Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in California, March 16 to 18, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in California, March 16 to 18, 2002
Start: 2002-03-16T13:00
End: 2002-03-18T04:20
Location: California

March 16 to 18, 2002 · NWS HNX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

L. On lower elevation roadways in Madera County 2" of snow fell with Yosemite Valley and Lodgepole receiving 5" of new snow, Badger Pass 8", Poison Ridge and Charlotte Lake 7", and Hume Lake 11".

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

Significant snow occurred not only in the typically higher elevations of the Southern Sierra Nevada but also in the foothill areas as well at elevations down to at least 3000 feet M.S.L. On lower elevation roadways in Madera County 2" of snow fell with Yosemite Valley and Lodgepole receiving 5" of new snow, Badger Pass 8", Poison Ridge and Charlotte Lake 7", and Hume Lake 11". In the Kern Mountains gusty wind compounded the problem with snow accumulations on area highways. Ridge winds in the Tehachapi Pass sustained 50 MPH and Walker Pass had gusts to 49 MPH. In the meantime 4" of snow accumulated at Glennville and 14" of new snow was reported at Greenhorn Summit. Interstate-5 over the Grapevine was closed due to snowfall.

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 Mar 16, 9:50 AM PST, 3 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 16, 9:50 AM PST, 3 hours 10 minutes before

INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
950 AM PST SAT MAR 16 2002

HANFORD DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR SHOWS SHOWERS CONTINUING OVER THE
SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA THISD MORNING. SPOTTER REPORTS SHOW SNOW HAS
FALLEN AS FAR SOUTH AS THE KERN COUNTY SIERRA NEVADA...WITH 1 INCH
OF NEW SNOW AT GRANITE STATION.

SATELLITE LOOPS SHOW VORTICITY LOBES CONTINUING TO DROP DOWN THE
TROUGH...WITH ONE DIVING AROUND THE BASE OF THE TROUGH INTO SAN
BERNADINO COUNTY...AND THE NEXT PRESENTLY OVER OREGON AND DROPPING
INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. BETWEEN THE VORTICITIES...WILL SEE SOME
SUBSIDENCE TODAY...AND COMBINED WITH STRONG LOW-LEVEL WINDS /THE 12Z
KVBG SOUNDING HAD 30-40 KT NORTHWEST WINDS FROM 4000 FEET THROUGH
15000 FEET...INCREASING TO 60-80 KT BETWEEN 15-25 KFT/...COULD SEE
GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS PULLED DOWN INTO THE MOUNTAIN PASSES.

12Z MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE
WESTERN U.S. WITH A LOW NEAR PUGET SOUND. THE LOW IS FORECAST TO
SLOWLY DROP SOUTHEAST...TO THE CENTRAL OREGON/WASHINGTON BORDER...BY
24 HOURS...THEN INTO THE GREAT BASIN BY 48 HOURS AS THE TROUGH
SLIDES EASTWARD AND HIGH PRESSURE BEGINS BUILDING OFFSHORE. COULD
SEE SOME INSTABILITY SHOWERS ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON...
ESPECIALLY IF THERE ARE SUFFICIENT BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS FOR GOOD
SOLAR HEATING. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION ARRIVES TONIGHT AS THE
NEXT VORTICITY MOVES INTO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. LOW SNOW LEVELS
ALREADY BEING REPORTED FROM SPOTTERS CONFIRMS THIS IS A VERY COLD
AIRMASS AND FORECAST SNOW LEVELS LOOK ON TRACK IN THE NORTH...BUT
MAY NEED TO BE LOWERED IN THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS. /GRANITE
STATION...WHICH RECEIVED SNOW OVERNIGHT...IS ABOUT 1500 FEET./ WITH
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW SNOW LEVELS...WILL LIKELY UPGRADE THE WINTER
STORM WATCH TO A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA
NORTH OF KERN COUNTY. WILL DECIDE BETWEEN A WINTER STORM WARNING OR
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AFTER TODAY/S
COORDINATION CALLS.

POPS 457 BFL 236 YNP 7++. SANGER

.HNX...WINTER STORM WATCH FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...NORTH OF
       KERN COUNTY...TONIGHT AND SUNDAY.
    ...WIND ADVISORY FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS FOR
       THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.

Event by event

4 heavy snow, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Kern Cty Mtns

When: March 16, 1:00 PM PST to March 18, 4:20 AM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER

Heavy Snow, S Sierra Mtns

When: March 16, 6:10 PM PST to March 17, 3:40 PM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow, Tulare Cty Mtns

When: March 16, 9:30 PM PST to March 17, 9:20 PM PST
Where: Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: PARK/FOREST SERVICE

Heavy Snow, S Sierra Foothills

When: March 17, 7:03 AM PST to 3:40 PM PST
Where: S Sierra Foothills forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy Snow, Tulare Cty Foothills

When: March 17, 7:03 AM PST to 9:20 PM PST
Where: Tulare Cty Foothills forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
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, March 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: 5287308, 5287306, 5287307, 5287304, 5287305.