Heavy Snow in Kings Canyon Np, California

The Charlotte Lake SNOTEL (10419 feet) picked up an estimated 13 inches of new snow.

The State Lakes SNOTEL (10419 feet) picked up an estimated 13 inches of new snow.

A broad upper trough slowly moved through California between the evening of March 30 and the early morning of April 2. This system brough widespread precipitation to the area between the early morning of March 31 and the evening of April 1. Much of the Sierra Nevada and adjacent foothills picked up between three quarters on an inch to 2 inches of precipitation with several higher elevation SNOTEL stations picking up an estimated 10 to 20 inches of snowfall during the extent of the event. The snow level lowered from around 6000 feet on the onset of the event lowering to near 4500 feet by the evening of April 1. Meanwhile, much of the central San Joaquin Valley picked up between a quarter to a half inch of rainfall while the south valley picked up between a tenth and a quarter inch. The Tehachapi Mountains picked up between a quarter to a half inch of precipitation while the deserts were rain shadowed and picked up a tenth of an inch or less. Strong wind gusts also accompanied this system and several station in the Kern County Mountains and Deserts measured peak wind gusts between 50 and 70 mph on March 31 and April 1 before wind diminished on April 2 as the trough moved east of the area.