Heavy Snow — S Sierra Mtns, California

2019-03-27 · S Sierra Mtns, California

Event narrative

The Tenaya Lake SNOTEL picked up an estimated 15 inches of new snowfall.

Wider weather episode

A low pressure system moved into Northern California during the morning of March 27 then dropped southeast during the afternoon resulting in increasing precipitation coverage across the area. The precipitation was most significant in Merced and Mariposa Counties which were impacted by the deeper moisture associated with this system as well as the unstable airmass behind the cold front which moved over central California during the day. Afternoon showers and thunderstorms increased in coverage during the late afternoon producing locally heavy rainfall as well as pea sized hail and a few funnel clouds. Much of the Southern Sierra Nevada north of Kings Canyon picked up between a half inch and an inch of liquid precipitation while while areas near Yosemite National Park picked up between one and two inches. Between a tenth and a quarter inch of rain fell across much of the central San Joaquin Valley with locally heavier amounts in areas impacted by thunderstorms. The precipitation fell as snow above 7500 feet and a few locations in Yosemite Park picked up around a foot of fresh snowfall above 8000 feet. Areas south of Fresno County generally did not receive much precipitation. The precipitation tapered off during the evening of March 27 and ended by late morning on March 28 as the storm moved east of the area.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 805353. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.