California, 2001

Winter Storm in California, February 19 to 20, 2001

February 19 to 20, 2001 · NWS HNX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

); Upper Burnt Corral 16"; Bishop Pass 24" (11,200 ft) in the S. Sierra Nevada; and Big Meadows 12" and Giant Forest 12" in the Tulare County Mountains.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

Snow totals over 24-Hours: Agnew Pass 14" (9450 Ft M.S.L.); Upper Burnt Corral 16"; Bishop Pass 24" (11,200 ft) in the S. Sierra Nevada; and Big Meadows 12" and Giant Forest 12" in the Tulare County Mountains.

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 19, 4:09 AM PST, 1 hour 51 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 19, 4:09 AM PST, 1 hour 51 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
330 AM PST MON FEB 19 2001

UPPER LOW WAS APPROACHING 39N/130W EARLY THIS MORN WITH RAPIDLY
ADVANCING FRONTAL BAND MOVING WELL OUT AHEAD OF IT...REACHING
CENTRAL COAST AT 3 AM. FAVORABLE LIFT IN THE LEFT FRONT QUAD OF
ADVANCING JETMAX IS SUPPORTING STRONG CONVECTION AND NUMEROUS TSTMS
IN MONTEREY COUNTY. EXPECT STRONGEST DIFFLUENCE AND OMEGA TO HIT
SOUTHERN SIERRA LATE MORNING TO EARLY AFTN IN TANDEM WITH FRONTAL
BAND. ALTHOUGH MSTR SEEMS TO BE OUTRUNNING FRONTAL BAND SOMEWHAT...
EXPECT ENOUGH OROGRAPHIC ENHANCEMENT TO SUPPORT QPF TOTALS AT LEAST
BETWEEN AVN/ETA...AND WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN GOOD SHAPE.
TROUGH WILL LINGER AROUND TO THE NORTH TONIGHT/TUES AND SUPPORT
CONTINUED PRECIP AT TIMES ESPECIALLY NORTH SECTIONS TONIGHT. FOR
THIS REASON SHIFTED TIMING OF WARNING TO TODAY THRU TONIGHT VS
EVENING.

BULK OF COLDER AIR ALOFT WILL SHIFT INLAND NORTH OF CWA TODAY...
HOWEVER BASED ON PACJET DATA AND FCST CAPES...INTRODUCED A SLIGHT
CHC THUNDER TODAY TO CENTRAL VLLY AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS. WITH
PACJET DATA INDICATING AN IMPRESSIVE 50KT LOW LEVEL JET AHEAD OF
COLD FRONT...HAVE BEEFED UP WINDS A BIT. WINDS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW
ADVISORY CRITERIA MOST LOCALES WITH STRONGEST GUSTS NEAR FROPA.
FCST MODEL FREEZING LEVELS FOR TODAY ALSO IN CLOSE AGREEMENT WITH
PACJET DATA INSIDE FRONTAL BAND.

SLOW DIMINISHING TREND TO PRECIP DURING TUES WITH MOST NOTICEABLE
IMPROVEMENT SOUTH CLOSER TO KERN COUNTY. HEADING INTO EXTENDED...
NO CHANGES TO PREV...BREAK ON WED...OTHERWISE CONTINUED UNSETTLED
PATTERN IN FORCE THURSDAY THRU SUNDAY WITH PERHAPS A BREAK FRI NITE
INTO PART OF SAT.

.HNX...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT FOR THE
       SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA.

LAVIS

Event by event

2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, S Sierra Mtns

When
February 19, 6:00 AM PST to February 20, 12:00 PM PST
Where
S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Winter Storm, Tulare Cty Mtns

When
February 19, 8:00 AM PST to February 20, 4:00 AM PST
Where
Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

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

More

Every storm in California in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5233148, 5233149.