Winter Storm, S Sierra Mtns
- When
- December 21, 2:00 PM PST to December 24, 4:00 AM PST
- Where
- S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
Winter Storm and Dense Fog in California, December 21 to 27, 2012
The next storm consisted of two components. The first reached California on December 22nd, with only a brief pause in the precipitation before the second component arrived.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $60,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 8
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 next storm consisted of two components. The first reached California on December 22nd, with only a brief pause in the precipitation before the second component arrived. This was a wet storm, and 3-day rainfall amounts north of Kern County ranged from a third of an inch to around an inch and a third, while the south end of the San Joaquin Valley remained rain-shadowed. In the Southern Sierra Nevada foothills, rainfall amounts approached 4 inches in the wettest locations, while up to 40 inches of snow fell in the high country of the Southern Sierra Nevada.|The storm moved east of the region on December 24th. With abundant ground moisture and light winds, the stage was set for dense fog development Christmas morning. The fog subsequently gave way to a cold storm that arrived during the afternoon of December 25th, quickly spreading through the region. By daybreak on the 26th, up to 4 inches of snow had fallen on Walker Pass, and secondary roads near Tehachapi were closed due to snow. Precipitation continued through the day on the 26th, and persisted over the mountains into the next morning, with icy conditions reported on Grapevine during the morning of December 27th. New snow accumulations of up to 14 inches fell on the Southern Sierra Nevada, and up to 7 inches fell in the Tehachapi Mountains.
An upper-level short-wave ridge brought another round of dense fog to the central and southern San Joaquin Valley during the morning of December 28th. The ridge gave way to yet another storm, which reached the central California interior during the evening of the 28th and continued into December 29th. Behind the storm, a northwest flow developed over the San Joaquin Valley. Upslope clouds formed along the valley-facing slopes of the Kern County mountains, triggering isolated snow showers that persisted into the morning of December 30th.
An upper-level short-wave dropped into the central California interior late on December 31st. This short-wave triggered a few sprinkles over Merced County shortly before midnight. Otherwise, 2012 ended on a dry note across the Hanford warning/forecast area.
2012 was unseasonably warm with below normal precipitation. Bakersfield had 4.41 inches of rain, or 68.2 percent of its annual average of 6.47 inches. Fresno reported 9.97 inches of rain in 2012, for 86.7 percent of its normal of 11.50 inches.
Fresno had its warmest year on record, with an average temperature of 66.7 degrees, which was 2.3 degrees above the average annual temperature of 64.4 degrees. The last five months of the year ranked in the top 10 for each month. August and September 2012 were the warmest for those months on record, and August 2012 also was the 5th warmest month on record overall.
Although Bakersfield was slightly warmer with an average temperature of 67.0 degrees, this was not enough to rank in the top 10 warmest years. The average annual temperature for Bakersfield is 65.2 degrees.
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 21, 8:55 AM PST, 5 hours 5 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 21, 8:55 AM PST, 5 hours 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
855 AM PST FRI DEC 21 2012
.UPDATE...RAISED MAX AND MIN TEMPERATURES FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT.
&&
.SYNOPSIS...
AN APPROACHING WINTER STORM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION THIS
WEEKEND. PERIODS OF RAIN AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW WILL BE THE
NORM THROUGH MONDAY.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
TO ACCOUNT FOR WARMER SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM
CURRENTLY OVER NORTHERN CA AND INCREASING CLOUDS OVER THE
REGION...RAISED MAX TEMPS FOR TODAY AND MIN TEMPS A FEW DEG FOR
TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTH END OF THE SJ VALLEY.
ALSO...EXPECTING CLOUD COVER TO ALLEVIATE SIGNIFICANT WARMING OVER
THE NORTHERN PART OF THE FORECAST AREA...INCLUDING FRESNO AND
NORTHWARD. MAIN BULK OF PRECIPITATION IS MAINLY FROM THE S.F. BAY
AREA AND OVER NORCAL AND WILL ARRIVE TONIGHT...MAINLY TO THE
NORTHERN PART OF THE FORECAST AREA AND SPREADING SOUTHWARD
SATURDAY.
