Sierra Nevada from Yosemite to K (California)
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
425 AM PDT SAT SEP 26 2009
CAZ089>099-262200-
WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS-
TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS-KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-
SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
425 AM PDT SAT SEP 26 2009

...BIG CHANGES IN STORE TO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR NEXT WEEK
WITH BREEZY CONDITIONS AND SIGNIFICANTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES...
THE UPPER RIDGE THAT HAS DOMINATED OUR WEATHER PATTERN FOR THE
PAST SEVERAL DAYS WITH RECORD HEAT AND SUMMER LIKE CONDITIONS WILL
BEGIN TO BREAK DOWN ON SUNDAY AS A STRONG UPPER LOW IS EXPECTED TO
MOVE OUT OF THE GULF OF ALASKA ON MONDAY AND SWEEP THROUGH THE
REGION BY WEDNESDAY.

TEMPERATURES WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE ON SUNDAY AS THE RIDGE
CONTINUES TO BREAK DOWN AND SHIFT EAST. SOME SUB TROPICAL MOISTURE
IS FORECAST TO BE LIFTED NORTH OVER THE AREA AS THE INITIAL COLD
FRONT MOVES THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...PROVIDING THE
POSSIBILITY OF DRY THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE CREST OF THE SIERRA.
SIGNIFICANTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES AND BREEZY CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AXIS
MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. WE ARE EXPECTING HIGH TEMPERATURES ON
WEDNESDAY TO BE AROUND 5 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.
THE MOUNTAINS WILL SEE VERY WINDY CONDITIONS WITH VERY COLD WIND
CHILL VALUES ON TUESDAY NIGHT. CAMPERS AND RECREATIONAL INTERESTS
NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS ON
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AS SIGNIFICANTLY COLDER AIR MOVES INTO THE
AREA. EXTRA LAYERS OF CLOTHING AND PROTECTION AGAINST HYPOTHERMIA
WILL BE REQUIRED FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
WINDY CONDITIONS IN THE SIERRA ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY WITH NW WINDS
25 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH THROUGH THE CANYONS AND PASSES
ABOVE 8000 FEET. WINDY CONDITIONS ARE ALSO EXPECTED THROUGH THE KERN
COUNTY MOUNTAINS...WITH NW WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH
THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE AND THE TEHACHAPI PASSES. THIS KIND OF WIND
SPEEDS CAN DANGEROUSLY IMPACT TRAVEL ON HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES SUCH
AS TRACTOR TRAILERS AND CAMPERS.

A GRADUAL WARM UP IS EXPECTED THURSDAY AND INTO FRIDAY...BUT TO ONLY
NEAR NORMAL FALL-LIKE VALUES.

$$
JDB
WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Sierra Nevada from Yosemite to K (California)
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
230 PM PDT MON SEP 28 2009
CAZ096-097-291000-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
230 PM PDT MON SEP 28 2009

...SIGNIFICANTLY COOLER AND GUSTY WITH POSSIBLE SHOWERS TUESDAY...
AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO CENTRAL
CALIFORNIA TUESDAY...BRINGING SIGNIFICANTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES
AND BREEZY CONDITIONS. WINDS WILL GUST TO AROUND 60 MPH OVER THE
HIGH COUNTRY OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...ESPECIALLY ABOVE 9000
FEET. IN ADDITION...THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS OVER THE
HIGH COUNTRY OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA TONIGHT...CONTINUING
THROUGH TUESDAY AND INTO TUESDAY EVENING. SNOW LEVELS WILL START
OUT HIGH THIS EVENING...ABOVE 11000 FEET...BUT WILL LOWER THROUGH
THE DAY TUESDAY TO AROUND 6000 FEET BY WEDNESDAY MORNING.
PEOPLE HIKING OR CAMPING IN THE HIGH COUNTRY OF THE SOUTHERN
SIERRA NEVADA SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING CONDITIONS
BEGINNING TONIGHT. BE PREPARED FOR COLD TEMPERATURES...STRONG GUSTY
WINDS AND LOW WIND CHILLS. SHOWERS THAT START AS RAIN TONIGHT OVER
THE HIGH COUNTRY COULD CHANGE TO SNOW BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

$$
LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS SOURCE...FOR
UPDATES ON THIS SITUATION.
SANGER
WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
848 AM PDT SUN OCT 4 2009
CAZ096-097-041900-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
848 AM PDT SUN OCT 4 2009

...COLDER WITH SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS TODAY...
SNOW SHOWERS AT ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5500 FEET WILL CONTINUE TODAY
OVER THE SIERRA AS A COLD AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS PUSHES TO THE
SOUTH. LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN
HEAVIER SNOW SHOWERS...ESPECIALLY IN AND NEAR YOSEMITE PARK. TO
THE SOUTH...CLOUDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE IN THE KINGS CANYON AND
SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK AREAS WHERE SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL
DEVELOP LATER THIS MORNING. IN THIS AREA AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW IS
POSSIBLE AT SOME LOCATIONS WHILE MOST AREAS WILL RECEIVE JUST A
DUSTING OF SNOW. IT WILL BE MUCH COLDER, WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES
ONLY REACHING THE LOWER 40S IN THE LODGEPOLE...GRANT GROVE AND
GIANT FOREST AREAS AND THE MID TO UPPER 40S IN YOSEMITE VALLEY.
IN ADDITION TO THE COLDER TEMPERATURES...WINDS WILL GUST TO AROUND
65 MPH OVER THE HIGH COUNTRY OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA
NEVADA...ESPECIALLY ABOVE 9000 FEET.

