Winter Storm, S Sierra Mtns
- When
- April 11, 5:00 PM PST to April 12, 4:00 AM PST
- Where
- S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
Winter Storm and Hail in California, April 11 to 12, 2010
Skies cleared out on April 6th, except for some upslope mountain clouds, as the trough moved east and an eastern Pacific ridge began to build into California. Interior central California experienced tranquil weather for the next several days, but a potent late-season storm was dropping out of the Gulf of Alaska.
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
- $200,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
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.
Skies cleared out on April 6th, except for some upslope mountain clouds, as the trough moved east and an eastern Pacific ridge began to build into California. Interior central California experienced tranquil weather for the next several days, but a potent late-season storm was dropping out of the Gulf of Alaska.
The storm moved into central California on April 11th. This was a much wetter storm than that of the week before, and the two-day rainfall totals for several central and southern San Joaquin Valley sites were close to, or over, the normal rainfall for the entire month of April. Gusty winds developed over the San Joaquin Valley during the afternoon of the 11th as the cold front pushed through. Winds gusted to 56 mph at Avenal on the west side of the Valley, while gusts to 46 mph were measured at Meadows Field in Bakersfield. An aircraft taking off from the Taft Municipal Airport was caught in one of these gusts. The aircraft was flipped over and crashed. The pilot only suffered minor injuries, but the aircraft had serious damage.
Thunderstorms developed over the central and southern San Joaquin Valley during the afternoon and early evening of April 12th, with hail up to three quarters of an inch in diameter. Lightning struck a condominium building in Fresno during the late afternoon, starting a fire that destroyed two units.
Another 12 to 18 inches of snow fell on the Southern Sierra Nevada, with both Lodgepole and Grant Grove reporting 15 inches. In the Tehachapi Mountains, up to 6 inches of new snow fell at Pine Mountain Club, and 4 inches at Cuddy Valley.
With abundant ground moisture from the rains, patchy dense fog developed during the early morning of April 13th. Isolated patches of fog formed the next morning, mainly in Merced County; otherwise the central and south Valley remained fog free as a drier airmass moved into the region. An upper-level ridge brought mostly clear skies and near- to slightly-above normal temperatures to interior central California through the 19th.
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 Apr 11, 1:53 PM PST, 3 hours 7 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 11, 1:53 PM PST, 3 hours 7 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 253 PM PDT SUN APR 11 2010 .SYNOPSIS... GUSTY WINDS, RAIN, AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW ARE EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE AREA THIS EVENING INTO MONDAY WITH THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND FOOTHILLS NEAR THE SIERRA NEVADA. PRECIPITATION WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES BUT WILL TAPER OFF MONDAY EVENING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BEGIN SETTING UP OVER THE AREA TUESDAY PRODUCING CLEARING SKIES AND MILD TEMPERATURES. && .DISCUSSION... A STORM SYSTEM OFF THE NORTH COAST WILL PROVIDE HIGH WINDS DURING THE EVENING AND WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION OVERNIGHT. THE CENTER OF THE UPPER LOW REMAINS OFF THE NORTH CALIFORNIA BUT THE LEADING EDGE OF THE PRECIPITATION BAND ALONG THE COLD FRONT ALREADY MOVING INTO THE NORTHWEST SECTORS OF THE CENTRAL VALLEY. STRONG WINDS AFFECTING THE SAN JOAQUIN THIS AFTERNOON AND THE TEHACHAPIS. STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENTS PROG TO WEAKEN AROUND 06Z AS FRONT REACHES THE TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS. EXPECT STRONG TO CONTINUE THIS EVENING AND START TO DIMINISH AFTER 06Z. HEAVY PRECIPITATION WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE SIERRA AS A STRONG UPPER JET COMBINES WITH AN AREA OF STRONG DIFFLUENCE ALONG THE LOWER LEVEL FRONT. MODELS PROG THE COLD AIR ARRIVING A BIT EARLIER TONIGHT INCREASING INSTABILITY OVER THE REGION. THE STRONG LIFT AND INSTABILITY COULD RESULT IN A THUNDER OVER THE VALLEY AFTER 06Z. THE STRONG SOUTH WIND FLOW COULD PROVIDE SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE TEHACHAPIS OVERNIGHT. SNOW LEVEL WILL START RELATIVE HIGH NEAR 6KFT BUT LOWER TO 4.5FT BY MORNING. THUS HAVE POSTED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT FOR TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS. FOR MONDAY THE THREAT OF SHOWERS AND COLD POOL THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES. BY MONDAY NIGHT THE SYSTEM WILL MOVE EAST WITH RIDGING SLOWLY BUILDING IN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. LOOKING INTO NEXT WEEKEND FORECAST MODELS CONTINUE TO EDGE AWAY FROM A WET SCENARIO WITH THE ECMWF MODEL PROGGING A RIDGE WHILE THE GFS KEEPS THE PREVIOUSLY INLAND LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WELL OFFSHORE. WILL KEEP THE WEEKEND DRY AT THIS TIME. && .AVIATION... SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL SPREAD SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION WITH WIDESPREAD MVFR WITH LOCAL IFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING OVER THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...ALONG WITH MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION ACROSS THE SIERRA NEVADA. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT TONIGHT AND AGAIN ON MONDAY IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND ALONG THE SIERRA. SOUTH WINDS 15 TO 25 KTS WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 40 KTS ALONG THE WEST AND NORTH SIDE OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. GUSTS TO NEAR 60 KTS OVER THE CREST OF THE SIERRA. VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE KERN COUNTY DESERT THROUGH 09Z MON WITH WIDESPREAD MVFR AND LOCAL IFR CONDITIONS WITH RAIN THROUGH 18Z MON. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... PLEASE SEE SFOAQAHNX && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 PM PDT MONDAY ABOVE 5000 FEET FOR THE CAZ096-097. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 8 AM PDT MONDAY ABOVE 5000 FEET FOR THE CAZ095. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT PDT TONIGHT CAZ089>092. && PUBLIC...MV AVN/FW...JDB SYNOPSIS...BSO WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 11, 2:06 PM PST, 2 hours 54 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 306 PM PDT SUN APR 11 2010 CAZ089>091-121200- WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- 306 PM PDT SUN APR 11 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT PDT TONIGHT. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST NON-PRECIPITATION STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN HANFORD AT /WWUS76 KHNX/ OR SFONPWHNX. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY THIS EVENING FROM FRESNO COUNTY NORTHWARD. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY AFTERNOON. 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 CAZ092-121200- SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- 306 PM PDT SUN APR 11 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT PDT TONIGHT. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST NON-PRECIPITATION STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN HANFORD AT /WWUS76 KHNX/ OR SFONPWHNX. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY AFTERNOON. 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 CAZ093-094-121200- MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS- TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS- 306 PM PDT SUN APR 11 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE FOOTHILLS OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING FROM MARIPOSA COUNTY SOUTHWARD TO FRESNO COUNTY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY AFTERNOON FOR THE FOOTHILLS NEAR THE SIERRA NEVADA FROM MARIPOSA TO TULARE COUNTIES. 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 CAZ095-121200- KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 306 PM PDT SUN APR 11 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON UNTIL 8 AM PDT MONDAY MORNING. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST NON-PRECIPITATION WARNING AT /WWUS46 KHNX/ OR SFOWSWHNX. THE HIGH WIND WARNING IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR THE GRAPEVINE AREA...INCLUDING THE GRAPEVINE AND TEJON PASSES. HOWEVER...STRONG WINDS ARE STILL EXPECTED THROUGH LATE TONIGHT... AND THE INFORMATION IS COVERED IN THE ABOVE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE ABOVE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM PDT MONDAY MORNING. 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 CAZ096-097-121200- SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON- TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 306 PM PDT SUN APR 11 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM PDT MONDAY AFTERNOON. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER STORM WARNING ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN HANFORD AT /WWUS46 KHNX/ OR SFOWSWHNX. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE WINTER STORM WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM PDT MONDAY AFTERNOON. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER STORM WARNING ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE AT /WWUS46 KHNX/ OR SFOWSWHNX. .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
The radar
The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 58 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:58 UTC.
Event by event
2 winter storm, 1 winter weather, 1 hail, 1 lightning, 1 funnel cloud, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Tulare Cty Mtns
- When
- April 11, 5:00 PM PST to April 12, 4:00 AM PST
- Where
- Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
Winter Weather, Kern Cty Mtns
- When
- April 11, 11:00 PM PST to April 12, 7:00 AM PST
- Where
- Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
Hail, Fresno
- When
- April 12, 2:57 PM PST
- Where
- Fresno County, 0.55 mi E of Fig Garden Vlg to 7.2 mi NNE of Herndon
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 36.820, -119.790
Accumulating hail up to three quarters of an inch occurred in southern Madera and Northern Fresno counties. Accumulations of around 2 to 3 inches were common along Avenue 12 east of Madera Ranchos, and south to the suburbs of Fresno and Clovis.
Lightning, Fresno
- When
- April 12, 3:00 PM PST
- Where
- Fresno County, 0.89 mi NW of Hammond
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 36.780, -119.790
Lightning struck a condominium building on Van Ness Avenue just north of Shaw Avenue in Fresno. Two units were destroyed. Damage was estimated between 100,000 to 200,000 dollars.
Funnel Cloud, Fresno
- When
- April 12, 3:09 PM PST
- Where
- Fresno County, 0.89 mi NW of Hammond
- Reported by
- Public
- Coordinates
- 36.780, -119.790
The public reported funnel clouds in the vicinity of Jenson and Dickerson in Fresno.
Heavy Rain, Fresno
- When
- April 12, 3:30 PM PST to 4:30 PM PST
- Where
- Fresno County, Clovis
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 36.820, -119.700
Street flooding occurred from heavy rain at the corner of Gettysburg and Willow in Clovis. Other reports of minor urban street flooding were reported around the Fresno Metro area.
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
- Winter Weather
- Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
- Funnel Cloud
- A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
- Heavy Rain
- Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flood and Heavy Rain in California, April 11 to 12, 2010
- Flash Flood and Hail in Texas, April 11 to 12, 2010
- Wildfire in Georgia, April 11 to 12, 2010
- Hail in Texas, April 11, 2010
- Heavy Snow and High Wind in California, April 11 to 12, 2010
- Winter Storm in California, April 11 to 12, 2010
- High Wind in Nevada, April 11, 2010
- Heavy Snow in California, April 11 to 12, 2010
- Hail in New Mexico, April 11, 2010
- Waterspout in South Atlantic Coastal Waters, April 11, 2010
- Dust Devil in Wisconsin, April 11, 2010
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind in Gulf of Mexico, April 11, 2010
More
Every storm in California in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 2010
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: 227233, 227234, 227235, 227230, 227229, 227232, 227231.