&&
.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
INTERIOR THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY. MVFR CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS
THE SIERRA NEVADA AFTER 00Z SATURDAY WITH AREAS OF IFR AND MOUNTAIN
OBSCURATIONS IN PRECIPITATION. LOCAL MVFR CEILINGS ARE POSSIBLE IN
WESTERN MERCED COUNTY AFTER 06Z SATURDAY. VFR CONDITIONS WILL
CONTINUE ELSEWHERE THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY. ADDITIONALLY...WINDS WILL
GUST TO 35 KNOTS OR GREATER ALONG THE SIERRA CREST THROUGH 18Z
SATURDAY.
&&
.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
NONE.
&&
.CERTAINTY...
THE LEVEL OF CERTAINTY FOR DAYS 1 AND 2 IS HIGH.
THE LEVEL OF CERTAINTY FOR DAYS 3 THROUGH 7 IS MEDIUM.
THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED AS PART OF A TRIAL PROJECT CONDUCTED
BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD.
CERTAINTY LEVELS INCLUDE LOW...MEDIUM...AND HIGH. PLEASE VISIT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HNX/CERTAINTY.PHP /ALL LOWER CASE/ FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND/OR TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK.
&&
.CLIMATE...
RECORDS
SITE DATE HI_MAX:YEAR LO_MAX:YEAR HI_MIN:YEAR LO_MIN:YEAR
KFAT 12-21 71:1955 34:1998 54:1964 23:1897
KFAT 12-22 70:1964 35:1998 57:1955 19:1990
KFAT 12-23 68:1964 37:1928 60:1964 18:1990
KBFL 12-21 78:1919 36:1998 59:1977 23:1905
KBFL 12-22 76:2005 34:1998 56:1977 20:1990
KBFL 12-23 73:1964 36:1928 63:1955 14:1905
&&
.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 AM PST MONDAY
ABOVE 5000 FEET FOR THE CAZ096.
&&
PUBLIC...BSO
AVN/FW...MOLINA
PREV DISCUSSION...DUDLEY
SYNOPSIS...WP
WEATHER.GOV/HANFORDHazardous weather outlook, Dec 21, 1:44 PM PST, 16 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 144 PM PST FRI DEC 21 2012 CAZ089>095-098-099-222145- WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS- TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS-KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY- SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT- 144 PM PST FRI DEC 21 2012 ...UNSETTLED WEATHER THIS WEEKEND... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...THE FOOTHILLS OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND THE KERN COUNTY DESERTS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT UNSETTLED WEATHER...INCLUDING RAIN AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW...WILL RETURN FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND SPREAD SOUTHWARD FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY AS ADDITIONAL WEATHER SYSTEMS IMPACT THE REGION. FOR MORE INFORMATION...REFER TO THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...OR /SFOSPSHNX/. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY UNSETTLED WEATHER...INCLUDING RAIN AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW...WILL RETURN FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND SPREAD SOUTHWARD FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY AS ADDITIONAL WEATHER SYSTEMS IMPACT THE REGION. FOR MORE INFORMATION...REFER TO THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...OR /SFOSPSHNX/. .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. CAZ096-222145- SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON- 144 PM PST FRI DEC 21 2012 ...WINTER STORM WARNING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000 FEET FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 AM PST MONDAY. FOR DETAILS PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /SFOWSWHNX/. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A WINTER STORM WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000 FEET FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 AM PST MONDAY. FOR DETAILS PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /SFOWSWHNX/. .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. CAZ097-222145- TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 144 PM PST FRI DEC 21 2012 ...WINTER STORM ADVISORY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT UNSETTLED WEATHER...INCLUDING RAIN AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW...WILL RETURN FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND SPREAD SOUTHWARD FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY AS ADDITIONAL WEATHER SYSTEMS IMPACT THE REGION. FOR MORE INFORMATION...REFER TO THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...OR /SFOSPSHNX/. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A WINTER STORM ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000 FEET FROM 6 AM PST SATURDAY TO MIDNIGHT SATURDAY. FOR DETAILS PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE /SFOWSWHNX/. .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. WP
