Winter Storm in California, January 1 to 3, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in California, January 1 to 3, 2002
Start: 2002-01-01T04:00
End: 2002-01-03T04:00
Location: California

January 1 to 3, 2002 · NWS HNX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 winter storm, as filed by the National Weather Service.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 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 Jan 1, 3:45 AM PST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 1, 3:45 AM PST, 15 minutes before

INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
345 AM PST TUE JAN 1 2002

DESPITE VEIL OF HIGH CLOUDINESS...AREAS OF DENSE FOG HAVE INCREASED
IN COVERAGE IN PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SJ VALLEY EARLY
THIS MORNING. SINCE WAA ALOFT MAY HAMPER DISSIPATION OF SURFACE
INVERSION...AND WITH FOG AFFECTING MANY MAJOR TRAFFIC ARTERIES...A
DENSE FOG ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED UNTIL 1000 AM.

BULK OF WAA PRECIP THUS FAR HAS REMAINED OVER NORCAL AND OFF THE
CENTRAL COAST. COLD FRONT WAS RAPIDLY APPROACHING 130W AND AMSU DATA
INDICATES A RICH SUPPLY OF MOISTURE WITH PW OVER 1.5 INCH. WITH WAA
BUT MINIMAL FORCING OVER THE DISTRICT TODAY...ANY PRECIP SHOULD BE
ON THE LIGHT SIDE WITH CONTD HIGH SNOW LEVELS. HEAVIER PRECIP SHOULD
ACCOMPANY FRONT LATE TONIGHT/WED AS UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES THE
COAST AND DRIVES BOUNDARY INLAND. TIMING IS A BIT SLOWER THAN
PREVIOUS PROGS WITH TROUGH AXIS MOVING ONSHORE AROUND 12Z THURS.
ALTHOUGH THIS MAY PROLONG OROGRAPHICS OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA...
STRONGEST CAA SHOULD OCCUR AFTER HEAVIER PRECIP AND WILL CONT TO
REFRAIN FROM ANY WSW ISSUANCE AT THIS TIME.

RIDGE WILL AMPLIFY FRI AND BEGIN A RESPITE FROM THE WET WEATHER.
ALTHOUGH A WEAK WAVE WILL MOVE ONSHORE FRI NIGHT...MOISTURE AND
DYNAMICS SHOULD REMAIN WELL NORTH OF THE CWA. DESPITE SOME
DISAGREEMENTS...SIGNIFICANT RIDGE STRENGTHENING IS INDICATED ON
MEDIUM RANGE MODELS AND WILL PROLONG THE DRY WX WHILE PROVIDING ABOVE
SEASONAL TEMPS TO AREAS REMOVED FROM CENTRAL/SOUTH VALLEY FOG.

.HNX...DENSE FOG ADVISORY FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN
       VALLEY UNTIL 1000 AM THIS MORNING.

JSN

Event by event

1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, S Sierra Mtns

When: January 1, 4:00 AM PST to January 3, 4:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

At elevations greater than 7000 Feet M.S.L. up to 15" of snow fell in the Southern Sierra Nevada.

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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in California, January 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: 5279333.