November 5, 2020 - The National Weather Service Hanford Office reports a Winter Storm Watch is in effect for the Sierra Nevada above 5,000 feet from 12:00 PM Friday afternoon until 10:00 PM Sunday night.

The majority of this snow will fall Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning.

Winds could gust as high as 60 mph on exposed ridgetops and near the crest.

If you plan to travel, consider alternate strategies.

If you must travel, remember to carry tire chains, plenty of food, a good deal of water, and warm clothing in your vehicle.

For information on road conditions, including closures or delays, call Caltrans at 1-800-427-7623.

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  Area Forecast Discussion 
  National Weather Service Hanford CA 
  436 AM PST Thu Nov 5 2020 
   
   
  .SYNOPSIS... 
  One last day of above average temperatures and dry weather. 
  Unsettled weather will move into the region on Friday and will 
  continue into Sunday.Temperatures will plummet across the area,  
  up to 15 degrees below average. A trough pattern will continues  
  into next week with below average temperatures.  
   
   
  && 
   
  .DISCUSSION... 
  We`ll see one last day of unseasonably warm, dry conditions  
  across the central California interior before a very big change is 
  in store for the region. An upper level high currently over the  
  southern Great Basin will quickly move into the southern plains  
  by tonight as a deep trough starts to dig southward into NorCal.  
  Today`s high temperatures will continue to be up to 10 degrees  
  above average, with haze and smoke from local wildfires continuing 
  to affect the area. Smoke will start to clear by later tonight as 
  southwesterly winds increase ahead of the approaching trough. 
   
  As the aforementioned trough digs into NorCal, strong south to  
  southwesterly winds will develop in the higher elevations of the  
  Sierra Nevada and Kern county mountains. These strong winds ahead 
  of a cold front will occur prior to the onset of the heaviest  
  precipitation. This will combine with the very dry conditions  
  across the region, which will create a period of elevated fire  
  weather conditions, primarily from later this evening into Friday  
  morning. 
   
  The High Resolution Ensemble Forecast system (HREF) as well as  
  deterministic model solutions have continued to move the main  
  upper level low further to the west, which favors a wetter system. 
  The guidance has continued to pick up on this solution and  
  precipitation amounts have increased across the area. Rain and  
  snow will form by Friday morning in the Yosemite/Merced county,  
  moving south into Kern county by Friday evening as a strong cold  
  front sweeps through the region. Total QPF amounts for Friday  
  range between a trace to 1/10 of an inch in the valley, 1/10 to  
  1/4 of an inch in the foothills, and between 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch 
  in the higher elevations, with the highest amounts from Fresno  
  county northward to Yosemite. QPF amounts in Kern county will be 
  lighter, with no precipitation expected in the desert. Snowfall  
  will increase in intensity over the course of the day Friday,  
  with snow levels plummeting to around 5,000 feet by the evening.  
  Between 2 to 4 inches will be possible by Friday night, primarily 
  from Fresno north into Yosemite, with lighter amounts to the  
  south. 
   
  The main cold core of the upper level low will swing south  
  through the central California interior on Saturday. Rain and  
  snow above 5,000 feet will be likely for the higher elevations of 
  the Sierra and Kern county mountains throughout a majority of the 
  day, with a chance of precipitation in the valley and Kern  
  county desert. QPF amounts are generally between another trace to 
  1/10 of an inch in the valley, 1/10 to 1/4 of an inch in the  
  mountains, and a trace to less than 1/10 of an inch in the desert. 
  Light snow will continue through the day above 5,000 feet with an 
  additional 1 to 3 inches for a majority of mountain locations.  
   
  By Sunday, another very cold system will drop south into the  
  central California interior. This system has also become wetter  
  compared to prior runs. QPF amounts on Sunday range between 1/10  
  to 1/4 in the valley, 1/4 to 1/2 inches in the foothills, and 1/2  
  to 1 inch in the Sierra, with lighter amounts into Kern county  
  mountains. An additional 4 to 8 inches of snow will be possible in 
  the Sierra, with 2 to 4 inches in the Kern county mountains. Snow 
  levels will be around 4,000 feet for a majority of the day as  
  temperatures further decrease across the region.  
   
  Since this is the first major winter storm for the Sierra Nevada, 
  a Winter Storm Watch has been issued for the elevations greater  
  than 5,000 feet. This watch will be in effect from Friday  
  afternoon until Sunday evening. Any travelers heading into the  
  high county should prepare for winter like driving conditions. 
   
  A trough pattern will continue across the western U.S. into the  
  middle of next, with temperatures remaining well below average. At 
  this time, the forecast remains dry from Monday into the middle  
  of next week.  

Source: NWS