Winter Weather in California, November 5 to 6, 2011

Behind a fast moving cold front was an unseasonably cold airmass that plunged snow levels into the foothills. By the morning of November 6th, snow was falling down to 2700 feet near Lake Isabella (a half inch of snow was reported at Mountain Mesa), and up to 2 inches of snow fell at 4000 feet. Further north, Tuolumne Meadows received another 8 inches of snow during the night of November 5th-6th.

The San Joaquin Valley saw temperatures fall to well below normal. The high temperature at Bakersfield on November 4th was only 56 degrees, just 1 degree above the record low maximum temperature for that date (55 in 1996). The next day, Fresno did break its record low maximum temperature for the 5th with a high of 57 degrees; the old record was 58, set in 1996. Two days later, Bakersfield tied its record low maximum temperature for November 7th of 58 degrees, last set in 1963.

In the cold, unstable air behind the front, scattered showers developed across interior central California, and even isolated thunderstorms. The airmass over the San Joaquin Valley stabilized as an upper-level ridge built into California behind the trough. With ground moisture from the showers of November 6th, conditions were right for the development of patchy fog the following morning. Fog was not the only concern for interior central California, however. The unseasonably cold airmass also brought sub-freezing temperatures to parts of the Kern County deserts.