Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in California, December 27 to 29, 2004

Name: Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in California, December 27 to 29, 2004
Start: 2004-12-27T08:00
End: 2004-12-29T16:00
Location: California

December 27 to 29, 2004 · NWS HNX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

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.

The first in a series of strong Pacific Ocean storms began bringing significant precipitation to the higher terrain of Interior Central California early on the 27th. By the morning of the 28th, a foot of new snow was reported in the Kern County Mountains at Frazier Park with drifts of 3 feet reported at nearby Mt. Pinos. The combination of snow water content and rain accumulation at Frazier Park had reached 4.25" by the afternoon of the 28th. Other snow amounts in the Southern Sierra Nevada from Yosemite through the Tulare County Mountains were as high as a foot overnight of the 27th to the morning of the 28th. By the afternoon of the 29th snow amounts were totalling around 18" at Casa Vieja Meadows and 20" at Wet Meadows in the Tulare County Mountains.

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 27, 3:00 AM PST, 5 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 27, 3:00 AM PST, 5 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
300 AM PST MON DEC 27 2004

.SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...PRECIPITATION
CONTINUES TO STREAM INTO THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR FROM THE
SOUTH...AS THE UPPER-LEVEL LOW NEAR 38N/130W SPINS MID AND HIGH-
LEVEL MOISTURE INTO THE STATE. THE 00Z MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT
WITH A 40-50-KT SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST 850-MB FLOW THROUGH TONIGHT...
RESULTING IN FAVORABLE OROGRAPHIC ENHANCEMENT OVER THE TEHACHAPI
MOUNTAINS. MODEL QPF YIELDS AS MUCH AS 5 INCHES OF RAINFALL NEAR
FRAZIER PARK...AND 3-4 INCHES ELSEWHERE...THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT.
SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 2-3 FEET ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGHER
TERRAIN OF THE KERN MOUNTAINS THROUGH TUESDAY...WITH STRONG SOUTH
WINDS 35-55 MPH OVER THE SUMMITS. GUSTS TO 75 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE
AS THE WINDS FUNNEL THROUGH FAVORABLY ORIENTED PASSES...CANYONS AND
VALLEYS. WITH BOTH SNOWFALL AND WINDS FORECAST TO MEET WARNING
CRITERIA...WILL ISSUE A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE KERN COUNTY
MOUNTAINS THROUGH TUESDAY.

THE STRONG WINDS WILL WORK THEIR WAY DOWN TO THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
FLOOR...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS ON THE WEST SIDE AND SOUTH END OF
THE VALLEY. SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS ARE FORECAST TO REMAIN TIGHT
OVER THE VALLEY THROUGH AT LEAST 09Z...SO HAVE EXTENDED THE WIND
ADVISORY THROUGH THE ENTIRE TONIGHT PERIOD.

FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...MODEL QPF YIELDS TOTAL SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS OF 12-18 INCHES THROUGH TUESDAY...SO HAVE ISSUED A
SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE SIERRA NEVADA ZONES.

THE MODELS FORECAST THE UPPER-LEVEL LOW TO OPEN INTO A SHORT-WAVE
TROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. THE GFS AND NOGAPS MOVE THE TROUGH ONSHORE
INTO CALIFORNIA WEDNESDAY MORNING...WHILE THE ECMWF AND UKMET LIFT
THE TROUGH NORTHEAST ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INTO NEVADA. EITHER
WAY...UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE PERIOD.

.LONG TERM...FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...THE LATEST MODEL
GUIDANCE FOR THE MEDIUM RANGE SHOWS GOOD CONSISTENCY THROUGH
FRIDAY...THEN THINGS BEGIN TO DIVERGE SOMEWHAT. GFS...ECMWF AND
NOGAPS ALL AGREE THAT A DEEP LOW WILL REMAIN PARKED OFF THE WEST
COAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. BY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
HOWEVER THE LATEST RUN OF THE GFS MODEL BEGINS TO LIFT THE LOW AND
THE RESULTING STORM TRACK FURTHER NORTH TOWARDS THE CANADIAN
BORDER...WHILE THE NOGAPS AND ECMWF KEEP THE LOW FURTHER SOUTH WITH
LOWER HEIGHTS AND A PRONOUNCED TROUGH PATTERN FOR THE FORECAST AREA.
THE GFS SOLUTION IMPLIES CONTINUED UNSETTLED WEATHER ENDING ON
FRIDAY AND A DRY WEEKEND. THE OTHER MODELS SUGGEST MORE UNSETTLED
AND POTENTIALLY WET WEATHER FOR THE WEEKEND. WILL OPT TO KEEP THINGS
AS THEY ARE...WITH A CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE PERIOD.
LATER MODELS MAY SHOW A TREND TOWARD THE GFS DRIER SOLUTION...BUT
WE/LL SEE.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE KERN
                                   COUNTY MOUNTAINS TODAY THROUGH
                                   TUESDAY.
                                ...WIND ADVISORY FOR THE WEST SIDE
                                   AND SOUTH END OF THE SAN
JOAQUIN                                    VALLEY TODAY THROUGH
TONIGHT.
     ...SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE SOUTHERN
                                   SIERRA NEVADA TODAY THROUGH
                                   TUESDAY.

&&

SANGER/DUDLEY

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 27, 5:00 AM PST, 3 hours before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
500 AM PST MON DEC 27 2004

CAZ095-281300-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
500 AM PST MON DEC 27 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY. PLEASE REFER TO
THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR FURTHER
DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THE WINTER STORM WARNING CONTINUES THROUGH TUESDAY. PLEASE REFER TO
THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE
PERIOD.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

CAZ096-097-281300-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
500 AM PST MON DEC 27 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA
FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON...AND THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TODAY UNTIL 6 PM TUESDAY. PLEASE
REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR
FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THE SNOW ADVISORY CONTINUES UNTIL 6 PM TUESDAY EVENING. PLEASE REFER
TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR FURTHER
DETAILS.

OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

AZ-090-093-094-098-099-281300-
EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS-TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS-
INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
500 AM PST MON DEC 27 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SIERRA NEVADA FOOTHILLS...
THE EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...THE SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY
DESERT AND THE INDIAN WELLS VALLEY.

DAY ONE...TODAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

CAZ089-091-092-281300-
WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
500 AM PST MON DEC 27 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WEST CENTRAL AND THE
SOUTHERN JOAQUIN VALLEY.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TODAY UNTIL 6 PM
TONIGHT. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WEATHER MESSAGE /WWUS76 KHNX/
FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

TLM

Event by event

2 heavy snow, 1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, S Sierra Mtns

When: December 27, 8:00 AM PST to December 29, 4:00 PM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Heavy Snow, Tulare Cty Mtns

When: December 27, 8:00 AM PST to December 29, 4:00 PM PST
Where: Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Winter Storm, Kern Cty Mtns

When: December 28, 9:00 AM PST to December 29, 4:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in California, December 2004

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: 5431367, 5431368, 5431366.