Heavy Snow in California, February 16 to 17, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in California, February 16 to 17, 2002
Start: 2002-02-16T23:30
End: 2002-02-17T16:00
Location: California

February 16 to 17, 2002 · NWS HNX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

In a period of a little less than 24 hours, snowfall amounts in the Southern Sierra Nevada between Yosemite and Quaking Aspen varied from 8 to 15 inches of snow. L.

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.

In a period of a little less than 24 hours, snowfall amounts in the Southern Sierra Nevada between Yosemite and Quaking Aspen varied from 8 to 15 inches of snow. Only a couple of locations had higher amounts, 17" at Gin Flat at 7500 feet M.S.L. in the S.Sierra, and 20" at Big Meadows in the Tulare County Mountains at 7800' M.S.L.

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 16, 8:45 PM PST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 16, 8:45 PM PST, 2 hours 45 minutes before

INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
845 PM PST SAT FEB 16 2002

UPPER LOW CONTINUES TO HEAD EAST TOWARDS THE BAY AREA AS THE LEADING
BAROCLINIC ZONE HEADS NORTHEAST. RADAR SHOWS THE PRECIPITATION
FIELD HAS MADE IT AS FAR SOUTH AS MERCED AND DURING THE NEXT HOUR OR
SO, MAY MAKE IT TO MADERA. BACK TO THE SOUTHWEST, ANOTHER BAND OF
SHOWERS IS MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHEAST ACROSS MONTEREY AND SAN LUIS
OBISPO COUNTIES AND THESE JUST MAY CLIP THE WESTERN KINGS, AND
FRESNO COUNTIES LATER THIS EVENING. THIS SOUTHERN AREA OF SHOWERS IS
ASSOCIATED WITH THE WEAKENING, TAIL END OF THE LEADING BAROCLINIC
ZONE WHICH STRETCHES TO SOUTHWEST OF POINT CONCEPTION. IT APPEARS
THE CENTER OF THE COLD, UPPER LOW IS ABOUT 200 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST
OF SAN FRANCISCO AND TAKING A METHODICAL PATH TOWARDS THE EAST. IT
LOOKS LIKE MOST OF THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR WILL SEE THE
BEST CHANCE OF RAIN FROM THE ACTUAL VORT CENTER WHEN IT MOVES ACROSS
THE AREA SUNDAY. OF NOTE THOUGH IS AN ENHANCING AREA OF COLD CLOUD
TOPS WELL SOUTHWEST OF POINT CONCEPTION HEADING TOWARDS THE
SOUTHERN PART OF THE FORECAST AREA. IF THIS CONTINUES TO ENHANCE AND
MOVE NORTHEAST, THE KERN COUNTY AREA WILL ACTUALLY SEE SOME RAIN.
WITH ALL OF THESE SCENARIOS WILL OPT TO LET THE CURRENT HIGH POP
FORECAST REMAIN INTACT. MAY HAVE TO MAKE A MINOR CHANGE OR TWO, BUT
THATS ALL. AS FOR THE MODELS, THE ETA HAS FINALLY COME INTO
AGREEMENT WITH THE AVN AND NGM IN BRINGING THE LOW ACROSS CENTRAL
CALIFORNIA SUNDAY AND THEN EAST OF THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT. RIDGING
FOLLOWS ON MONDAY.

.HNX...SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT AND SUNDAY FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA FROM
       YOSEMITE PARK TO THE KERN COUNTY LINE.
DUDLEY

Event by event

2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, S Sierra Mtns

When: February 16, 11:30 PM PST to February 17, 4:00 PM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Tulare Cty Mtns

When: February 16, 11:30 PM PST to February 17, 4:00 PM PST
Where: Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in California, February 2002

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: 5282365, 5282366.