Winter Storm, S Sierra Mtns
- When
- May 10, 4:00 PM PST to May 11, 4:00 AM PST
- Where
- S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
Winter Storm and High Wind in California, May 10 to 11, 2010
The first day of the month brought somewhat cooler than normal temperatures to the area, although this was during a transition to a warming trend that spanned the first few days of the month. A ridge of high pressure resided over the area through May 4th, then an upper-level low-pressure trough dropped through northern California into the Great Basin.
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 first day of the month brought somewhat cooler than normal temperatures to the area, although this was during a transition to a warming trend that spanned the first few days of the month. A ridge of high pressure resided over the area through May 4th, then an upper-level low-pressure trough dropped through northern California into the Great Basin. Although this system was dry, it did bring some brief but gusty high wind reports to the region. Winds gusted to 63 mph at Inyokern on the 5th, and one gust at Mojave reached 68 mph. Behind the trough, an upper-level ridge briefly return to California before giving way to a stronger storm.
On the afternoon of the 9th, a cold front approached the area bringing scattered showers and thunderstorms over the San Joaquin Valley and foothills near the Sierra Nevada. Showers were observed as far south as Kern County, including Bakersfield where 0.12 inch fell. Isolated late afternoon thunderstorms formed over the southern half of the region, with thunder reported over Lemoore and Glennville.
Another low pressure system passed on the night of the 10th, bringing up to 8 inches of snow to the Sierra Nevada, mainly from Yosemite National Park southward to Sequoia National Park. This system also brought some strong, gusty winds to the southwest side of the valley, including near the city of Taft where a trained spotter observed wind gusts to around 60 mph. A very cold airmass lingered over the San Joaquin Valley behind the front. On the morning of the 11th, the area had well below temperatures, with several stations dropping into the upper 30s.
A warming trend returned to the region with weak high pressure over the area on the 12th through the 16th. The central and southern San Joaquin Valley saw highs reach up into the upper 80s to lower 90s in most locations on the 15th and the 16th. However, this warmth was relatively short-lived.
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 May 10, 2:02 PM PST, 1 hour 58 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 10, 2:02 PM PST, 1 hour 58 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 302 PM PDT MON MAY 10 2010 .SYNOPSIS... A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO PASS OVER THE AREA AND BRING A CHANCE FOR RAIN TO THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND SNOW TO THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF SIERRA NEVADA THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERT. HIGH PRESSURE AND CLEARING SKIES TO RETURN TO ALL AREAS BY WEDNESDAY. && .DISCUSSION...THE UPPER LOW IS BEGINNING TO PUSH INLAND OVER NORCAL THIS AFTERNOON. IT WILL CONT TO MOVE SE TOWARD THE SRN GREAT BASIN OVERNITE...REACHING UT TUES. THE COLD FRONT AHEAD OF THE UPPER LOW WILL MOVE THRU CENTRAL CA THIS EVE. A DIFFICULT CALL ON WHETHER THERE WILL BE MUCH IN THE WAY OF RAIN IN THE VALLEY...BUT BEST POPS STILL FROM HANFORD/VISALIA NORTH...THOUGH SIMILAR TO YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND EVE...SOME OF THE SHOWERS COULD MAKE IT ALL THE WAY THRU KERN COUNTY. OVER THE SRN SIERRA THERE SHOULD BE A PERIOD OF MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW BEFORE MIDNIGHT...THEN MOSTLY ENDING BY SUNRISE. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL BEGIN ABOVE 8K...THEN LOWER BEHIND THE FRONT TO 4K NEAR YOSEMITE...AND 5K FROM TULARE CO SOUTH. ACCUMULATIONS OF 3-6 INCHES ARE LIKELY ABOVE 5K FROM SEQUOIA PARK TO YOSEMITE. THE UPPER JET WILL SAG SOUTH AND BE OVER CENTRAL CA LATER THIS EVE INTO EARLY TUES. FCST 700MB WINDS PEAK AROUND 12Z TUES...AND ARE NEAR 55KTS NEAR MOJAVE. THIS WILL TRANSLATE INTO SOME GUSTY WIND THRU AND BELOW PASSES INTO TUES...AND EXTENDED THE ADVISORY FOR THE KERN MTNS/DESERTS THRU AT LEAST TUES EVE. TEMPS WILL CONT WELL BELOW NORMAL THRU TUES AS COLD ADVECTION BEHIND THE TROF CONTINUES. HEIGHTS BEGIN TO RISE BY WED...HOWEVER NO STRONG UPPER RIDGE IS SEEN IN THE MODELS THRU THE EXTENDED. IN FACT SOME FORM OF WEAK UPPER TROF LINGERS OVER THE SW STATES THRU THE WEEKEND. HOWEVER H85 TEMPS RISE INTO THE 15-18 DEG/C RANGE BY SAT. THIS WILL PUSH TEMPS BACK TO NORMAL BY THURS...AND A FEW DEGS ABOVE BY THE WEEKEND. && .AVIATION... INCREASING AREAS OF MVFR AND LOCAL IFR OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA AND TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS IN PRECIPITATION THIS EVENING WITH PRECIPITATION AND SCATTERED MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS CONTINUING INTO TUESDAY AFTERNOON. ELSEWHERE...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY. ADDITIONALLY...WIND GUSTS OF 35 KNOTS OR GREATER ARE LIKELY THROUGH AND BELOW THE MOUNTAIN PASSES OF KERN COUNTY THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... NONE && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 AM PDT TUESDAY ABOVE 5000 FEET FOR THE CAZ097. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM PDT TUESDAY ABOVE 5000 FEET FOR THE CAZ096. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM PDT TUESDAY CAZ095-098-099. && PUBLIC...BINGHAM AVN/FW...DS SYNOPSIS...BSO WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
Hazardous weather outlook, May 10, 1:22 PM PST, 2 hours 38 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 222 PM PDT MON MAY 10 2010 CAZ095-098-099-111200- KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY- SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT- 222 PM PDT MON MAY 10 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM PDT TUESDAY. SEE SFONPWHNX /WWUS76 KHNX/ FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM PDT TUESDAY. 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 CAZ096-097-111200- SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON- TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 222 PM PDT MON MAY 10 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 FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 5 AM PDT TUESDAY ABOVE 5000 FEET FOR THE SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 5 AM PDT TUESDAY ABOVE 5000 FEET FOR THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS. SEE SFOWSWHNX /WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON UNTIL 5 AM PDT TUESDAY. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM PDT TUESDAY FOR THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS. 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
Event by event
1 winter storm, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Sw S.J. Valley
- When
- May 10, 5:45 PM PST to 11:00 PM PST
- Where
- Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 10, 2010
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 10, 2010
- Tornadoes and Flood in Kansas, May 10, 2010
- Wildfire and Dust Storm in Texas, May 10, 2010
- High Wind in Iowa, May 10, 2010
- Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 10, 2010
- High Wind in New Mexico, May 10, 2010
- Frost and Freeze in Kentucky, May 10, 2010
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Kansas, May 10, 2010
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Arkansas, May 10, 2010
- High Wind in Texas, May 10, 2010
- Frost and Freeze in New York, May 10 to 11, 2010
More
Every storm in California in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in California, May 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: 237853, 237854.