIGHT. IN THE BAKERSFIELD
AREA...PRECIPITATION TO NOT START UNTIL EARLY SUNDAY...WITH RAIN NOT
DEVELOPING IN THE KERN DESERTS UNTIL THE AFTERNOON. PROGGED QPF IS
AGAIN IMPRESSIVE...AND EXPECT SNOW TOTALS TO EXCEED THE PREVIOUS
STORM. LOTS OF COLD AIR WITH THIS STORM AGAIN AND SNOW LEVELS WILL
REMAIN BELOW 2000 FEET IN THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS...WITH SNOW LEVELS
BELOW 3000 FEET BY MONDAY IN THE KERN MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. WILL
NEED TO WATCH THE KERN DESERTS AS IF AIR IS JUST SLIGHTLY COLDER...
SNOW COULD FALL IN THE KERN PORTIONS OF THE ANTELOPE VALLEY. THE ONLY
REAL TRICK IS SEEMS IS WHEN TO TURN OFF THE PRECIPITATION. CURRENT
FORECAST HAS A GOOD HANDLE ON THIS STORMY FORECAST AND WILL JUST MAKE
SOME MINOR UPDATES.

.HNX...WINTER STORM WARNING LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT FOR
       THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA NORTH OF KERN COUNTY.
    ...WINTER STORM WARNING SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY MORNING FOR THE
       KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS.

DUDLEY

In the hours before

Local storm report, Feb 10, 7:30 PM PST, 5 hours 30 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
730 PM PST SAT FEB 10 2001

TIME(PST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0700 PM    FISH CAMP                  CA  HEAVY SNOW
02/10/01   MARIPOSA                       24 HOUR TOTAL OF 30 INCHES

0700 PM    LODGEPOLE                  CA  HEAVY SNOW
02/10/01   TULARE                         24 HOUR TOTAL OF 23 INCHES

0700 PM    GRANT GROVE                CA  HEAVY SNOW
02/10/01   FRESNO                         24 HOUR TOTAL OF 21 INCHES

0700 PM    OSTRANDER LAKE 8200       CA  HEAVY SNOW
02/10/01   MARIPOSA                       24 HOUR TOTAL OF 20 INCHES

0700 PM    UPPER BURNT CORRAL 9700   CA  HEAVY SNOW
02/10/01   FRESNO                         24 HOUR TOTAL OF 13 INCHES

0700 PM    QUAKING ASPEN 7200        CA  HEAVY SNOW
02/10/01   TULARE                         24 HOUR TOTAL OF 13 INCHES

0700 PM    YOSEMITE VALLEY            CA  HEAVY SNOW
02/10/01   YOSEMITE NATL PARK            24 HOUR TOTAL OF 12 INCHES

0700 PM    BIG MEADOWS 7600          CA  HEAVY SNOW
02/10/01   TULARE                         24 HOUR TOTAL OF 11 INCHES

DUDLEY

Event by event

5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, S Sierra Mtns

When: February 11, 1:00 AM PST to February 12, 4:00 PM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: PARK/FOREST SERVICE

Winter Storm, S Sierra Foothills

When: February 11, 2:00 AM PST to February 12, 4:00 PM PST
Where: S Sierra Foothills forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Tulare Cty Mtns

When: February 11, 9:00 AM PST to February 12, 4:00 PM PST
Where: Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: PARK/FOREST SERVICE

Winter Storm, Tulare Cty Foothills

When: February 11, 10:00 AM PST to February 12, 4:00 PM PST
Where: Tulare Cty Foothills forecast zone
Reported by: PARK/FOREST SERVICE

Winter Storm, Kern Cty Mtns

When: February 11, 1:00 PM PST to February 12, 4:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: PARK/FOREST SERVICE

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in California, February 2001

Sources

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: 5233135, 5233132, 5233136, 5233133, 5233134.