Winter Storm — Kern Cty Mtns, California

2005-01-07 to 2005-01-08 · Kern Cty Mtns, California

Wider weather episode

Snow continued to accumulate at the higher elevations of the Southern Sierra Nevada, Tulare County Mountains, and the Kern Mountains from the 7th into the 11th: 18 inches of new snow at Tuolumne Meadows in the Southern Sierra Nevada and 19" of new snow at Wet Meadows in the Tulare County Mountains in 24 hours from the 7th to the 8th. A fatality occurred near Kernville as a hiker succumbed to hypothermia. The series of storms systems continuing through the 11th brought impressive snow totals in the Southern Sierra Nevada and Tulare Mountains: 108" at Ostrander Lake, West Woodchuck Meadow, and Pascoes; 103" in at Upper Burnt Corral; 152" at Farewell Gap; and 123" at Wet Meadow. In the Kern Mountains additional new snow of 8" accumulated in Tehachapi Valley. Stream flooding with some secondary road flooding occurred in the Kern County Mountains west of Frazier Park (near Lockwood Valley) on the 9th and early on the 10th. The precipitation totals during this time period combined with above normal precipitation for October and December brought the seasonal snowpack in the Sierra to 101% of the yearly normal or 245% of the mid-January normal.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5438309. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.