Winter Storm, S Sierra Mtns
- When
- March 5, 7:00 PM PST to March 7, 4:00 AM PST
- Where
- S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Winter Storm and Hail in California, March 5 to 7, 2006
Continued inclement weather brought more snow to the higher elevations of Interior Central California and rain to the Central and South San Joaquin Valley. 48".
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- $5,000
- Events
- 4
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.
Continued inclement weather brought more snow to the higher elevations of Interior Central California and rain to the Central and South San Joaquin Valley. On the Valley floor Fresno received an additional 0.62" of rain, Porterville 0.50" on the 6th, and Bakersfield 0.48". New snow amounts included 24" at Mitchell Meadows, 23" at Paradise Meadows, 21" at Blackcap Basin; 28" at Farewell Gap; and, 27" at Big Meadows. Following the snowfall in the adjacent mountain areas, afternoon shower activity developed over the Southern San Joaquin Valley bringing locally heavy rain, local street flooding, and small hail in the Porterville area as the afternoon ended on the 7th.
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 5, 2:15 PM PST, 4 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 5, 2:15 PM PST, 4 hours 45 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA 215 PM PST SUN MAR 5 2006 .SHORT TERM...RADAR CONTINUES TO SHOW THE PRECIPITATION REMAINING NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA AS THE FRONTAL BAND IS NEARLY STATIONARY TO THE NORTH. FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDS WELL TO THE SOUTHWEST OF THE AREA AND IT APPEARS TO HAVE PLENTY OF MOISTURE TO WORK WITH. THE MAIN FORECAST ISSUE THIS AFTERNOON IS THE ONSET AND SOUTHEAST SPREAD OF THE PRECIPITATION. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS THE BOUNDARY HAS BECOME A LITTLE MORE NORTH-SOUTH ORIENTED AS A SPEED MAX HAS WORKED UP THE FRONT SIDE OF THE TROUGH. IT APPEARS THE MAIN EASTERLY PUSH TOWARDS THE COAST WILL NOT OCCUR UNTIL LATER THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT UNTIL ANOTHER LARGER JET MAX FINISHES DIGGING SOUTHWARD OUT NEAR 30/130W AND ROUNDS THE CORNER TO MOVE EAST. THIS SHOULD EFFECTIVELY BEGIN THE PUSH EAST OF THE SYSTEM. WITH THIS SCENARIO, I HAVE DELAYED THE BEGINNING OF THE WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT AND WORDED THE ZONE PRODUCT AS DEVELOPING OR AFTER MIDNIGHT TO EMPHASIZE THE DELAY. I STILL FEEL THE SIERRA WILL GET A GOOD SNOW DUMP, WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS OCCURRING NORTH OF SEQUOIA PARK. STILL EXPECT WINTER STORM WARNING CRITERIA TO BE MET IN THE NORTHERN HALF OF ZONE 97 WITH LODGEPOLE LIKELY TO PICK UP CLOSE TO TWO FEET OF POWDER. PRECIPITATION MAY NOT START IN THE SOUTH SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS UNTIL AROUND DAY BREAK AND IT APPEARS IN THIS AREA THE MAIN THREAT WILL OCCUR IN THE LATE MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. MODELS STILL HANG ON TO SOME DECENT QPF OVER THE SIERRA ON MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. IF LATER DATA SUPPORTS IT, LATER SHIFTS MAY HAVE TO EXTEND THE WINTER STORM WARNING WELL INTO TUESDAY AS ON TUESDAY, A SECONDARY INSIDE SLIDER TYPE OF SHORTWAVE IF PROGGED TO SWING THROUGH. BY LATER ON TUESDAY, THE LATEST GFS MODEL PUSHES THE TROUGH AND SLIDER EAST OF THE AREA, TURNS THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW TO THE NORTHWEST AND BUILDS A SHORTWAVE RIDGE FOR WEDNESDAY. IT SHOULD BE MAINLY DRY FROM TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY IN THIS TYPE OF PATTERN. WINDS SHOULD PICK UP CONSIDERABLY ON TUESDAY OVER THE KERN COUNTY DESERT AND MOUNTAIN AREAS AND GRIDS REFLECT WINDY CONDITIONS. .LONG TERM...FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ARE IN RELATIVELY GOOD AGREEMENT FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING WITH A H5 RIDGE BUILDING NEAR 150W AND BROAD DOWNSTREAM TROF COVERING THE WESTERN U.S. BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON...THE GFS BEGINS DIVERGING FROM THE ECMWF SOLUTION AS IT SHOWS THE UPSTREAM RIDGE BEGINNING TO BUILD INTO WESTERN CANADA CAUSING AN UPPER LOW OVER VANCOUVER ISLAND TO SHIFT SOUTH AND CUTOFF OVER THE CWA BY SUNDAY MORNING. THE ECMWF KEEPS LOWER