Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in California, February 12 to 14, 2001

Name: Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in California, February 12 to 14, 2001
Start: 2001-02-12T20:00
End: 2001-02-14T01:00
Location: California

February 12 to 14, 2001 · NWS HNX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

An infrequent snow event occurred on the Kern County Desert floor causing massive motorist problems with 1-2" of snow being common and up to 5" over the county line in Lancaster. ); Tehachapi 10"; Lebec 18" (500 motorists stranded on Interstate-5 over the Grapevine); and Greenhorn Summit 18".

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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.

An infrequent snow event occurred on the Kern County Desert floor causing massive motorist problems with 1-2" of snow being common and up to 5" over the county line in Lancaster. At the same time a large amount of snow fell in the Kern Mountains: Frazier Park 30"; 30" NE of Tehachapi (6500 ft M.S.L.); Tehachapi 10"; Lebec 18" (500 motorists stranded on Interstate-5 over the Grapevine); and Greenhorn Summit 18". Additional snow in the Tulare County Mountains during this time period: Big Meadows 8" (7600 ft); Quaking Aspen 7" (7200 ft); and Lodgepole 5". Tulare County Foothill areas received amounts less than 5" as low as 3000 ft. On the desert floor Inyokern received 1.35" and California City 0.57" of rain from mid-day on the 12th into the 13th.

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 12, 4:10 PM PST, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 12, 4:10 PM PST, 3 hours 50 minutes before

INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
330 PM PST MON FEB 12 2001

KEEPING AN EYE ON SAN JOAQUIN VLLY CONVECTION...THUS FAR STAYING
TAME WITH ONLY SMALL HAIL REPORT JUST NORTH OF THE CWA NEAR TURLOCK
EARLY THIS AFTN. A VERY POTENT SHORT WAVE IS RAPIDLY DRIVING SSE AND
PULLING THE ENTIRE UPPER SYSTEM WITH IT. THIS WAVE WILL BE THE BIG
FOCUS FOR PRECIP TONIGHT AND TUE AS IT COMES AROUND THE BASE OF THE
TROF AND STRIKES LAND NEAR THE L.A. BASIN. THUS THE CONCERNS FOR
SIGNIFICANT PRECIP WILL SHIFT SOUTH FOR TONIGHT/TUE...WITH PROXIMITY
OF UPPER LOW AS IT SLOWS AND TRACKS ACROSS SOCAL. ONLY MODERATE
CONFIDENCE WITH FCST...AS TRACK IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS COULD SHIFT
FROM PROGGED POSITIONS AND CHANGES WILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN
THE SOUTH. WILL EXPIRE WINTER STORM WARNING EVERYWHERE AND POST A
SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE KERN AND TULARE MTNS. THESE AREAS...ESPECIALLY
THE TEHACHAPI MTNS...NEED TO BE WATCHED CLOSELY FOR POSSIBLE UPGRADE
TO WINTER STORM WARNING. FOCUSED LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH IMPRESSIVE
SHORT WAVE ENERGY WILL BRING BEST QPF POTENTIAL LATER TONIGHT AND
DURING ALL OF TUES. IN COORD WITH VEGAS...SHOULD SEE UPSLOPE ESE
FLOW ALONG SIERRA CREST WHICH COULD BRING A SHADOWING EFFECT NORTH
OF KERN MTNS.

IN THE EXTENDED...AFTER SYSTEM FINALLY EXITS WED...LOOKING FOR UPPER
RIDGE TO BRING DRY CONDS THU-SAT. LOW CONFIDENCE IN MEDIUM RANGE FOR
THIS WEEKEND...WITH A WEAK MAJORITY OF MODELS GIVING US A CHANCE OF
PRECIP RETURNING BY SAT NIGHT/SUN. INDICATING CHC SUN AND MON FOR
THE TIME BEING.

.HNX...SNOW ADVISORY THROUGH TONIGHT AND TUESDAY FOR KERN COUNTY AND
       TULARE COUNTY.

LAVIS

Event by event

3 heavy snow, 1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Kern Cty Mtns

When: February 12, 8:00 PM PST to February 13, 7:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow, Tulare Cty Mtns

When: February 12, 9:00 PM PST to February 14, 1:00 AM PST
Where: Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: PARK/FOREST SERVICE

Heavy Snow, Indian Wells Vly

When: February 13, 5:00 AM PST to 12:00 PM PST
Where: Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

Heavy Snow, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: February 13, 5:00 AM PST to 12:00 PM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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: 5233145, 5233144, 5233142, 5233143.