Winter Storm, Kern Cty Mtns
- When
- December 12, 12:49 PM PST to December 13, 8:48 AM PST
- Where
- Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
Winter Storm in California, December 12 to 13, 2011
On the 12th and 13th, an upper-level trough moved over the state. This was a cold system that originated from the Gulf of Alaska that was associated with relatively low snow levels; however, the deeper moisture remained to the north of central California.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
On the 12th and 13th, an upper-level trough moved over the state. This was a cold system that originated from the Gulf of Alaska that was associated with relatively low snow levels; however, the deeper moisture remained to the north of central California. As a result, little or no precipitation fell over much of the region; locations generally received a trace to a few hundredths of an inch of precipitation, including much of the southern Sierra Nevada. However, some snow flurries fell on the Grapevine during the 12th. Shortly after noon, the Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road was closed due to snow and ice, while about an inch of snow accumulated around Frazier Park during the late night hours of the 12th and into the following morning.
Southeast winds funneled through the Tejon Pass, producing gusts up to 40 mph in the far south end of the San Joaquin Valley at the base of the Grapevine.
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 Dec 12, 9:25 AM PST, 3 hours 24 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 12, 9:25 AM PST, 3 hours 24 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 925 AM PST MON DEC 12 2011 .SYNOPSIS...A WINTER STORM CURRENTLY LOCATED OFF THE COAST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WILL PRODUCE RAIN AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW TO THE SOUTHERN HALF OF OUR FORECAST AREA. THIS LOW IS EXPECTED TO MOVE EASTWARD THROUGH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TODAY AND TOMORROW. TRAVEL TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MAY BE HAZARDOUS DUE TO ACCUMULATING SNOW ON THE GRAPEVINE AND TEHACHAPI PASS. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE BY LATE TUESDAY AS THE STORM SYSTEM MOVES EAST OF THE REGION. && .DISCUSSION...IR/WV INDICATING AS LARGE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SITUATED WEST OF LOS ANGELES NEAR 34N/119W PUSHING SLOWLY EASTWARD. RADAR COMPOSITES ARE INDICATING INCREASED CLOUDS AND SCATTERED SHOWERS PUSHING NORTHWARD ACROSS OUR AREA THIS MORNING WHICH WILL CONTINUE TODAY AS THE LOW TRACKS EAST ACROSS SOCAL. BECAUSE OF THE INCREASED CLOUDS COVER...TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN RUNNING SEVERAL DEG F ABOVE YDAY...BUT ARE EXPECTED TO PLUMMET THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ONCE OUR AREA IS ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE LOW. THE FORECAST FOR TODAY LOOKS TO BE ON TRACK SO AM NOT ANTICIPATING ANY MORNING UPDATES AT THIS TIME. THE MAIN CONCERN FOR TODAY HOWEVER...WILL BE THE LOW SPREADING WRAP AROUND MOISTURE INTO THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING AS IT MOVES ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN CA AS PROGGED BY THE 12Z WRF. SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO BE AROUND 3500 FEET TONIGHT AND TUESDAY BUT COULD LOWER TO 2500 FEET IN HEAVIER SHOWERS AS CAA TAKES PLACE ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE LOW. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS FROM 1000 AM PST THIS MORNING UNTIL NOON PST TUESDAY...AND A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE KERN COUNTY DESERTS FROM 1000 PM PST THIS EVENING UNTIL NOON PST TUESDAY. THE 12Z WRF/GFS INDICATE THE LOW MOVING INTO AZ BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON LEAVING CENTRAL CA IN A COLD AND DRY NORTHERLY FLOW. THIS WILL ALLOW SKIES TO GRADUALLY CLEAR OUT ACROSS OUR AREA ALTHOUGH SOME LOW LEVEL UPSLOPE STATUS MAY PERSIST OVER THE EAST SIDE AND SOUTH END OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AS WELL AS OVER THE VALLEY FACING SLOPES OF THE KERN AND TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS. THE CONCERN FOR WEDNESDAY WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR MORNING FROST OVER THE PORTIONS OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY WHICH CLEAR OUT. THE 12Z WRF AND GFS ARE COMING INTO BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THE 00Z ECMWF WITH A SPLITTING TROUGH WHICH IS EXPECTED TO DROP SOUTHWARD OVER CA ON THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. THE MAIN PIECE OF ENERGY IS EXPECTED TO TAKE AN INSIDE SLIDER TYPE TRACK SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN DURING THIS TIME FRAME WITH THE BULK OF THE MOISTURE AND DYNAMICS REMAINING NORTH AND EAST OF OUR CWFA. WITH CONFIDENCE IMPROVING THAT CLOUD COVERAGE AND PRECIPITATION CHANCES WITH THIS SYSTEM APPEARING TO BE LOWER THAN WE ARE CURRENTLY INDICATING...CHANGES WILL BE IN STORE WITH THE AFTERNOON FORECAST PACKAGE TO REFLECT THIS IDEA. THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ARE COMING IN TO BETTER AGREEMENT WITH AN AMPLIFYING UPPER RIDGE OFF THE CA FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND WHICH WILL KEEP OUR AREA IN A COLD AND DRY NORTHERLY FLOW PATTERN WHICH WOULD SUGGEST MAINLY CLEAR SKIES AND BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS OUR AREA WITH MORNING FROST BEING MORE PREVALENT OVER THEN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY THAN FOG. && .AVIATION...IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...MVFR IN HZ/BR WITH AREAS OF -SHRA THROUGH 12Z TUESDAY. MOUNTAIN AREAS...MVFR CIGS AND LOCAL OBSCURATIONS IN -RA/-SN THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY. DESERT AREAS...VFR WITH AREAS OF -SHRA/-SHSN THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES...NONE. && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON PST TUESDAY CAZ095. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON PST TUESDAY CAZ098-099. && PUBLIC...DS AVN/FW...MENDENHALL SYNOPSIS...BSO WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 12, 7:46 AM PST, 5 hours 3 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 746 AM PST MON DEC 12 2011 CAZ095-131245- KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 746 AM PST MON DEC 12 2011 ...WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM MONDAY UNTIL NOON PST TUESDAY ABOVE 2500 FEET. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A WINTER STORM WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TUESDAY ABOVE 2500 FEET. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. CAZ098-099-131245- INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT- 746 AM PST MON DEC 12 2011 ...WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY DESERTS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING UNTIL NOON PST TUESDAY AT OR ABOVE 2500 FEET. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TUESDAY AT OR ABOVE 2500 FEET. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. CAZ091-092-094-097-131245- SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 746 AM PST MON DEC 12 2011 ...VALLEY RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS OF TULARE COUNTY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT EXPECT VALLEY RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW LATER THIS MORNING AND CONTINUING UNTIL THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY RESIDUAL RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW POSSIBLE EARLY TUESDAY...OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. BSO
Event by event
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in New Mexico, December 12 to 14, 2011
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Colorado, December 12 to 14, 2011
- Heavy Snow in Arizona, December 12 to 14, 2011
- Heavy Snow in Arizona, December 12 to 14, 2011
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Utah, December 12 to 14, 2011
- Funnel Clouds in California, December 12, 2011
- High Wind in Alaska, December 12 to 13, 2011
- Frost and Freeze in Oregon, December 12, 2011
More
Every storm in California in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2011
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: 358911.