Strong Wind, Se Kern Cty Desert
- When
- February 11, 9:57 PM PST to February 12, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
- Measured
- 40 kt (46 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
Winter Weather and Strong Wind in California, February 11 to 15, 2012
February 9th saw an upper-level ridge over California. The ridge continued the above-normal temperatures over the region, with Bakersfield setting a record high for the 9th of 77 degrees, and Fresno tied its record high of 71.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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.
February 9th saw an upper-level ridge over California. The ridge continued the above-normal temperatures over the region, with Bakersfield setting a record high for the 9th of 77 degrees, and Fresno tied its record high of 71. The above-normal temperatures continued on the 10th, with Bakersfield and Fresno coming just short of their record highs.
This ridge was short-lived, as a series of upper-level troughs flattened the ridge beginning on February 11th, and brought colder weather to the region. The first trough brought a few showers to the central California interior around sunrise, and showers continued to develop through the day. In addition to the showers, clouds associated with the trough kept minimum temperatures well above normal, with both Bakersfield and Fresno having lows on the 11th in the lower 50s; neither city set a record.
As the first trough exited the region during the evening of February 11th, gusty winds developed over the Kern County mountains and desert. Gusts to 45 mph were reported behind the cold front. The highway patrol reported Highway 58 was closed due to gusty winds. In the San Joaquin Valley, it was the lack of wind that produced a stable airmass over the Valley floor. Patchy fog developed shortly before sunrise on the 12th, with a few spots reporting visibilities of less than a quarter mile.
The second trough brought up to a foot of snow to the Southern Sierra Nevada on February 13th. Winds gusted between 45-55 mph over the Kern County mountain and desert areas during the afternoon and evening of the 13th, and a mid-day shower dropped quarter-inch hail on parts of Bakersfield.
A third trough, on February 15th, brought gusty winds to the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, with gusts to 40 mph reported through much of the morning. Eight inches of snow fell near Fish Camp, and 2 inches of snow were reported at Coarsegold. Highway 41 into the Southern Sierra Nevada was closed at Oakhurst due to snow. The CHP escorted traffic over the I-5 Grapevine in Kern County and Tehachapi piled up 8 inches of snowfall.
Behind this final trough, cold air settled into the San Joaquin Valley. An upper-level ridge built into the state, bringing mostly clear skies and light winds. Radiational cooling resulted in late season frosts over the region during the early morning of February 16th.
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 Feb 11, 9:47 PM PST, 10 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 11, 9:47 PM PST, 10 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 947 PM PST SAT FEB 11 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A SERIES OF WEATHER SYSTEMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE OVER THE REGION THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS BRINGING COOLER TEMPERATURES AND THE THREAT OF VALLEY RAIN AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW. && .DISCUSSION... SHOWERS HAVE DWINDLED THIS EVENING AS A WEAK PASSING SHORTWAVE BEGINS TO PULL AWAY FROM OUR AREA. SATELLITE AND RADAR IMAGES SHOW REMNANT CLOUDS OVER MUCH OF THE DISTRICT WITH A FEW LINGERING LIGHT SHOWERS OR SPRINKLES OVER SOME OF THE HIGHER TERRAIN. EVEN THESE SMALL SHOWERS WILL BE DISSIPATED BY MORNING BUT THE CLOUDS WILL PERSIST OVER THE FOOTHILL AND MOUNTAIN AREAS AS WELL AS THE SOUTH END OF THE VALLEY. HIGHS THIS AFTERNOON WERE SIGNIFICANTLY COOLER THAN RECENT DAYS...THOUGH THIS COOLDOWN JUST BROUGHT TEMPERATURES BACK DOWN TO AROUND CLIMO. OVERNIGHT LOWS TONIGHT WILL ALSO BE SEVERAL DEGREES LOWER IN THE COOLER AIR BEHIND THE DEPARTING SYSTEM...BUT A LITTLE LESS OF A COOLDOWN IN THE CLOUDY AREAS. AFTER BRIEF SHORTWAVE RIDGING SUNDAY BEHIND THE EXITING SYSTEM ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM IS ON TRACK TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION MONDAY. NO UPDATE IS PLANNED FOR THE FORECAST THIS EVENING. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 353 PM PST SAT FEB 11 2012/ DISCUSSION...SHOWERS HAVE REMAINED MAINLY OVER THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS THIS AFTERNOON WITH RADAR NOW SHOWING A GRADUAL DECREASE IN ACTIVITY. WHILE MOST AREAS THAT SAW RAIN ONLY RECEIVED A FEW HUNDREDTHS TO A TENTH OF AN INCH...A FEW GAUGES IN TULARE COUNTY PICKED UP AROUND A HALF AN INCH. THE WEAK SHORT WAVE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ACTIVITY IS MOVING OVER POINT CONCEPTION AND WILL SLIDE OVER SOCAL TONIGHT WITH JUST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT OVER THE MOUNTAINS. SHORT WAVE RIDGING WILL BRIEFLY SHIFT OVER THE REGION ON SUNDAY BEFORE A COLDER AND WETTER STORM ARRIVES LATE SUNDAY NIGHT. MODELS ARE COMING INTO BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THIS SYSTEM AND HAVE RAISED POPS TO CATEGORICAL OVER MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA ON MONDAY. HAVE CONTINUED TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPACTS VIA THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT ISSUED EARLIER. RIGHT NOW IT LOOKS UP TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING AND A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED. THE