High Wind and Winter Weather in California, November 10 to 12, 2011

Name: High Wind and Winter Weather in California, November 10 to 12, 2011
Start: 2011-11-10T03:59
End: 2011-11-12T07:00
Location: California

November 10 to 12, 2011 · NWS HNX · 6 events in 5 counties and zones

A low pressure trough moved into California on November 10th. Ahead of the trough, a strong offshore flow brought southeast winds to the region.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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.

A low pressure trough moved into California on November 10th. Ahead of the trough, a strong offshore flow brought southeast winds to the region. As these winds downsloped through the Tejon and Tehachapi Passes, very warm and above-normal temperatures occurred in the south end of the San Joaquin Valley. Bakersfield had a high of 78 on November 10th, and 76 the next day. Winds gusted at the base of the Grapevine as well, reaching 61 mph during the afternoon of November 10th, and 73 mph before sunrise the following morning.

This storm also brought snow across the Southern Sierra and Kern County Mountains. Snowfall reports included 7 inches of new snow at Ponderosa and 2th. Snow fell at Pine Mountain Club (at 6100 feet in the western Tehachapi Mountains) during the evening of November 11th, and winds gusted to 56 mph at the base of the Grapevine during the morning g hours of the 12th. A high pressure ridge built over the east Pacific, setting up a dry northwest wind flow over California.

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 Nov 10, 3:22 AM PST, 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 10, 3:22 AM PST, 37 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
322 AM PST THU NOV 10 2011

.SYNOPSIS...
HIGH PRESSURE WILL BEGIN MOVING OUT OF THE REGION TODAY. EARLY THIS
MORNING PATCHY AREAS OF DENSE FOG CAN BE EXPECTED. A DEVELOPING
PACIFIC LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE DOWN THE CALIFORNIA
COAST WHICH WILL INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF CLOUD COVER AND CHANCES FOR
LIGHT PRECIPITATION FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
UPPER RIDGE OVER THE REGION IS PROVIDING MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND
SEASONAL TEMPERATURES. THE RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO STICK AROUND
THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY. FORECAST CONFIDENCE REMAINS LOW AS THE
MODELS CONTINUE TO MOVE THE COMPLEX EPAC UPPER LOW CENTER SE TO
NEAR PT CONCEPTION FRIDAY NIGHT AND THEN INTO CENTRAL BAJA BY
SUNDAY NIGHT. PRECIPITATION MAY BRUSH THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE CWA
ON FRIDAY NIGHT. HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY CUT POPS AND MAY HAVE TO CUT
THEM MORE ALONG THE SIERRA AS THE FORECAST MODELS CONTINUE TO
INDICATE THE LOW CENTER WILL MISS US TO THE WEST AND SOUTH.

AN SECONDARY INSIDE SLIDER UPPER LOW WILL REMAIN EAST OF THE
SIERRA ON SATURDAY AND MAY PROVIDE SOME COOL AIR LATER THIS
WEEKEND. WE ARE ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT WINDS PICKING UP AGAIN LATE
FRIDAY AS THE COASTAL UPPER LOW SLIDES JUST TO THE WEST. WE HAVE
CANCELLED THE WIND ADV FOR TODAY AND FOCUS MORE ON FRIDAY
AFTERNOON. SEASONAL TEMPERATURES WILL DEVELOP FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK AS
ZONAL FLOW WILL WILL SET UP BY MONDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH
THURSDAY WITH STEADY TEMPERATURES AND DRY CONDITIONS.

AGAIN...CONFIDENCE REMAINS VERY LOW WITH THE EXACT TRACK OF
THE UPPER LOW AND HOW MUCH RAIN...IF ANY...WE WILL GET IN THE
CENTRAL INTERIOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.

&&

.AVIATION...
LOCAL MVFR VISIBILITIES IN MIST/HAZE ACROSS THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
UNTIL 18Z TODAY. ADDITIONALLY...SOUTHEAST WIND GUSTS OF 35 KTS OR
GREATER ARE LIKELY THROUGH THE PASSES AND CANYONS OF KERN COUNTY
AND AT THE BASE OF THE GRAPEVINE. OTHERWISE...VFR CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED ACROSS THE CENTRAL CA INTERIOR THRU 12Z FRI.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
ON THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10 2011... FIREPLACE/WOOD STOVE BURNING IS
PROHIBITED IN FRESNO COUNTY.
FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT VALLEYAIR.ORG

&&

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

PUBLIC...JDB
AVN/FW...DS
SYNOPSIS...ANDERSEN

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 10, 2:36 AM PST, 1 hour 23 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
236 AM PST THU NOV 10 2011

CAZ095-111045-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
236 AM PST THU NOV 10 2011

...GUSTY WINDS FOR FRIDAY AFTERNOON...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

GUSTY WINDS EXPECTED OVER THE KERN COUNTY PASSES ON VETERANS
DAY. PLEASE SEE SFOSPSHNX WMO HEADER WWUS86 FOR MORE DETAILS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR
UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

CAZ092-111045-
SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
236 AM PST THU NOV 10 2011

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN SAN
JOAQUIN VALLEY.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR
UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

ANDERSEN

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Nov 10, 2:28 AM PST, 1 hour 31 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
228 AM PST THU NOV 10 2011

CAZ095-101900-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
228 AM PST THU NOV 10 2011

...GUSTY WINDS EXPECTED OVER THE KERN COUNTY PASSES ON VETERANS
DAY...

A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DROP SOUTHWARD OFF THE CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST ON VETERANS DAY...BRINGING A STRONGER
OFFSHORE FLOW OVER THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS BY AFTERNOON ON
VETERANS DAY. AS A RESULT...GUSTY WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE
GRAPEVINE AREA AND AROUND TEHACHAPI WITH LOCAL GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH
POSSIBLE. THESE GUSTY WINDS WILL SUBSIDE ON FRIDAY EVENING AS THE
LOW MOVES FURTHER SOUTH AND AWAY FROM CENTRAL CALIFORNIA.

DS

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Event by event

5 winter weather, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: November 10, 3:59 AM PST to 6:07 AM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Winter Weather, S Sierra Foothills

When: November 11, 6:00 PM PST to November 12, 7:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Foothills forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Weather, Tulare Cty Foothills

When: November 11, 6:00 PM PST to November 12, 7:00 AM PST
Where: Tulare Cty Foothills forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Weather, S Sierra Mtns

When: November 11, 6:00 PM PST to November 12, 7:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Weather, Tulare Cty Mtns

When: November 11, 6:00 PM PST to November 12, 7:00 AM PST
Where: Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Winter Weather, Kern Cty Mtns

When: November 11, 6:00 PM PST to November 12, 7:00 AM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
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

Every storm in California in 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history Warnings in California, November 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: 355346, 355347, 355348, 355349, 355350, 355351.