Winter Storm, S Sierra Mtns
- When
- February 6, 6:00 AM PST to February 7, 5:26 AM PST
- Where
- S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
Tornado and Winter Storm in California, February 6 to 10, 2009
An upper-level low pressure system moved into California on February 6th, heralding a change in the pattern to wetter than normal for the rest of the month. This was the first in a series of systems that would move through the state over the coming week.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $300
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 17
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.
An upper-level low pressure system moved into California on February 6th, heralding a change in the pattern to wetter than normal for the rest of the month. This was the first in a series of systems that would move through the state over the coming week. Bakersfield received a record rainfall of 0.73 inch on the 7th, nearly twice the old record of 0.41 inch (1993). Heavy snowfall occurred in the Sierra Nevada from Yosemite to Sequoia. Reports of snowfall topped over one foot in some portions of the high country on the 6th. A very cold airmass settled over interior California on the 8th, dropping snow levels into the Sierra Nevada foothills and setting the stage for an active weather day on the 9th.
The second, and stronger, upper-level trough moved into central California during the morning of February 9th. Snow levels plummeted during the morning, with snow falling on the San Joaquin Valley floor in western Kern County. Snow fell as far into the Valley as Maricopa, ad an inch of snow fell on Taft. Grocer Grade through the Temblors was closed due to snow, and a Winter Weather Advisory was issued for the southwestern San Joaquin Valley. Snow also fell on the Kern County desert floor near Rosamond. Additional snowfall of one foot or more occurred on the 8th and 9th with the second wave of precipitation across the high mountains of the Sierra Nevada. Snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches also occurred in the Sierra Foothills between 2000 to 4000 feet.
Thunderstorms developed over the central San Joaquin Valley by late morning. Funnel clouds were reported over Merced County at 11:20 AM PST, heralding the start of a 25-minute outbreak that saw at least 4, and probably 5, separate funnels. (Media, public and law-enforcement reports included some multiple sightings of the same funnel clouds, leading to the uncertainty in the number.) These funnel clouds developed from just south of Atwater to 14 miles southeast of the city of Merced. At 11:32 AM PST, the Oakland FAA Flight Service Office called with a report from a pilot over Merced County who had just observed one of the funnels briefly touch down in an open field 10 miles south of Castle Airport. Because of the brevity of the touchdown (only a few seconds) and fortunate lack of damage, this tornado was likely an EF-0 on the enhanced Fujita scale. This was the first tornado to touch down in the central/southern San Joaquin Valley (and the entire Hanford Warning/Forecast Area) since the Visalia tornado on January 27th, 2008. The last tornado to occur in Merced County was on March 28th, 2006.
After the trough moved east of California, the very cold airmass remained over the San Joaquin Valley, bringing frost to the area on the morning of February 10th. Subsequent troughs moved into California on the 11th, 13th and 15th, as short-wave impulses rotated around an upper-level low off the northern California coast.
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 6, 4:14 AM PST, 1 hour 46 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 6, 4:14 AM PST, 1 hour 46 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 414 AM PST FRI FEB 6 2009 .DISCUSSION...UPPER LOW IS MOVING INSIDE 130W THIS MORNING. AS THE LOW CENTER MOVES SE TOWARD PT CONCEPTION TODAY...NUMEROUS SHOWERS WILL OCCUR...WITH SNOW IN THE MTNS ABOVE 5500-6000 FT. PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW AT AND ABOVE 7000 FEET COULD PRODUCE SOME 18-24 INCHES OF NEW SNOW THROUGH TONIGHT...AND WINTER STORM WARNING ON TRACK. WILL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON TEHACHAPIS FOR POSSIBLE WINTER ADVISORY...AS SNOW LEVELS AND QPF WILL BE TRICKY. THE UPPER LOW OPENS UP AND MOVES INTO THE DESERT SW SAT NITE AS YET ANOTHER DIGGING SHORTWAVE TROF MOVES THRU THE EAST PAC. THIS WILL BRING IN A SHORTWAVE RIDGE SAT NITE AND EARLY SUN...WITH A TEMPORARY LETUP IN PRECIP. THE DIGGING TROF WILL SPREAD SCATTERED PRECIP ACROSS THE REGION SUN NITE...THEN DIMINISHING PRECIP MON AS TROF PROGRESSES EAST. MODELS SHOW THIS SYSTEM TO BE ON THE COLD SIDE...AND PRESENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT SNOW LEVEL COULD FALL TO BETWEEN 2000-3000 FT SUN NITE. WHILE WIDESPREAD HEAVY PRECIP IS NOT EXPECTED