California, 2008

Funnel Cloud and Winter Weather in California, January 7 to 8, 2008

January 7 to 8, 2008 · NWS HNX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

The next in a series of winter storms reached California on the 8th. Although this storm brought several inches of snow to the Southern Sierra Nevada, with the largest amount at 11 inches at Tenaya Lake.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

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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.

The next in a series of winter storms reached California on the 8th. Although this storm brought several inches of snow to the Southern Sierra Nevada, with the largest amount at 11 inches at Tenaya Lake. It was a warmer storm than its predecessors, and snow levels remained above 5000 feet.

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 Jan 7, 9:23 AM PST, 4 hours 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 7, 9:23 AM PST, 4 hours 22 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
923 AM PST MON JAN 7 2008

.UPDATE...DESPITE SOME LINGERING MOISTURE SUBSIDENCE ALOFT IS
INCREASING AND DO NOT EXPECT ANYTHING MORE THAN PERHAPS A ROGUE
AFTERNOON LIGHT SNOW SHOWER OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. WILL
UPDATE GRIDS TO REMOVE SLIGHT CHANCE POPS AND REDUCE CLOUD COVER.
ALL ASSOCIATED PRODUCTS WILL BE UPDATED SHORTLY AS WELL.

&&

.DISCUSSION...TROUGH HAS SHIFTED EAST OVER THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST
AS A SHORT WAVE RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE WEST COAST. LOOKS LIKE ONLY
A BRIEF BREAK IN THE ACTION THOUGH AS ANOTHER TROUGH IS HEADING
OUR WAY AND WILL BRING INCREASING CLOUDS TONIGHT AND A THREAT OF
PRECIPITATION FROM AROUND LATE MORNING TUESDAY THROUGH MIDNIGHT.
IT LOOKS LIKE A FAIRLY QUICK SHOT FOR PRECIP WHICH WILL LIMIT QPF
AMOUNTS. DO NOT ANTICIPATE ANY WINTER WEATHER HEADLINES AT THIS
POINT UNLESS MODELS TREND A LITTLE STRONGER. UPPER RIDGING BUILDS
IN AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY ONLY TO BE FLATTENED BY A PACNW TROUGH ON
THURSDAY. THEN THE RIDGE FINALLY TAKES HOLD ON FRIDAY AND REMAINS
IN PLACE THROUGH THE WEEKEND FOR A DRY PATTERN...THOUGH CONDITIONS
WILL BECOME FAVORABLE AGAIN FOR THE FORMATION OF VALLEY FOG.

&&

.AVIATION...THE LAST IN THE CURRENT SERIES OF STORMS IS MOVING
EAST OF THE REGION. UPSLOPE CLOUDS/PRECIPITATION WILL PRODUCE
AREAS OF IFR OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA AND TEHACHAPI
MOUNTAINS...INCLUDING THE FOOTHILLS...DUE TO VISIBILITIES/CEILINGS
THROUGH 00Z TUESDAY. LOCAL LIFR DUE TO LOW CEILINGS/VISIBILITIES IN
MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS OVER NORTH AND WEST FACING SLOPES AND
CANYONS. OTHERWISE...MAINLY VFR ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH 18Z
TUESDAY.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
NONE

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&

DCH/MOLINA

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 7, 12:49 PM PST, 56 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CA
1249 PM PST MON JAN 07 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0500 PM     NON-TSTM WND DMG AVENAL                  36.03N 120.11W
01/04/2008                   KINGS              CA   COUNTY OFFICIAL

            *** 2 INJ *** UPDATE TO PREVIOUS INFO...CONFIRMED
            SCATTERED DAMAGE THROUGHOUT THE TOWN OF AVENAL. SMALL
            AIRPORT HANGAR AND 2 SMALL PLANES BLOWN ACROSS HWY 33.
            SCHOOL ROOF DESTROYED. NUMEROUS INSTANCES OF SHINGLES
            REMOVED FROM ROOFS. SEVERAL TREES AND POWER POLES DOWNED.
            DAMAGE ESTIMATE 2 MILLION DOLLARS. 2-3 HRS OF SYNOPTIC
            WINDS ASSOC WITH FAST MOVING COLD FRONT. PEAK WIND 70 MPH
            EST BY DAMAGE AND MESONET OBS. A BOY WAS INJURED BY A
            TREE BRANCH AND A MAN WAS INJURED WHEN A TREE FELL ON HIS
            MOBILE HOME.

&&

JBRO
Local storm report, Jan 7, 1:27 PM PST, 18 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CA
127 PM PST MON JAN 07 2008

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0730 AM     SNOW             10 W FRAZIER PARK       34.82N 119.12W
01/07/2008  M5.0 INCH        KERN               CA   TRAINED SPOTTER

0730 AM     SNOW             1 N FRAZIER PARK        34.83N 118.96W
01/07/2008  M5.0 INCH        KERN               CA   TRAINED SPOTTER

0730 AM     SNOW             4 SW KEENE              35.20N 118.66W
01/07/2008  M3.2 INCH        KERN               CA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            AT BEAR VALLEY SPRINGS

&&

DUDLEY

The radar

The Los Angeles radar (KVTX), 115 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:41 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 funnel cloud, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Funnel Cloud, Kern

When
January 7, 1:45 PM PST to 1:47 PM PST
Where
Kern County, 5.68 mi NE of Edison
Reported by
Broadcast Media
Coordinates
35.400, -118.790

Local TV meteorologist relayed report of a funnel cloud just to the east of Bakersfield.

Winter Weather, S Sierra Mtns

When
January 8, 10:00 AM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where
S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by
Park/Forest Service

What these are

Funnel Cloud
A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2008

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: 79823, 79725.