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Dec 21, 9:36 AM PST, 4 hours 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 936 AM PST FRI DEC 21 2012 CAZ089>094-212300- WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS- TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS- 936 AM PST FRI DEC 21 2012 ...WINTER STORM TO IMPACT THE REGION THIS WEEKEND... A STRONG WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT THE REGION BEGINNING LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. RAIN WILL OVERSPREAD THE VALLEY TONIGHT AND CONTINUE AT TIMES OVER THE WEEKEND. TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS THROUGH THE WEEKEND WILL RANGE BETWEEN ONE-HALF TO ONE INCH IN THE VALLEY AND 1 TO 2 INCHES IN THE FOOTHILLS. IT WILL ALSO BE BLUSTERY WITH STRONG WINDS POSSIBLE ON SATURDAY. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL OCCUR ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF THE VALLEY WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH POSSIBLE. GUSTY WINDS COULD MAKE FOR DIFFICULT TRAVEL ALONG THE INTERSTATE 5 CORRIDOR. CAZ097-212300- TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 936 AM PST FRI DEC 21 2012 ...WINTER STORM TO IMPACT THE REGION THIS WEEKEND... A STRONG WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT THE REGION BEGINNING TONIGHT. SNOW WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS BY SATURDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE AT TIMES THROUGH THE WEEKEND. TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE BETWEEN 6 INCHES AND 2 FEET. TRAVEL THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS WILL BE DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE, THIS WEEKEND. CAZ095-098-099-212300- KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY- SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT- 936 AM PST FRI DEC 21 2012 ...WINTER STORM TO IMPACT THE REGION THIS WEEKEND... A STRONG WINTER STORM WILL MOVE INTO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA TONIGHT. MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE LIKELY SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY WITH SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE ABOVE 6000 FEET. ON MONDAY SOME LIGHT SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE NEAR PASS LEVEL. ANY RAINFALL IN THE WESTERN MOJAVE DESERT WILL BE RELATIVELY LIGHT. HOWEVER, STRONG WINDS ARE LIKELY SUNDAY NIGHT AND INTO MONDAY...WITH GUSTS OF 50 TO 60 MPH POSSIBLE. SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS COULD CAUSE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. STRONG WINDS THROUGH AND BELOW THE PASSES COULD MAKE FOR DIFFICULT TRAVEL. BSO WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
Event by event
3 dense fog, 3 winter weather, 2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Tulare Cty Mtns
- When
- December 21, 2:00 PM PST to December 24, 4:00 AM PST
- Where
- Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
Dense Fog, E Central S.J. Valley
- When
- December 25, 12:00 AM PST to 11:00 AM PST
- Where
- E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
Dense Fog, Sw S.J. Valley
- When
- December 25, 12:00 AM PST to 11:00 AM PST
- Where
- Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
Dense Fog, Se S.J. Valley
- When
- December 25, 12:00 AM PST to 11:00 AM PST
- Where
- Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
Winter Weather, S Sierra Mtns
- When
- December 25, 6:00 PM PST to December 26, 4:00 PM PST
- Where
- S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
Winter Weather, Tulare Cty Mtns
- When
- December 25, 6:00 PM PST to December 26, 4:00 PM PST
- Where
- Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- Park/Forest Service
Winter Weather, Kern Cty Mtns
- When
- December 26, 12:00 AM PST to December 27, 1:50 AM PST
- Where
- Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Property damage
- $50,000
- 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.
- Dense Fog
- Fog reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less, filed where it caused accidents or disruption.
- 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
- Winter Storm and High Wind in Vermont, December 21 to 23, 2012
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in California, December 21 to 23, 2012
- Winter Storm and Avalanche in California, December 21 to 24, 2012
- High Surf in Puerto Rico, December 21 to 25, 2012
- Coastal Flood in Maryland, December 21, 2012
- Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, December 21 to 22, 2012
- Winter Storm in Ohio, December 21 to 22, 2012
- Coastal Flood in Virginia, December 21, 2012
- Flooding and Coastal Flood in New Jersey, December 21 to 23, 2012
- High Wind in New York, December 21, 2012
- Winter Storm in New York, December 21 to 22, 2012
- High Wind in New York, December 21, 2012
More
Every storm in California in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2012
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: 427366, 427367, 427371, 427372, 427373, 427368, 427369, 427370.