MUCH COLDER AIRMASS WILL LOWER SNOW LEVELS DOWN INTO THE FOOTHILLS MONDAY EVENING. WHILE THE BULK OF PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY HAVE ENDED BY THAT TIME...SNOW SHOWERS COULD OCCUR DOWN TO AS LOW AS 2500 FEET AS FAR SOUTH AS THE TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS. SNOW LEVELS WILL ALSO FALL TO BELOW THE PASS LEVEL IN THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS MONDAY NIGHT WITH LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE. SOME LINGERING SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE ON TUESDAY...MAINLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS. THE GFS CONTINUES TO BRING YET ANOTHER TROUGH QUICKLY ON IT'S HEELS AS IT SLIDES DOWN THE CENTRAL CA COAST TUESDAY NIGHT. THE ECMWF HAS BEGUN TO LEAN IN THE GFS'S DIRECTION NOW BUT IS MUCH SLOWER AND FARTHER INLAND AS IT TRACKS THE TROUGH INLAND OVER THE DISTRICT WED AFTN/EVE. HAVE ADDED SLIGHT CHANCE POPS TO MOST OF THE FA FOR TUES NIGHT-WED NIGHT. A DRY FORECAST REMAINS FOR THURSDAY-SATURDAY THOUGH THE ECMWF IS NOW SUGGESTING A DEEP UPPER LOW MOVING INTO NORCAL ON SATURDAY. ONSHORE SURFACE GRADIENTS HAVE RAMPED UP TODAY AND GUSTY WINDS ARE OCCURRING OVER THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERT. THESE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS AND WILL DIMINISH OVERNIGHT AS THE GRADIENT BEGINS TO RELAX. BY MONDAY THE GRADIENTS WILL AGAIN TIGHTEN AND GUSTY CONDITIONS WILL REDEVELOP OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERT. THE TROUGH AND CLOUDS TODAY HAVE RESULTED IN MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA WITH MOST READINGS DOWN 15-20 DEGREES FROM THIS TIME YESTERDAY. THESE CONDITIONS ARE MORE TYPICAL OF MID FEBRUARY AND ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN CLOSE TO CLIMO ON SUNDAY THEN DROP TO SEVERAL DEGREES BELOW CLIMO ON MONDAY AS THE UPPER LOW MOVES IN. A WARMING TREND IS SLATED FOR LATE NEXT WEEK WITH NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL READINGS AGAIN. && .AVIATION... OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA AND TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS...WIDESPREAD AREAS OF IFR IN UPSLOPE LOW CLOUDS THRU 06Z MON. OTHERWISE VFR WILL PREVAIL OVER THE CENTRAL CA INTERIOR THRU 06Z MON. && .AIR QUALITY ISSUES... NONE. && .HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && PUBLIC...JEB AVN/FW...DS SYNOPSIS...ANDERSEN WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 11, 4:24 PM PST, 5 hours 33 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 424 PM PST SAT FEB 11 2012 CAZ096-097-130030- SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON- TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 424 PM PST SAT FEB 11 2012 ...MOUNTAIN SNOW... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EXPECTED .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SNOW IS EXPECTED MONDAY IN THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA. PLEASE REFER TO SFOSPSHNX FOR MORE INFORMATION. .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. CAZ095-098-099-130030- KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY- SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT- 424 PM PST SAT FEB 11 2012 ...GUSTY WINDS AND WINTER WEATHER... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT GUSTY WINDS UP TO 45 MPH ARE POSSIBLE BEGINNING THIS AFTERNOON IN THE TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS INCLUDING THE GRAPEVINE AREA AND KERN COUNTY DESERTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY GUSTY WINDS UP TO 45 MPH ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY IN THE TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS INCLUDING THE GRAPEVINE AREA AND KERN COUNTY DESERTS. WINTER WEATHER IS ALSO EXPECTED IN THE TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS AND GRAPEVINE AREA. PLEASE REFER TO SFOSPSHNX FOR MORE INFORMATION. .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
Event by event
4 winter weather, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Weather, Kern Cty Mtns
- When
- February 13, 2:12 PM PST to 10:00 PM PST
- Where
- Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
Winter Weather, S Sierra Foothills
- When
- February 15, 5:30 AM PST to 12:00 PM PST
- Where
- S Sierra Foothills forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
Winter Weather, Tulare Cty Foothills
- When
- February 15, 5:30 AM PST to 12:00 PM PST
- Where
- Tulare Cty Foothills forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
Winter Weather, Kern Cty Mtns
- When
- February 15, 5:30 AM PST to 12:00 PM PST
- Where
- Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
What these are
- Strong Wind
- Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
- 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
- High Wind in Virginia, February 11 to 12, 2012
- High Wind in North Carolina, February 11 to 12, 2012
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in North Atlantic Coastal Waters, February 11, 2012
- Lightning Strike in Virginia, February 11, 2012
- Cold in Nebraska, February 11, 2012
- Extreme Cold in North Dakota, February 11, 2012
- Winter Weather in New Jersey, February 11 to 12, 2012
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 11 to 12, 2012
- Dust Storm and Heavy Snow in California, February 11 to 16, 2012
- Winter Weather in Virginia, February 11 to 12, 2012
- Extreme Cold in North Dakota, February 11, 2012
- Extreme Cold in Minnesota, February 11, 2012
More
Every storm in California in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 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: 367962, 367963, 367964, 367965, 367966.