Heavy Snow in California, January 10 to 12, 2017

Name: Heavy Snow in California, January 10 to 12, 2017
Start: 2017-01-10T08:00
End: 2017-01-12T08:00
Location: California

January 10 to 12, 2017 · NWS HNX · 14 events in 3 counties and zones

Moist air was pushed into the central California interior from an atmospheric river influx was coupled with a colder low pressure system that moved into central California bringing lower snow levels and heavy snowfall to parts of the Sierra Nevada and Kern County Mountains.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 14

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.

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 Jan 10, 4:37 AM PST, 3 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 10, 4:37 AM PST, 3 hours 23 minutes before

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Event by event

14 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, S Sierra Mtns

When: January 10, 8:00 AM PST to January 11, 8:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

Hetch Hetchy snotel reported a 24 hour snowfall of 8 inches in Tuolumne County.

Heavy Snow, S Sierra Mtns

When: January 10, 8:00 AM PST to January 11, 8:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

Paradise Meadow snotel reported an estimated 24 hour snowfall of 8 inches in Tuolumne County at an elevation of 7.650 feet.

Heavy Snow, S Sierra Mtns

When: January 10, 8:00 AM PST to January 11, 8:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

Tuolumne Meadows snotel reported an estimated 24 hour snowfall of 9 inches in Mariposa County at an elevation of 8,150 feet.

Heavy Snow, S Sierra Mtns

When: January 10, 8:00 AM PST to January 11, 8:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

Tenaya Lake snotel reported an estimated 24 hour snowfall of 9 inches in Mariposa County at an elevation of 8,150 feet.

Heavy Snow, S Sierra Mtns

When: January 10, 8:00 AM PST to January 11, 8:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

Bass Lake snotel reported an estimated 24 hour snowfall of 10 inches in Madera County at an elevation of 7,150 feet.

Heavy Snow, S Sierra Mtns

When: January 10, 8:00 AM PST to January 11, 8:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

Chilkoot Meadow snotel reported an estimated 24 hour snowfall of 10 inches in Madera County at an elevation of 7,150 feet.

Heavy Snow, S Sierra Mtns

When: January 10, 8:00 AM PST to January 11, 8:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

Snotel 8 miles northwest of Hetch Hetchy reported an estimated 24 hour snowfall of 13 inches in Tuolumne County at an elevation of 6,750 feet.

Heavy Snow, S Sierra Mtns

When: January 10, 8:00 AM PST to January 11, 8:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

Snotel at Lower Kibbie Ridge reported an estimated 24 hour snowfall of 13 inches in Tuolumne County at an elevation of 6,700 feet.

Heavy Snow, S Sierra Mtns

When: January 10, 8:00 AM PST to January 11, 8:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer

COOP station at Tuolumne Meadows reported a measured 24 hour snowfall of 20 inches in Tuolumne County at an elevation of 8,694 feet.

Heavy Snow, S Sierra Mtns

When: January 10, 8:00 AM PST to January 11, 8:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Trained Spotter near Fish Camp reported a measured 24 hour snowfall of 12 inches in Mariposa County at an elevation around 5,500 feet.

Heavy Snow, S Sierra Mtns

When: January 10, 8:00 AM PST to January 11, 8:00 AM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

COOP station 2 miles north of Fish Camp reported a measured 24 hour snowfall of 11 inches in Mariposa County.

Heavy Snow, Tulare Cty Mtns

When: January 10, 8:00 AM PST to January 12, 8:00 AM PST
Where: Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

COOP station at Lodgepole reported a measured 24 hour snowfall of 23 inches in Tulare County at an elevation of 6,690 feet.

Heavy Snow, Kern Cty Mtns

When: January 11, 8:00 AM PST to January 12, 8:00 AM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: Public

Public report about 4 miles west southwest of Wofford Heights of a measured 24 hour snowfall of 10 inches in Kern County.

Heavy Snow, Kern Cty Mtns

When: January 11, 8:00 AM PST to January 12, 8:00 AM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer

COOP station at Tuolumne Meadows reported a measured 24 hour snowfall of 9 inches in Tuolumne County at an elevation of 8,694 feet.

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 2017 Every state in 2017 This day in weather history Warnings in California, January 2017

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 677963, 677964, 677965, 677966, 677967, 677968, 677969, 677970, 677971, 677972, 677973, 677974, 677975, 677976.