Winter Weather — Tulare Cty Foothills, California

2012-02-15 · Tulare Cty Foothills, California

Wider weather episode

February 9th saw an upper-level ridge over California. The ridge continued the above-normal temperatures over the region, with Bakersfield setting a record high for the 9th of 77 degrees, and Fresno tied its record high of 71. The above-normal temperatures continued on the 10th, with Bakersfield and Fresno coming just short of their record highs.

This ridge was short-lived, as a series of upper-level troughs flattened the ridge beginning on February 11th, and brought colder weather to the region. The first trough brought a few showers to the central California interior around sunrise, and showers continued to develop through the day. In addition to the showers, clouds associated with the trough kept minimum temperatures well above normal, with both Bakersfield and Fresno having lows on the 11th in the lower 50s; neither city set a record.

As the first trough exited the region during the evening of February 11th, gusty winds developed over the Kern County mountains and desert. Gusts to 45 mph were reported behind the cold front. The highway patrol reported Highway 58 was closed due to gusty winds. In the San Joaquin Valley, it was the lack of wind that produced a stable airmass over the Valley floor. Patchy fog developed shortly before sunrise on the 12th, with a few spots reporting visibilities of less than a quarter mile.

The second trough brought up to a foot of snow to the Southern Sierra Nevada on February 13th. Winds gusted between 45-55 mph over the Kern County mountain and desert areas during the afternoon and evening of the 13th, and a mid-day shower dropped quarter-inch hail on parts of Bakersfield.

A third trough, on February 15th, brought gusty winds to the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, with gusts to 40 mph reported through much of the morning. Eight inches of snow fell near Fish Camp, and 2 inches of snow were reported at Coarsegold. Highway 41 into the Southern Sierra Nevada was closed at Oakhurst due to snow. The CHP escorted traffic over the I-5 Grapevine in Kern County and Tehachapi piled up 8 inches of snowfall.

Behind this final trough, cold air settled into the San Joaquin Valley. An upper-level ridge built into the state, bringing mostly clear skies and light winds. Radiational cooling resulted in late season frosts over the region during the early morning of February 16th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 367965. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.