Heavy Snow and High Wind in California, March 5 to 6, 2025

Name: Heavy Snow and High Wind in California, March 5 to 6, 2025
Start: 2025-03-05T04:00
End: 2025-03-06T13:15
Location: California

March 5 to 6, 2025 · NWS HNX · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 13

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 large upper trough pushed into California on March 5 and moved across the state on March 6. Rain and higher elevation snow spread southward across the area during the morning of March 5 and continued for most of the day. The precipitation continued through the evening of March 5 then showers and a few thunderstorms impacted the area on March 6. Most of the San Joaquin Valley and West Side Hills picked up between a quarter inch and three quarters of an inch of rainfall while the Sierra Nevada and adjacent foothills as well as most of the Kern County Mountain areas picked up between a half and and an inch and a half of precipitation. The precipitation mainly fell as snow above 5500 feet with several high elevations SNOTELs picking up an estimated 8 to 15 inches of new snowfall. As the snow level lowered on March 6 as the cooler post-frontal airmass moved in, light snowfall caused travel disruptions along the passes in Kern County with traffic being paced. Precipitation was lighter across the Kern County Desert areas with most locations picking up between a tenth and a quarter inch of rainfall.

The radar

The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 146 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:10 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 heavy snow, 4 winter weather, 1 high wind, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Yosemite Np Outside of the Valley

When: March 5, 4:00 AM PST to March 6, 10:00 AM PST
Where: Yosemite Np Outside of the Valley forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 37.609, -119.874 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Dana Meadows SNOTEL (9800 feet) picked up an estimated 12 inches of new snowfall. The White Wolf SNOTEL (7900 feet) picked up an estimated 12 inches of new snowfall. The Paradise Meadow SNOTEL (7676 feet) picked up an estimated 15 inches of new snowfall. The Lower Kibbie Ridge SNOTEL (6479 feet) picked up an estimated 15 inches of new snowfall.

Heavy Snow, Upper San Joaquin River

When: March 5, 4:00 AM PST to March 6, 10:00 AM PST
Where: Upper San Joaquin River forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 36.988, -119.706 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Devil's Postpile SNOTEL (8004 feet) picked up an estimated 12 inches of new snowfall.

Heavy Snow, Kaiser to Rodgers Ridge

When: March 5, 4:00 AM PST to March 6, 10:00 AM PST
Where: Kaiser to Rodgers Ridge forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 36.758, -119.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Blackcap Basin SNOTEL (10300 feet) picked up an estimated 15 inches of new snowfall. The Huntington Lake SNOTEL (7020 feet) picked up an estimated 12 inches of new snowfall.

Heavy Snow, Kings Canyon Np

When: March 5, 4:00 AM PST to March 6, 10:00 AM PST
Where: Kings Canyon Np forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 36.489, -119.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Bishop Pass SNOTEL (11972 feet) picked up an estimated 12 inches of new snowfall. The State Lakes SNOTEL (10419 feet) picked up an estimated 14 inches of new snowfall.

Heavy Snow, Grant Grove Area

When: March 5, 4:00 AM PST to March 6, 10:00 AM PST
Where: Grant Grove Area forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 36.489, -119.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Big Meadows SNOTEL (7599 feet) picked up an estimated 12 inches of new snowfall.

Heavy Snow, Sequoia Np

When: March 5, 4:00 AM PST to March 6, 10:00 AM PST
Where: Sequoia Np forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 36.220, -118.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Farewell Gap SNOTEL (9500 feet) picked up an estimated 14 inches of new snowfall.

Heavy Snow, South End of the Upper Sierra

When: March 5, 4:00 AM PST to March 6, 10:00 AM PST
Where: South End of the Upper Sierra forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 35.782, -118.765 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Pascoes SNOTEL (9153 feet) picked up an estimated 12 inches of new snowfall. The Wet Meadows SNOTEL (9019 feet) picked up an estimated 14 inches of new snowfall. The Quaking Aspen SNOTEL (7200 feet) picked up an estimated 15 inches of new snowfall.

Winter Weather, South End of the Lower Sierra

When: March 5, 4:00 AM PST to March 6, 10:00 AM PST
Where: South End of the Lower Sierra forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.782, -118.765 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Public report of 6 inches of new snowfall 3NE Springville.

Winter Weather, Frazier Mountain Communities

When: March 5, 4:00 AM PST to March 6, 10:00 AM PST
Where: Frazier Mountain Communities forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.343, -118.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Public reports of 2 to 5 inches of new snowfall in the Pine Mountain Club area.

Winter Weather, Tehachapi

When: March 5, 4:00 AM PST to March 6, 10:00 AM PST
Where: Tehachapi forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 35.343, -118.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

California Highway Patrol reported 2 inches of snowfall on Tehachapi Pass resulting in traffic being paced on SR 58.

Winter Weather, Grapevine

When: March 5, 4:00 AM PST to March 6, 10:00 AM PST
Where: Grapevine forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 35.343, -118.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

California Highway Patrol reported a dusting of snowfall on the Tejon Pass resulting in traffic being paced on Interstate 5.

High Wind, Mojave Desert Slope(S)

When: March 6, 8:26 AM PST
Where: Mojave Desert Slope(S) forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS
Coordinates: 35.343, -118.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Indian Wells Canyon RAWS measured a peak wind gust of 72 mph.

Funnel Cloud, Kern

When: March 6, 1:10 PM PST to 1:15 PM PST
Where: Kern County, 0.44 mi WSW of Venola
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 35.318, -119.057

Broadcast media report of a funnel cloud in southwest Bakersfield.

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Funnel Cloud: A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 2025 Every state in 2025 This day in weather history Warnings in California, March 2025

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: 1230638, 1230639, 1230640, 1230641, 1230642, 1230643, 1230644, 1230651, 1230652, 1230653, 1230654, 1230650, 1230655.