Projected rainfall totals for Mariposa: Less than 0.10"
Projected rainfall totals for Oakhurst: Less than 0.10"
Projected rainfall totals for Yosemite Valley: Less than 0.10"
April 7, 2020 - The National Weather Service Hanford Office reports a storm system will impact the Southern Sierra Nevada from Fresno County southward into the Kern County mountains starting this afternoon through Wednesday night.
6 to 12 inches of snow is expected above 5,000 feet with locally higher amounts of up to 18 inches.
Rainfall totals of up to 1-1.5 inches with higher amounts are possible in the mountains.
Between 0.5-1 inches is expected for most of Kern County, while lower amounts are expected in other parts of the valley.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 224 AM PDT Tue Apr 7 2020 .SYNOPSIS... Low pressure will move down the California coast today and into Southern California Wednesday and Thursday. Unsettled and cool weather will continue with lower elevation rain and mountain snow for especially southern parts of the region. && .DISCUSSION...Strong cyclonic flow and difluence aloft continue this morning over the Central California Interior as low pressure spins about 200 miles west of the Central Coast. Water vapor imagery shows several embedded vorticity centers (or areas of spine within the overall spin) rotating around the low center. As the parent low center slowly moves to the south the flow into the forecast area is beginning to shift from the southwest to the south. So how does the pattern evolve? For today with forecast models bringing the center of the big offshore low to a location about 200 miles west of Point Conception the flow into the region will shift to the south by later this afternoon and this will push moisture northward into Kern County. During the evening and into tonight the low is projected to move to the east with the center position just south of the Channel Islands by Wednesday morning and the resulting flow becoming southeast. Taking things into Wednesday afternoon, models move the center of the low east into San Bernardino County and this will allow the moist flow to turn to the east over Kern County and the Southern Sierra. This south to southeast to east flow pattern is ideal for precipitation in the Southern Sierra and Kern County areas. Model projected precipitation suggests a good long lasting soaking rain for the lower elevations and significant snow above 5500 feet in the mountains. A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for the Sierra from Sequoia Park southward across the Piutes, Tehachapi and San Emigdio ranges from late this afternoon through Wednesday evening where heavy snow is likely. Snow levels will likely stay above pass level on the Grapevine and Tehachapi Passes, however Walker Pass could receive up to several inches of wet snow by Wednesday night as well as Pine Mountain Club and areas just above Frazier Park. Upper Bear Valley Springs should get some snow too. Since this low pressure system is a "cutoff" low (meaning separated from the jet stream and steering currents) it will only slowly move east on Thursday to the Lake Mead vicinity thus some northeast flow wrap around showers will persist over the Sierra and Kern County mountain and desert areas. By Thursday night and Friday the low is progged to sag into southwest Arizona and the Central California Interior will be precipitation free in the dry northerly flow behind the low. All in all a good precipitation event to continue, this time for the south.
Source: NWS