WITH THIS SYSTEM...SNOW LEVELS COULD MAKE TRAVEL QUITE HAZARDOUS IN THE MTNS...AND PEOPLE SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS ON THIS STORM. SHORTWAVE RIDGE MOVES IN AGAIN MON NITE AND TUES...AS ANOTHER PAC TROF DROPS SE TOWARD THE WEST COAST TUES NITE AND WED. THIS TROF COULD SPREAD SOME SCATTERED PRECIP INTO THE CWA WED AND THURS. THE OVERALL PATTERN IS PROGRESSIVE...AND TIMING OF THESE FEATURES IS TRICKY THIS FAR OUT. FOR NOW USED BLANKET CLIMO POPS FOR DAYS 6-8 WITH ONLY MINOR ALTERATIONS WED...WHERE THERE IS SOMEWHAT BETTER CONFIDENCE. && .AVIATION... A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM JUST OFF THE CENTRAL COAST WILL MOVE SOUTH THROUGH TONIGHT. THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO PROVIDE LOTS OF SHOWER ACTIVITY OVER MUCH OF THE REGION. COLD AIR ALOFT WITH THE LOW WILL DESTABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE CREATING A THREAT OF THUNDER DURING THE AFTERNOON IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE SIERRA AND TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY. MAINLY VFR CIGS IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND KERN COUNTY DESERT WITH VISIBILITIES LOWERING TO MVFR IN THE HEAVIER SHOWERS. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... NONE && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST SATURDAY FOR CAZ096-097. && PUBLIC...BINGHAM AVN/FW...MV WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 6, 3:34 AM PST, 2 hours 26 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 334 AM PST FRI FEB 6 2009 CAZ096-097-071200- SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON- TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 334 AM PST FRI FEB 6 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK TO THE KERN COUNTY LINE UNTIL 4 AM SATURDAY. FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION PLEASE REFER TO SFOWSWHNX OR WMO HEADER WWUS46 KHNX. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK TO THE KERN COUNTY LINE UNTIL 4 AM SATURDAY. FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION PLEASE REFER TO SFOWSWHNX OR WMO HEADER WWUS46 KHNX. OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD CAZ089>092-071200- WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- 334 AM PST FRI FEB 6 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY ON SATURDAY. OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. BSO WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Feb 6, 3:30 AM PST, 2 hours 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 330 AM PST FRI FEB 6 2009 CAZ089>092-098-099-062300- WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT- 330 AM PST FRI FEB 6 2009 ...UNSETTLED WEATHER OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS WITH ISOLATED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY... AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE AREA WILL BRING IN COLDER AIR ALOFT TODAY. THE LOW WILL GRADUALLY MOVE SOUTHEAST OFF THE COAST TODAY...AND BE LOCATED NEAR THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST SATURDAY. COLDER AIR ALOFT OVER CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COULD TRIGGER ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE VALLEY...ADJACENT FOOTHILLS...AND DESERTS BOTH DAYS. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS SOURCE FOR LATER STATEMENTS ON THIS UNSETTLED PATTERN. CAZ095-062300- KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 330 AM PST FRI FEB 6 2009 ...WET WEATHER EXPECTED THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS IN THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS... ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE FAR SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA AND TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY. THE SNOW LEVEL IS ABOVE THE PASSES TODAY...BUT COULD FALL TO 4500 FEET OR SO LATER TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. THIS COULD BRING SOME WET SNOW TO THE PASSES AT TIMES...HOWEVER IT LOOKS LIKE ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL REMAIN ABOVE PASS LEVELS. TOTAL SNOWFALL COULD BE FROM 3 TO 5 INCHES AT AND ABOVE 5000 FEET BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON...WITH SOME LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS AT AND ABOVE 6000 FEET. AN EVEN COLDER SYSTEM IS POSSIBLE SUNDAY NIGHT WHICH COULD IMPACT TRAVEL OVER THE PASSES. SNOW LEVELS SUNDAY NIGHT COULD FALL TO NEAR 3000 FEET...BUT IT IS STILL TOO EARLY TO BE CERTAIN. PERSONS PLANNING TRAVEL OVER THE GRAPEVINE AND OTHER KERN COUNTY PASSES TODAY AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF THE LATEST FORECASTS FOR ANY CHANGES. BINGHAM WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
The radar
The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 21 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:57 UTC.
