Winter Storm and Strong Wind in California, February 2 to 3, 2004

Name: Winter Storm and Strong Wind in California, February 2 to 3, 2004
Start: 2004-02-02T09:00
End: 2004-02-03T04:00
Location: California

February 2 to 3, 2004 · NWS HNX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A vigorous frontal system dropped significant snow in the mountain areas on the 2nd starting this wet month for Interior Central California. Sierra Nevada.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $2,000
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.

A vigorous frontal system dropped significant snow in the mountain areas on the 2nd starting this wet month for Interior Central California. Snow amounts varied from 14 inches of new snow at Tehachapi Mountain Park in the Kern Mountains to 22" at Kaiser Point in the S.Sierra Nevada. The west side of the San Joaquin Valley had gusty pre-frontal southeast wind conditions with several reports of wind in the 30-55 MPH range and even an isolated gust to 70 MPH. On the Central and San Joaquin Valley Floor rain fell with the frontal passage on the afternoon of the 2nd such as the 0.60" of rain at Clovis, northeast of Fresno.

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 2, 8:30 AM PST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 2, 8:30 AM PST, 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
830 AM PST MON FEB 2 2004

SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...FIRST BAND OF
RAIN AND SNOW IS NOW MOVING INTO MERCED COUNTY...WHILE OVER THE
SIERRA...TUOLUMNE MEADOWS HAS ALREADY RECEIVED 1 INCH OF NEW SHOW
WITH MODERATE SNOW FALLING. MONTEREY RADAR SHOWS QUITE A BIT OF
RAIN IN THE BAY AREA AND EXPECT THIS AREA TO TRANSLATE SOUTHEAST
DURING THE DAY. SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS THE MAIN BAROCLINIC ZONE
STILL WELL WEST OF MONTEREY BAY AND AN AREA OF JET MAX COOLING
CLOUD TOPS TAKING AIM ON THE CENTRAL COAST. NICELY DEFINED COLD
POOL ASSOCIATED WITH THE CENTER OF THE UPPER LOW IS NOW CROSSING
130W AND THIS AREA WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA THIS
AFTERNOON. DUE TO RADAR PRESENTATION...IT IS APPARENT THAT
PRECIPITATION WILL NOT REACH KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS THIS
MORNING...RATHER IT WILL WAIT UNTIL LATE IN THE DAY. HAVE ALREADY
UPDATED THE GRIDS TO REMOVE POPS IN THE KERN DESERTS FOR THIS
MORNING. 12Z MODELS ARE IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT IN PUSHING THE BRUNT
OF THE SYSTEM SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA TODAY AND TONIGHT. WITH THE
STORM EXITING THE AREA TUESDAY. AS FOR TODAYS CONVECTIVE THREAT...
LATEST MESO ETA STILL PAINTS CAPES TO AS HIGH AS 450 J/KG OVER THE
CENTRAL VALLEY FOR THIS AFTERNOON. POTENTIAL STILL EXISTS FOR AN
ACTIVE AND RATHER INTERESTING DAY AND NIGHT OVER THE FORECAST AREA.

.LONG TERM...PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FROM 315 AM FOR THURSDAY THROUGH
SUNDAY...MEDIUM RANGE PROGS CONTINUE TO INDICATE THE UPPER TROUGH
PUSHING SLOWLY EAST INTO THE ROCKIES AS AN UPPER RIDGE AMPLIFIES
OFFSHORE. THIS WILL LEAVE CENTRAL CA IN A COOL AND DRY NORTHWEST FLOW
ALOFT ON THURSDAY. ALTHOUGH THE 00Z GFS BRUSHES THE NORTHERN CWFA
WITH SOME DEEP MOISTURE ON FRIDAY...HAVE DISREGARDED THIS SOLUTION
SINCE THE 06Z GFS IS IN MORE LINE WITH THE NOGAPS...UKMET AND ECM
KEEP THE DEEPER MOISTURE NORTH OF OUR CWFA AS AN UPPER LOW CROSSES
NORCAL THEN DROPS SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN AS AN INSIDE
SLIDER FRIDAY NIGHT. THE GEM CONTINUES TO BE EVEN FURTHER EAST THAN
THE OTHER PROGS WITH IT/S TRAJECTORY. REGARDLESS...DEEP MOISTURE
SHOULD REMAIN TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF OUR CWFA DURING THIS PERIOD SO
WILL NOT MENTION ANY POPS IN THE GRIDS DURING THE FRIDAY/SATURDAY
TIME FRAME. THIS SYSTEM WILL PUSH A DRY COLD FRONT THROUGH THE AREA
OVER THE WEEKEND WHICH WILL LOWER TEMPS BY A FEW DEG F BY SUNDAY.
WITH A COOL AND DRY AIRMASS PREVAILING OVER THE AREA THROUGH THE
PERIOD HAVE DECIDED TO NUDGE TEMPS DOWN BY A FEW DEG F THROUGH THE
PERIOD...MOST NOTICEABLY ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTHERN
SIERRA NEVADA.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE
     SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO THE KERN COUNTY LINE
     TODAY AND TONIGHT.
     ...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS THIS
     AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

&&

DUDLEY/DS

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 2, 5:01 AM PST, 3 hours 59 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
501 AM PST MON FEB 2 2004

CAZ089>092-031300-
WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
501 AM PST MON FEB 2 2004

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A STRONG PACIFIC STORM WILL MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL CALIFORNIA TODAY
AND TONIGHT BRINGING PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL. THE STORM HAS THE
POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON...
DIMINISHING THIS EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

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

CAZ096-097-031300-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
501 AM PST MON FEB 2 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA
FROM YOSEMITE TO THE KERN COUNTY LINE TODAY AND TONIGHT. REFER TO
THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

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

CAZ093-094-098-099-031300-
MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS-TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS-
INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
501 AM PST MON FEB 2 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA FOOTHILLS
AND THE KERN DESERT.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A STRONG PACIFIC STORM WILL MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL CALIFORNIA TODAY
AND TONIGHT BRINGING PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL. THE STORM HAS THE
POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON...
DIMINISHING THIS EVENING. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL LOWER THIS EVENING TO
AROUND 3000 FEET OVER THE FOOTHILLS AND AROUND 3500 FEET OVER THE
KERN COUNTY DESERT. LOCAL SNOW ACCUMULATION WILL GENERALLY BE 1 TO
2 INCHES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

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

CAZ095-031300-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
501 AM PST MON FEB 2 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER
MESSAGE /WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

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

Event by event

3 winter storm, 2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, S Sierra Mtns

When: February 2, 9:00 AM PST to February 3, 4:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, Sw S.J. Valley

When: February 2, 9:09 AM PST to 5:55 PM PST
Where: Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Strong Wind, W Central S.J. Valley

When: February 2, 12:00 PM PST to 5:55 PM PST
Where: W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 48 kt (55 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Winter Storm, Tulare Cty Mtns

When: February 2, 4:00 PM PST to February 3, 4:00 AM PST
Where: Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Winter Storm, Kern Cty Mtns

When: February 2, 6:00 PM PST to February 3, 4:00 AM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

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, February 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: 5384847, 5384850, 5384849, 5384848, 5384846.