PEOPLE HIKING OR CAMPING IN THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA TODAY
SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING CONDITIONS...INCLUDING
COLD TEMPERATURES...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND LOW WIND CHILLS.
TRAVELERS SHOULD ALSO BE AWARE THAT EVEN MINOR SNOW ACCUMULATIONS
ON MOUNTAIN ROADS WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS.

$$
DUDLEY
WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

000
FXUS66 KHNX 042010
AFDHNX

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
110 PM PDT SUN OCT 4 2009

.DISCUSSION...UPPER LOW CONTINUES TO SPIN OVER THE WEST COAST
PROVIDING FOR ADDITION SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS THE SIERRA NEVADA THIS
AFTERNOON. REGIONAL DOPPLER RADAR FROM AROUND THE AREA SHOW MAINLY
LIGHT PRECIP FALLING OVER ZONE 96...YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON...
WITH WEBCAMS INDICATING PRECIP IN THE FORM OF SNOW. BASED ON
CURRENT MESONET OBSERVATIONS...THE SNOW LEVEL IS NEAR 5000 FEET
MSL NEAR YOSEMITE TO NEAR 6000 FEET OVER TULARE COUNTY. WITH MOST
OF THE DYNAMICS CENTERED OVER ZONE 96...WILL TAPER OFF THE PROB OF
PRECIP TO CHANCE LEVELS OVER THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND VERY
LOW CHANCE OF PRECIP OVER KERN COUNTY. BASED ON OBSERVATIONAL DATA
WILL CONTINUE TO SEE LIGHT PRECIP AMOUNTS AS THE SIERRA NEVADA
ACCUMULATES AROUND 1 INCH OF SNOW (~0.10 INCH OF WATER). SATELLITE
IMAGERY SHOWING THE CENTER OF THE UPPER LOW OVER THE GREAT BASIN
WITH A GOOD HEIGHT GRADIENT MOVING INTO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA TODAY.
AT THE 250MB LEVEL...STRONG WINDS ARE CORRESPONDING WITH THE AREA
OF THE TIGHT 500MB HEIGHT GRADIENT AS A +100KT JET MAX ROUND THE
BASE OF THE TROF AXIS. WITH THESE STRONG WINDS...WE MAY SEE
SUPPORT FOR TODAY STRONG WINDS IN THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND
DESERTS AND POSSIBLY SOME OROGRAPHIC EFFECTS ACROSS THE SIERRA
NEVADA RANGE. THEREFORE...WILL MAINTAIN THE WIND ADVISORY IN
EFFECT THROUGH 600 PM PDT THIS EVENING. CURRENTLY ACROSS THE KERN
DESERTS...WINDS HAVE BEEN BLOWING AT 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS
PEAKING AT NEAR 40 MPH.

SHORT RANGE MODELS SHOW ANOTHER PIECE OF ENERGY ROTATING AROUND
THE UPPER LOW OVERNIGHT WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR MORE PRECIP.
THEREFORE...WILL KEEP THE SHOWERS GOING BEYOND TODAY WITH
LINGERING ISOLATED PRECIP ON MONDAY. MODELS SHOW MOSTLY
INSTABILITY SHOWERS FORMING ON MONDAY BEFORE THE UPPER LOW MOVES
OFFSHORE ON TUESDAY. WHILE ONLY WEAK PIECES OF ENERGY WILL
CONTINUE TO ROTATE AROUND THE UPPER LOW...ONE MAY MANAGE TO SWING
UP THROUGH THE DISTRICT ON TUESDAY TO KEEP THE SHOWERS GOING. BY
WEDNESDAY...MODELS REMAIN IN GOOD CONSENSUS ON SHIFTING THE UPPER
LOW TOWARD BAJA CALIFORNIA AND PROVIDING THE DISTRICT WITH A
NORTHEASTERLY WIND FLOW. AT THIS POINT...WILL SEE A DRYING TREND
START WITH TEMPERATURES SLOWLY BEGINNING TO RISE. LONGER RANGE
MODELS ALSO SHOW GOOD CONSENSUS ON DEVELOPING A RIDGE PATTERN OVER
THE WEST BY THE END OF THE WEEK. ALL LONGER RANGE MODEL SOLUTIONS
BEGIN SHOWING THE RIDGE AXIS NEAR THE WEST COAST BY NEXT WEEKEND
...WHICH COULD ALLOW THE DISTRICT TO WARM WELL INTO THE 80S BY
THAT TIME.

&&

.AVIATION...
AREAS OF MVFR AND LOCAL IFR IN SHOWERS OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA
NEVADA MOUNTAINS. OTHERWISE VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR THROUGH 00Z TUESDAY.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...NONE.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM PDT
THIS EVENING FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS
/CAZ095-098-099/.

&&

$$

PUBLIC...MOLINA
AVN/FW...DUDLEY