Event by event
5 winter storm, 4 frost/freeze, 3 winter weather, 3 strong wind, 1 funnel cloud, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Tulare Cty Mtns
- When
- February 6, 6:00 AM PST to February 7, 2:59 AM PST
- Where
- Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
Funnel Cloud, Tulare
- When
- February 6, 3:00 PM PST
- Where
- Tulare County, 1.11 mi E of Goshen
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 36.350, -119.400
A trained spotter reported a funnel cloud just north of Visalia.
Winter Weather, S Sierra Foothills
- When
- February 8, 10:00 PM PST to February 9, 12:00 PM PST
- Where
- S Sierra Foothills forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
Winter Storm, S Sierra Mtns
- When
- February 8, 10:41 PM PST to February 9, 10:00 AM PST
- Where
- S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
Winter Storm, Tulare Cty Mtns
- When
- February 8, 10:41 PM PST to February 9, 10:00 AM PST
- Where
- Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
Winter Weather, Tulare Cty Foothills
- When
- February 9, 12:00 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST
- Where
- Tulare Cty Foothills forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
Winter Storm, Kern Cty Mtns
- When
- February 9, 12:07 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST
- Where
- Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
Strong Wind, Indian Wells Vly
- When
- February 9, 1:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
- Where
- Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
- Measured
- 45 kt (52 mph) measured gust
- Property damage
- $100
- Reported by
- Mesonet
Strong Wind, Kern Cty Mtns
- When
- February 9, 3:00 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST
- Where
- Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Measured
- 46 kt (53 mph) measured gust
- Property damage
- $100
- Reported by
- Mesonet
Winter Weather, Sw S.J. Valley
- When
- February 9, 8:50 AM PST to 2:40 PM PST
- Where
- Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
Tornado, Merced
- When
- February 9, 11:32 AM PST to 11:34 AM PST
- Where
- Merced County, 6.54 mi SW of Merced Arpt
- Rating
- EF0
- Path length
- 0.1 mi
- Path width
- 20 yd
- Reported by
- Other Federal Agency
- Coordinates
- 37.210, -120.600
The Federal Aviation Administration office located in Oakland, CA, relayed a pilot report of a brief touchdown of a tornado 10 miles south of Merced Castle Airport. The tornado only last for a couple minutes and caused no property damage. The tornado was rated EF0. The pilot reported the tornado quickly lifted and dissipated. At the time of the report, the funnel had lifted and was dissipating. The touchdown occurred during a period of several funnel cloud reports over an area from Atwater to southeast of Merced Municipal Airport (KMCE).
Strong Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert
- When
- February 9, 4:00 PM PST to February 10, 12:00 AM PST
- Where
- Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
- Measured
- 48 kt (55 mph) measured gust
- Property damage
- $100
- Reported by
- Mesonet
Frost/Freeze, W Central S.J. Valley
- When
- February 10, 3:00 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Mesonet
Frost/Freeze, E Central S.J. Valley
- When
- February 10, 3:00 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Mesonet
Frost/Freeze, Sw S.J. Valley
- When
- February 10, 3:00 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Mesonet
Frost/Freeze, Se S.J. Valley
- When
- February 10, 3:00 AM PST to 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Mesonet
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
- 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.
- Strong Wind
- Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
- Tornado
- A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
- Frost/Freeze
- Frost or temperatures at or below freezing during the growing season, usually filed for crop damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Surf in Hawaii, February 6 to 7, 2009
- Heavy Snow in Alaska, February 6 to 8, 2009
- Flash Flooding and Heavy Snow in California, February 6 to 8, 2009
- Cold in Florida, February 6, 2009
- Heavy Snow in Nevada, February 6 to 7, 2009
- Winter Weather in Montana, February 6, 2009
- Heavy Snow in Nevada, February 6 to 7, 2009
- High Wind in New Mexico, February 6, 2009
- High Wind in Wyoming, February 6, 2009
- Wildfire in Oklahoma, February 6, 2009
- Wildfire in Texas, February 6, 2009
- Winter Weather in California, February 6 to 7, 2009
More
Every storm in California in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for California, 2009Warnings in California, February 2009
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: 157037, 157038, 157051, 157044, 157039, 157040, 157046, 157048, 157041, 157052, 157047, 157050, 157043, 157053, 157054, 157055, 157056.