A easterly moving low pressure system moved through central California bringing heavy rainfall to parts of the southern Sierra Nevada which was also enhanced at times by orographic lift.
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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.
The episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.
A easterly moving low pressure system moved through central California bringing heavy rainfall to parts of the southern Sierra Nevada which was also enhanced at times by orographic lift.
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 15, 2:37 PM PST, 3 hours 6 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA 237 PM PST Thu Dec 15 2016 .SYNOPSIS...A strong storm system will move across Central California through Friday. Moderate to heavy rain and higher elevation snow along with gusty winds will accompany the storm as it passes. Much cooler temperatures and drier conditions are expected Satruday through the middle of next week. Temperatures will lower to below normal by the end of the week and into the weekend. && .DISCUSSION...Rain and higher elevation snow pushed into our area overnight ahead of a strong upper low currently centered well off the northern Baja coast near 32N/130W. Precipitation totals so far have generally ranged from 0.50 inches to 0.75 inches of liquid precipitation in Yosemite National Park with the snow level currently running around 9000 feet. Further south rainfall amounts of a quarter to half inch have been common in the Southern Sierra Nevada between Yosemite Park and Kings Canyon while amounts have been a tenth of inch of less so far in higher elevations of Tulare County. Rainfall amounts in the San Joaquin Valley have been generally light with most locations picking up between a trace and a tenth of an inch of rain. Radar composites are showing a band of moderate to heavy precipitation north of our area. As this band of deep moisture continues to drift southward this evening as the low approaches it will be fed additional tropical moisture being pulled up northward from the offshore low which will result in periods of moderate to heavy precipitation for our area this evening through Friday morning. QPF progs are indicating some very impressive rainfall totals for our area with 4-6 inches of liquid precipitation expected for much of the Southern Sierra Nevada from Kings Canyon northward and 2-4 inches of liquid precipitation in the Tulare County mountains. As a result of the heavy precipitation several feet of new snow will be possible through Friday in the southern Sierra Nevada and a Winter Storm Warning remains in effect above 8000 feet through 1000 am PST Friday. Below 8000 feet, a big concern is with heavy rainfall expected over burn scarred areas the potential exists for flash flooding in the mountains and adjacent foothills and a Flash Flood Watch remains in effect the Southern Sierra Nevada below 8000 feet, the southern Sierra foothills and the Kern County mountains through 400 pm PST Friday. Moderate to heavy rainfall is also anticipated for the San Joaquin Valley this evening through Friday morning with most locations on the west side picking up between half an inch and an inch of rain while an inch to 1.5 inches of rain is expected on the eastern side of the valley. The moderate to heavy rainfall will result in nuisance flooding over San Joaquin Valley and a Flood Watch remains in effect for the valley through Friday afternoon. Lesser rainfall amounts are expected in the Kern County Deserts, but localized street flooding will be possible tonight through Friday morning. As the low moves east of our area on Friday a cold front will push through the area behind it on Friday afternoon resulting in plummeting snow levels and increased winds. This will adversely impact travel over the Kern County Mountains and Deserts and as a result a wind advisory has been issued for the Kern County Deserts from 1000 am PST Friday through 1000 pm PST Friday where wind gusts above 50 mph will be possible. A Winter Weather Advisory has been posted for the Kern County Mountains from 1000 am PST Friday through 400 am PST Saturday where winds gusts above 50 mph and light snowfall accumulations over the passes will potentially make travel difficult. By Saturday morning the precipitation will taper off and a colder and drier airmass will settle in over our area. Some upslope low clouds will persist in the south end of the San Joaquin Valley and the valley facing slopes of the Tehachapi Mountains on Saturday morning with skies clearing out by Saturday afternoon. With clear skies, diminished winds, light winds and a dry airmass in place there is a potential for a widespread freeze across the San Joaquin Valley on Sunday morning. Another freeze will be possible on Monday as the cold and dry airmass remains in place across our area. The medium range models and their ensemble means are in good agreement indicating high pressure will amplify off the CA coast early next week with dry weather anticipated across our area through midweek with a slight day to day warming trend. A Pacific shortwave pushing through the PAC NW on Tuesday Night will provide for some high clouds and enough mixing to inhibit widespread fog formation inn the San Joaquin Valley. The models are indicating the potential for another low pressure system pushing into central CA by the end of next week with the GFS indicating the northern portion of our CWFA will have the potential for some precipitation while the ECMWF is further north. && .AVIATION...MVFR/IFR in ceilings and precipitation across Central CA through 18z Friday. Mountain obscurations in Sierra precipitation. VFR in the Kern County desert through 03z becoming MVFR tonight in ceilings and precipitation. && .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. Certainty levels include low...medium...and high. Please visit www.weather.gov/hnx/certainty.php for additional information an/or to provide feedback. && .HNX Watches/Warnings/Advisories... Wind Advisory from 10 AM to 10 PM PST Friday CAZ098-099. Flood Watch through Friday afternoon CAZ089>092. Flash Flood Watch through Friday afternoon CAZ093>097. Winter Weather Advisory from 10 AM Friday to 4 AM PST Saturday ABOVE 3000 FEET CAZ095. Winter Storm Warning until 10 AM PST Friday ABOVE 8000 FEET CAZ096-097. && public...DS avn/fw...JDB synopsis...DS weather.gov/hanford
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 flood, 2 heavy rain, 1 debris flow. Local standard time, as filed.
California Highway Patrol reported large boulders in roadway on Highway 41 near Cedar Valley Road.
Roadway flooding reported at Avenue 15 on Highway 41.
California Highway Patrol reported boulder on road at Road 274 near Lake Point Drive.
California Highway Patrol reported roadway flooding near Bagby Bridge on Highway 49.
California Highway Patrol reported large boulders on Highway 168 near Cressman Road.
California Highway Patrol reported tree fell due to wet soil and is blocking roadway on Norwich Avenue near Minnewawa Avenue in Clovis.
California Highway Patrol reported tree in roadway likely due to heavy rain on Highway 140 near Bull Creek Road.
California Highway Patrol reported large rocks in roadway south of Prather on Highway 168 near Gooseberry Lane.
California Highway Patrol reported boulders blocking roadway on Highway 178 in Kern River Canyon near call box number 3.
Heavy rain on the Cedar Fire Burn area caused debris flows over roads and buried a picnic bench on December 16th..
Report of heavy rain causing Kern River near Bakersfield to flow very fast and contained ash from runoff in burn areas which caused problems for a water reclamation water treatment plant to be temporarily shut down until ash was no longer present.
California Highway Patrol reported rocks on roadway at State Route 178 and Kern River Canyon access road.
California Highway Patrol reported boulders blocking the roadway at Avenue 176 and Road 320 just east of State Route 190 from road flooding.
Heavy rain turned to light snow causing a road closure on Tehachapi Willow Springs Road near Highline Road in Tehachapi between 1856 PST and 1930 PST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2016
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: 669277, 669278, 669279, 669280, 669281, 669282, 669283, 669284, 669285, 672396, 672458, 669286, 669287, 672459.