PRESSURE OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND IS NOT NEARLY AS DEEP AND AS FAR SOUTH WITH THE CUTOFF LOW. WHAT REMAINS CERTAIN IS THE PRESENCE OF THE BROAD TROF OVER THE WEST COAST. EXPECT SHORTWAVES EMBEDDED IN THE UPPER JET...OF WHICH ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO TIME AT THIS TIME...TO KEEP ROTATING ONSHORE OVER THE WEST COAST AND MAINTAIN AN UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN OVER CENTRAL CA THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD. COLDER AIR ALOFT WILL REMAIN IN PLACE FOR RELATIVELY LOW SNOW LEVELS OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES OVER ALL OF THE DISTRICT. && .AVIATION...GENERALLY VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH TONIGHT EXCEPT RAIN AFTER 06Z LOCALLY LOWERING VSBY TO MVFR. AFTER 12Z MON AREAS MVFR DUE TO BOTH CIGS AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN HEAVIER RAIN. FOR SPECIFIC DETAILS...PLEASE REFER TO TAFS FOR KFAT...KMCE AND KBFL. && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 4 AM TUESDAY FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE PARK TO THE KERN COUNTY LINE. && WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD /USE ALL LOWER CASE/ DUDLEY/GREISS
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 5, 5:00 AM PST, 14 hours before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 500 AM PST SUN MAR 5 2006 CAZ089>095-098-099-061330- WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS-TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS- KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY- SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT- 500 AM PST SUN MAR 5 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...THE SIERRA NEVADA FOOTHILLS...AND THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERT. .DAY ONE...TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THEIR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. CAZ096-097-061330- SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 500 AM PST SUN MAR 5 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO THE KERN COUNTY LINE. .DAY ONE...TODAY A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT BEGINNING 7 PM THIS EVENING. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /WWUS46 KHNX... SFOWSWHNX/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A WINTER STORM WARNING WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 4 AM PST TUESDAY. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /WWUS46 KHNX...SFOWSWHNX/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS. AFTER 4 AM TUESDAY...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THEIR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. MENDENHALL
The radar
The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 75 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:52 UTC.
Event by event
2 winter storm, 1 heavy rain, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Tulare Cty Mtns
- When
- March 5, 7:00 PM PST to March 7, 4:00 AM PST
- Where
- Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Heavy Rain, Tulare
- When
- March 7, 5:45 PM PST to 6:00 PM PST
- Where
- Tulare County, Porterville
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 36.220, -118.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Hail, Tulare
- When
- March 7, 5:50 PM PST
- Where
- Tulare County, Porterville
- Measured
- 0.33 in hail
- Crop damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 36.067, -119.017
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
- Heavy Rain
- Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strike in Mississippi, March 5, 2006
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 5, 2006
- Hail in Nebraska, March 5, 2006
- Winter Weather in Iowa, March 5, 2006
- High Wind in Oregon, March 5, 2006
- High Wind in Oklahoma, March 5, 2006
- Hail in Nebraska, March 5, 2006
- Hail in Nebraska, March 5, 2006
- Hail in Nebraska, March 5, 2006
- Hail in Nebraska, March 5, 2006
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, March 5, 2006
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 5, 2006
More
Every storm in California in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 2006
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: 5496224, 5496225, 5496226, 5496227.