Re: Storm Coming

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION

FXUS66 KHNX 312224
AFDHNX

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
224 PM PST MON DEC 31 2007

.DISCUSSION...LOW CLOUDS SOUTH AND EAST SIDE OF THE VALLEY AND ADJACENT MTN SLOPES SLOWLY BUT STEADILY DECREASING. THIS SHOULD CONTINUE WITH CLEAR TO PTCLDY SKIES ALL AREAS OVERNITE. STRONG SFC HIGH CONTS TO BUILD INTO THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST AND GREAT BASIN. THIS HIGH WILL PROVIDE LOCALLY GUSTY EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS ACROSS THE KERN MTNS TONITE...AND COULD BECOME LOCALLY GUSTY IN THE SOUTH END OF THE VALLEY AS WELL. LACK OF ANY EASTERLY MID-LEVEL SUPPORT HOWEVER SHOULD KEEP WINDS LOCALIZED AND BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS.

ATTENTION TURNS TO DEVELOPING SCENARIO IN THE EAST PAC FROM THURS ONWARD. MODELS CONT TO BE QUITE AGGRESSIVE WITH DEEP TROF IN THE GLF OF AK...AND A NUMBER OF SOUTHERN STREAM IMPULSES SWINGING INLAND ACROSS CENTRAL CA. FIRST OF THESE SYSTEMS IS FCST TO ARRIVE DURING THE DAY THURS. IT IS THIS SYSTEM THAT WILL OPEN THE DOOR TO A MUCH STRONGER SYSTEM FRI...THEN A WET ZONAL PATTERN WITH STRONG UPPER JET DYNAMICS TO FOLLOW SAT INTO SUN. A WET FLOW COMBINED WITH FAIRLY STRONG OROGRAPHICS ACROSS THE SRN SIERRA WILL LIKELY RESULT IN SOME VERY HEAVY SNOW TOTALS FRI THRU SUN. WHILE IT IS STILL A LITTLE EARLY FOR ANY WATCH HEADLINES...THEY MOST
ASSUREDLY WILL BE FORTHCOMING OVER THE NEXT 24-36 HOURS OR SO.

SNOW LEVELS NOT FCST TO DROP SIGNIFICANTLY THURS THRU SAT BUT WILL WAVER SOME AS EACH TROF APPROACHES AND DEPARTS. IN GENERAL LOOKING FOR FLUCTUATIONS BETWEEN 4500 AND 6000 FEET. COLDEST AIR COMES IN NEXT SUN AND COULD BE SNOW WELL DOWN INTO THE FOOTHILLS AND EVEN THE HIGH DESERTS OF KERN CO BY THEN. STILL TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE RAINFALL AMOUNTS...BUT 2 INCHES OR SO OVER THE COURSE OF 4 DAYS SEEMS POSSIBLE...WITH MUCH HIGHER TOTALS IN THE SIERRA. WINDS WILL ALSO BECOME PROBLEMATIC...INCLUDING THE VALLEY AS DEEP SFC LOWS PASS BY TO THE NORHT FROM TIME TO TIME.


&&

.AVIATION...LCL MVFR CIGS/VSBYS OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY THRU 08Z TUESDAY...THEN AREAS OF IFR VSBYS WITH LCL LIFR IN FOG THRU 18Z. OTHERWISE VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE CENTRAL CA INTERIOR THRU 00Z WEDNESDAY.


&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
NONE

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&




BINGHAM/DCH
http://WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Up here in Reno they're predicting 5 to 10 feet at the mountain passes and 1 to 2 feet at Lake Tahoe. Good thing I'm not planning to go anywhere this weekend!

We've been getting high wind for over an hour but no snow yet. It's almost 4 PM.

Looks like the heaviest part is aiming right at Yosemite.

I sit in a good place to watch the Chargers try to beat Tennessee again on Sunday

Winter Storm Warning - NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
1249 AM PST FRI JAN 4 2008

A LARGE PACIFIC STORM WILL BRING HEAVY SNOWFALL TO ELEVATIONS AT AND ABOVE 7000 FEET LATER TODAY. IN ADDITION...VERY STRONG WINDS WILL DEVELOP NEAR AND OVER THE CREST WHERE NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR AT TIMES TODAY AND TONIGHT.

A SECONDARY STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA ON SATURDAY WITH A CONTINUED CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS BEFORE ENDING LATE SATURDAY NIGHT.

...WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 10 AM PST SATURDAY FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK TO THE KERN COUNTY LINE..

THE WINTER STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 10 AM PST SATURDAY FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK TO THE KERN
COUNTY LINE.

LIGHT SNOW WILL DEVELOP THIS MORNING AND GRADUALLY INCREASE THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL WILL OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. BY THE TIME SNOW BEGINS TO DIMINISH LATE SATURDAY...TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 7 TO 10 FEET ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS. SNOW LEVELS WILL BE AROUND 6000 FEET TODAY...THEN LOWER TO 4500 TO 5000 FEET SATURDAY.
IN ADDITION TO THE SNOW...STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BUFFET THE THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING AND CREATE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH LOCAL WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. LOCAL WIND GUSTS OF 100 MPH OR HIGHER ARE LIKELY ALONG THE SIERRA CREST THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT.

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.

PERSONS SHOULD CURTAIL THEIR TRAVEL PLANS TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING IF THEIR DESTINATION INCLUDES THE MOUNTAINS. MANY ROADS LEADING INTO THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS WILL EITHER BE BLOWN SHUT OR REQUIRE CHAINS DURING THIS TIME.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS SOURCE..FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS WINTER WEATHER EVENT.

That is just a ridiculous amount of snow!!

I like to keep an eye on the web cams. Here's a link: http://www.sierravisionsstock.com/sierravisions/sierra-nevada-webcams/

Jet stream forecast: