California, 2003

Heavy Snow in California, December 11, 2003

December 11, 2003 · NWS HNX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A rather fast-moving frontal system deposited substantial amounts of snow at higher elevations of Interior Central California. Snowfall amounts included 10 inches at Tuolumne Meadows and Tamarack Summit in the South Sierra Nevada, 8" at Lodgepole in the Tulare County Mountains, and 4" at Lime Kiln Canyon in the Kern Mountains.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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.

A rather fast-moving frontal system deposited substantial amounts of snow at higher elevations of Interior Central California. Snowfall amounts included 10 inches at Tuolumne Meadows and Tamarack Summit in the South Sierra Nevada, 8" at Lodgepole in the Tulare County Mountains, and 4" at Lime Kiln Canyon in the Kern Mountains. Other storm precipitation totals ranged approximately from 4/5" at Mariposa in the S.Sierra Foothills, 1/2" at Merced, and 1/3" at Fresno on the Central San Joaquin Valley Floor.

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 Dec 10, 1:30 PM PST, 10 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 10, 1:30 PM PST, 10 hours 30 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 10, 5:00 AM PST, 19 hours before
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Event by event

3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, S Sierra Mtns

When
December 11, 12:00 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST
Where
S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Tulare Cty Mtns

When
December 11, 3:00 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST
Where
Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Kern Cty Mtns

When
December 11, 5:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where
Kern 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

More

Every storm in California in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2003

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5330698, 5330699, 5330697.