Flooding and Heavy Rain in California, December 19 to 20, 2002

INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
330 PM PST THU DEC 19 2002

APPROACHING COLD FRONT HAS BEEN A LITTLE SLOWER THAN EXPECTED WITH
PRECIP JUST BEGINNING TO SPREAD INTO THE WESTERN PART OF THE VALLEY.
WINDS BEEN SLOW TO INCREASE IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON...
BUT HAVE BECOME GUSTY ALONG THE WEST SIDE AND ALSO IN THE SOUTH END
OF THE VALLEY WHERE THE SOUTHEAST WINDS HAVE FUNNELED THROUGH THE
KERN MOUNTAIN PASSES. WIND ADVISORIES WERE ISSUED EARLIER THIS
AFTERNOON FOR THOSE AREAS.

EXPECT PRECIP TO SPREAD OVER THE CWFA THIS EVENING...WITH THE
HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY. WILL LEAVE
WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR THE SIERRA TONIGHT AND FRIDAY AND
WILL ISSUE WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE KERN MOUNTAINS AS WELL.
WILL ALSO LEAVE MENTION OF SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THIS
EVENING. PRECIP WILL BECOME MORE SHOWERY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. ANOTHER
SHORTWAVE MOVES IN SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. FOCUS WITH THIS
SYSTEM LOOKS MORE OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA...BUT WILL LEAVE CHANCE
POPS ACROSS THE CWFA FOR SATURDAY INTO EARLY SUNDAY.

FOR THE EXTENDED PERIOD...WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE TROUGH LINGERING
THROUGH MONDAY AS THE NOGAPS SUGGESTS...BUT CONSISTENT GFS RUNS TEND
TOWARD CLEARING EARLY MONDAY AS A PAC RIDGE BUILDS IN. THIS WILL BE
VERY SHORT LIVED...AS MODELS AGREE ON ANOTHER TROUGH EARLY CHRISTMAS
DAY. DIFFLUENT FLOW EMPTIES INTO CENTRAL CA WITH HIGH RH...SO HAVE
INCREASED CLOUD COVERAGE AND ADDED SLIGHT CHANCE POPS TO CHRISTMAS
AND EARLY THURSDAY TO REFLECT THE CONSISTENT RUNS OF GFS.  MODEL
PRECIP IS NOT INDICATED LATER THURSDAY...ONLY CLOUDS REMAIN.

.HNX...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA NORTH OF
       KERN COUNTY TONIGHT AND FRIDAY.
    ...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS TONIGHT AND
       FRIDAY.
    ...WIND ADVISORY FOR THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY THIS EVENING.

BEAN

CAZ089>099-201400-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
540 AM PST THU DEC 19 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
INTERIOR.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

THE LATEST IN A SERIES OF STRONG PACIFIC STORMS WILL BRING
PRECIPITATION AND GUSTY WINDS TO THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR
TODAY.

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA
NORTH OF KERN COUNTY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FOR HEAVY SNOW AND
STRONG WIND. PLEASE REFER TO SFOWSWHNX (WWUS46 KHNX).

A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS
TONIGHT. PLEASE REFER TO SFOWSWHNX (WWUS46 KHNX).

A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR SOUTHEAST WINDS INCREASING TO 15 TO 30
MPH...WITH LOCALLY STRONGER GUSTS. STRONGEST WINDS WILL AFFECT AREAS
FROM WESTERN FRESNO COUNTY...NORTH THROUGH LOS BANOS AND MERCED.
WINDS WILL SUBSIDE LATE THIS EVENING.

A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ALSO EXISTS ACROSS THE CENTRAL SAN
JOAQUIN VALLEY AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS THIS AFTERNOON...AND ACROSS
MOST OF THE CENTRAL INTERIOR TONIGHT. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP
WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE HEAVY DOWNPOURS...GUSTY WINDS AND
HAIL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH CHRISTMAS DAY

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA
NORTH OF KERN COUNTY FRIDAY.

A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS
FRIDAY.

ADDITIONAL STORMS WILL BRING MORE RAIN AND SNOW TO THE CENTRAL
INTERIOR FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. DRY WEATHER WILL PREVAIL MONDAY
THROUGH CHRISTMAS DAY WITH NIGHT AND MORNING FOG RETURNING TO THE
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

JSN