Winter Storm, S Sierra Mtns
- When
- February 25, 4:00 PM PST to February 26, 10:00 PM PST
- Where
- S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Winter Storm in California, February 25 to 26, 2004
Major snow accumulations of up to 36" occurred with the primary storm system in the higher mountain elevations and lingering shower activity added up to 7 inches of additional snow on the 26th. An unofficial sustained wind of 86 MPH and gust of 146 MPH from the SSW occurred at the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area during the evening of the 25th.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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.
Major snow accumulations of up to 36" occurred with the primary storm system in the higher mountain elevations and lingering shower activity added up to 7 inches of additional snow on the 26th. An unofficial sustained wind of 86 MPH and gust of 146 MPH from the SSW occurred at the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area during the evening of the 25th. Significant additional precipitation totals on the 25th reported in the mountain areas included 4.10 inches at Shaver Lake, 2.41" at Yosemite Valley, 2.40" at Pascoes on the Kern River drainage, and 1.60" at Mariposa. Additional rain amounts on the 26th varied from 1 to 1.5". The 48-hour liquid precipitation total for the Kings River Basin (S.Sierra and Tulare County Mountains) was 4.80 inches.
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 25, 2:55 PM PST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 25, 2:55 PM PST, 1 hour 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
255 PM PST WED FEB 25 2004
.SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...THE COLD FRONT
CONTINUES TO MOVE SOUTHEAST OVER THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR
THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS HAVE ALREADY REACHED ADVISORY CRITERIA IN THE
CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...AND WINDS GUSTED TO 75 MPH IN THE SOUTH
END OF THE VALLEY AROUND NOON. EXPECT WINDS TO CONTINUE NEAR
ADVISORY LEVELS THROUGH THE EVENING WITH POST-FRONTAL SUBSIDENCE. IN
THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS...WINDS HAVE BEEN AT ADVISORY LEVELS...BUT
LESS LIKELY TO REACH HIGH WIND LEVELS. WILL ISSUE A WIND ADVISORY
FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FOOTHILLS...EXTEND THE WIND ADVISORY
FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...AND REPLACE THE
EXPIRING HIGH WIND PRODUCTS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS WITH WIND
ADVISORIES.
EXPECT THE PRECIPITATION TO CHANGE TO SHOWERS OVERNIGHT BEHIND THE
FRONT. WITH AN UNSTABLE AIRMASS IN PLACE...LOOK FOR A SLIGHT CHANCE
OF THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...INCLUDING THURSDAY NIGHT
AS LOW-LEVEL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY SELDOM DIES OUT AT NIGHT.
SHOWERS WILL DIMINISH FRIDAY NIGHT AS THE TROUGH MOVES INTO THE
GREAT BASIN...WITH DRY WEATHER RETURNING SATURDAY.
.LONG TERM...FOR SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ARE
GENERALLY ON THE SAME PAGE...AND FORECAST AMPLIFICATION OF UPPER LVL
RIDGE ALONG 140W DURING THE PERIOD. THIS LEAVES ROOM FOR ENERGY TO
SLIDE SOUTHWARD ALONG THE EASTERN SIDE OF THIS RIDGE IN THE 4 TO 7
DAY PERIOD. HOWEVER...THE MODELS DIFFER ON EXACTLY WHERE THESE UPR
LVL DISTURBANCES TRACK. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE ECM AND NOGAPS
SOLNS...THE MAJORITY OF THE MODELS TRACK THESE SYSTEMS AS INSIDE
SLIDERS...LEAVING THE CENTRAL CA INTERIOR ESSENTIALLY UNSCATHED.
HOWEVER...DUE TO THE DIFFERENCES IN THE MODELS...WILL LEAVE CHC POPS
OVER THE SIERNEV WITH SLIGHT CHC POPS ELSEWHERE FROM SUN NIGHT THRU
MON NIGHT. THERE IS SOME DOUBT AS TO HOW QUICKLY THE UPPER LEVEL
RIDGE BUILDS EASTWARD INTO CA...IF AT ALL. THE GFS MODEL IN
PARTICULAR SHOWS A SUCCESSION OF SHORT WAVE TROUGHS DROPPING INTO
THE GREAT BASIN EARLY NEXT WEEK THEREBY BLOCKING THE EASTWARD
PROGRESSION OF THE UPR LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC. IF
THESE SYSTEMS BEHAVE AS INSIDE SLIDERS...THEN DRY WEATHER WILL
PREVAIL OVER THE CWA. HOWEVER...TEMP TRENDS WILL REMAIN NEUTRAL AS
OPPOSED TO WARMING UP. THIS IS REFLECTED WELL IN OUR GRIDDED
FORECASTS.
&&
.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE
SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...FROM
YOSEMITE TO THE KERN COUNTY
LINE...THROUGH 600 PM THURSDAY.
...WIND ADVISORY FOR THE CENTRAL
AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN
VALLEY...THE KERN COUNTY
MOUNTAINS...AND THE FOOTHILLS
OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA
THROUGH 600 AM THURSDAY MORNING.
&&
SANGER/DURFEEHazardous weather outlook, Feb 25, 11:00 AM PST, 5 hours before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 1100 AM PST WED FEB 25 2004 CAZ093-094-098-099-261300- MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS-TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS- INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT- 1100 AM PST WED FEB 25 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS...AND THE SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT. .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. CAZ096-097-261300- SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 1100 AM PST WED FEB 25 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE PARK TO KINGS CANYON...AND THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS. .DAY ONE...TODAY A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...FROM YOSEMITE PARK TO THE KERN COUNTY LINE...FROM 600 AM TODAY THROUGH 600 PM THURSDAY. REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE...SFOWSWHNX OR WWUS46 KHNX. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THE WINTER STORM WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...FROM YOSEMITE PARK TO THE KERN COUNTY LINE THROUGH 6 PM THURSDAY. REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE... SFOWSWHNX OR WWUS46 KHNX. SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE....TEXT... CAZ091-092-095-261300- SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 1100 AM PST WED FEB 25 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHWESTERN AND SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...AND THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS. .DAY ONE...TODAY A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT TODAY FROM 400 AM TO 400 PM FOR THE GRAPEVINE AREA AND ADJACENT SOUTHERN AREAS OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. FOR FURTHER DETAILS REFER TO THE WEATHER MESSAGE... SFONPWHNX OR WWUS76 KHNX. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE....TEXT... CAZ089-090-261300- WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- 1100 AM PST WED FEB 25 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. .DAY ONE...TODAY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY THROUGH 400 PM TODAY. FOR FURTHER DETAILS REFER TO THE WEATHER MESSAGE...SFONPWHNX OR WWUS76 KHNX. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY 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
2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Tulare Cty Mtns
- When
- February 25, 4:00 PM PST to February 26, 10:00 PM PST
- Where
- Tulare 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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Strong Wind in Georgia, February 25 to 26, 2004
- Flood in California, February 25, 2004
- Flood in California, February 25, 2004
- Flash Flooding and High Wind in California, February 25 to 26, 2004
- Strong Wind in California, February 25, 2004
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Mississippi, February 25, 2004
- Strong Wind in Texas, February 25, 2004
- Strong Wind in California, February 25, 2004
- High Wind in Oregon, February 25, 2004
- Flash Flooding and Winter Storm in California, February 25 to 26, 2004
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, February 25 to 26, 2004
- Dense Fog in Wisconsin, February 25, 2004
More
Every storm in California in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5384954, 5384955.