Heavy Snow and Strong Wind in California, December 30 to 31, 2014

Name: Heavy Snow and Strong Wind in California, December 30 to 31, 2014
Start: 2014-12-30T14:00
End: 2014-12-31T13:00
Location: California

December 30 to 31, 2014 · NWS HNX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 ridge of high pressure off the west coast along with a low pressure system dropping south through the inter-mountain west brought light precipitation to the Sierra Nevada on the 29th and 30th, with some rain and snow in the Kern county mountains as well. Although only a few inches of snow fell over the mountains of Kern county, it was enough to cause the closure of Interstate 5 by late afternoon on December 30. The snow also caused ice and snow covered roads on Highway 166 near Grocers Grade near the Kern-San Luis Obispo county line. This system also brought strong northeast winds over the Sierra Nevada on December 30 and 31, resulting in trees being blown down, power outages, and a ski lift being disabled, stranding 40 people on the lift.

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 30, 9:51 AM PST, 4 hours 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 30, 9:51 AM PST, 4 hours 9 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
951 AM PST TUE DEC 30 2014

.UPDATE TO CANCEL THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE KERN COUNTY
DESERT.

.SYNOPSIS...
AN ARCTIC AIR MASS WILL MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR
TODAY AND TONIGHT BEHIND A STORM SYSTEM OVER THE GREAT BASIN.
BRISK NORTHEAST WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED OVER MUCH OF THE HIGHER
TERRAIN INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW FLURRIES.
BELOW FREEZING MINIMUM TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY EVEN IN THE LOWEST
ELEVATIONS BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH DRY AND UNSEASONABLY COLD
WEATHER CONTINUING THROUGH THE END OF THIS WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...VERY COLD STORM SYSTEM CENTERED OVER NEVADA AT THIS
TIME. ALTHOUGH MOISTURE IS RATHER LIMITED...ISOLATED SHOWERS AND
SPRINKLES WILL CONTINUE OVER MOSTLY THE HIGHER TERRAIN TODAY.
ARCTIC COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STORM WILL MOVE QUICKLY
SOUTHWARD TODAY AND BE WELL SOUTH OF OUR CWA BY THIS EVENING.
BRISK WEST WINDS IN THE KERN COUNTY DESERT WILL ABRUPTLY SHIFT TO
NE TODAY BEHIND THE ARCTIC FRONT WITH FALLING TEMPS BY LATE AFTN.
MODELS ARE BONE DRY WITH QPF IN THIS REGION SO HAVE THEREFORE
CANCELED THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE DESERT.

PRECIP...ALBEIT LIGHT...WILL BE SPOTTY IN THE KERN COUNTY MTNS
THROUGH THIS EVENING WITH SNOW FLURRIES GENERALLY. HOWEVER...ANY
WET ROADS COULD BECOME ICY AS ARCTIC AIR INVADES THE REGION THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

NORTHEAST WINDS ON THE BACKSIDE OF THIS STORM WILL REMAIN RATHER
STRONG OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA INTO WED MORNING WITH LOCAL GUSTS
OF 50 MPH IN THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS AND AS HIGH AS 75 MPH ALONG THE
SIERRA CREST NORTH OF FRESNO COUNTY.

PATTERN LOOKS DRY AND VERY COLD FOR THE START OF 2015 WITH MIN
TEMPS AS LOW AS THE TEENS IN THE KERN COUNTY DESERT AND THE LOW
TO MID 20S IN THE SJ VLY BY NEW YEARS DAY MORNING. WE WILL LET
THE HARD FREEZE WATCH RIDE FOR THE SJ VLY ACCORDINGLY.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 431 AM PST TUE DEC 30 2014/

DISCUSSION...
FORECAST IS LOOKING DRIER...MODELS CONTINUE TO BACK OFF SNOW
AMOUNTS FOR THE KERN MOUNTAINS AND DESERT AREAS. WE ARE STILL
CARRYING THE ADVISORY DUE TO HIGH IMPACT TRAVEL CONCERNS ON A
HOLIDAY.

COLD CORE UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE CENTER CONTINUES TO SLIDE
SOUTH ALONG THE SPINE OF THE SIERRA WITH ADJACENT ARTIC AIR MASS
BEHIND IT. LIMITED MOISTURE TO WORK WITH WILL BE WRUNG OUT IN
FAVORABLE UPSLOPE LOCATIONS IN THE SIERRA AND OVER THE TEHACHAPI
MOUNTAINS OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS AS THE BAROCLINIC BOUNDARY PUSHES
THROUGH.

GRADIENTS ARE WEAKENING WITH THE LATEST MODEL RUN FOR SIGNIFICANT
MONO WIND EVENT ACROSS THE SIERRA OVER YOSEMITE. WE ARE STILL
CARRYING A WIND WARNING IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS AND POSSIBLE
GUSTY WINDS NEAR BASS LAKE...NORTH FORK AND EVEN INTO OAKHURST
WHERE WE ARE CARRYING A WIND ADVISORY THORUGH TOMORROW MORNING. AS
SOME GUIDANCE IS STILL CARRYING STRONGER WINDS. WINDS WILL BE
PROBLEM WITH THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY ACROSS THE TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS
AND ACROSS THE KERN COUNTY DESERT AREA LATER TONIGHT AND
WEDNESDAY. LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS AND GUSTY WINDS WILL BE COVERED BY
THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY...BUT MAINLY FOR WINDS.

SO NOW COMES THE ARCTIC AIR IN HERE WEDNESDAY NIGHT. WE HAVE
ISSUED A FREEZE WATCH FOR THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY FOR VERY COLD
TEMPERATURES EXPECTED BELOW 28 DEGREES FOR AT LEAST 4 HOURS.
NOTICED THAT MOS GUIDANCE IS EXTREMELY COLD OVER THE AREA. WE SAW
THIS WITH THE LAST EVENT AND IT WAS WAY OVERDONE. SO WE ARE NOT
GOING AS COLD AS MOS GUIDANCE FOR THIS EVENT AS WE HAVE SEEN A
COLD BIAS FOR MAV AND MET TEXT GUIDANCE. THURSDAY IS STILL UP IN
THE AIR...NO PUN INTENDED. MARGINAL CRITICAL CRITERIA FOR
WIDESPREAD 28 DEGREES OR LOWER. WE WILL SEE COLD TEMPS ALONG THE
EAST SIDE THURSDAY NIGHT AS WILL EVALUATE AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE
EVENT.

GRADUAL AIRMASS MODIFICATION INTO NEXT WEEKEND AS UPPER RIDGE
BUILDS IN OVER THE AREA THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. MAY SEE SOME
PATCHY FOG IN THE VALLEY IN THE USUAL AREAS NEAR
HANFORD...LEMOORE...VISALIA AND ALONG THE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER VALLEY.

&&

.AVIATION...
MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
.END..
&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
NONE.

&&

.CERTAINTY...

THE LEVEL OF CERTAINTY FOR DAYS 1 AND 2 IS LOW.
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 12-30       67:1904     36:1902     54:2001     24:1969
KFAT 12-31       69:1997     36:1929     53:1913     23:1975
KFAT 01-01       69:1998     39:1988     59:1997     21:1976

KBFL 12-30       74:1904     44:1986     53:1981     15:1905
KBFL 12-31       73:1913     39:1919     53:1981     19:1929
KBFL 01-01       74:1997     39:1961     57:1997     19:1930
&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 AM PST
WEDNESDAY CAZ096.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 PM PST
WEDNESDAY ABOVE 2000 FEET FOR THE CAZ095.

HARD FREEZE WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY
MORNING CAZ089>092.

&&

PUBLIC...DURFEE
AVN/FW...ANDERSEN
PREV DISCUSSION...JDB
SYNOPSIS...DURFEE

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 30, 4:31 AM PST, 9 hours 29 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
431 AM PST TUE DEC 30 2014

CAZ089>092-301345-
WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
431 AM PST TUE DEC 30 2014

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY.

...FREEZE WATCH IN EFFECT FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT...

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

PLEASE SEE SFONPWHNX FOR MORE DETAILS.

* STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS
  SOURCE...FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

CAZ093-301345-
MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS-
431 AM PST TUE DEC 30 2014

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE MARIPOSA MADERA AND
FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS.

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM TUESDAY TO 10 AM PST
WEDNESDAY...

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

PLEASE SEE SFONPWHNX FOR MORE DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

* STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS
  SOURCE...FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

CAZ096-301345-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
431 AM PST TUE DEC 30 2014

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA
FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON.

...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 AM
PST WEDNESDAY...

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

PLEASE SEE SFONPWHNX FOR MORE DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

* STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS
  SOURCE...FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

JDB

Event by event

1 heavy snow, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Kern Cty Mtns

When: December 30, 2:00 PM PST to 10:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Snow amounts of 2 to 3 inches fell across parts of the Kern County Mountains, mainly near and west of Interstate 5. Snowy and icy roads resulting in the closure of Interstate 5 over the grapevine overnight. Snowy roads also was a factor in a 15 car pileup along highway 166 over Grocers Grade near the Kern-San Luis Obispo county line. This resulting in the closure of highway 166 for several hours.

Strong Wind, S Sierra Mtns

When: December 30, 5:00 PM PST to December 31, 1:00 PM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 48 kt (55 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Mesonet

Numerous reports of wind gusts 35 to 49 mph at RAWs stations with higher gusts estimated due to wind damage. Winds blew down trees and knocked down powerlines near Bass Lake and in Yosemite National Park. Strong winds disabled a ski lift at China Peak Ski Resort near Huntington Lake, stranding 40 people on the ski lift for 2 hours.

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in California, December 2014

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: 551232, 551233.