Projected rainfall totals for Mariposa: 0.25" to 0.50"
Projected rainfall totals for Oakhurst: 0.25" to 0.50"
Projected rainfall totals for Yosemite Valley: 0.50" to 1.00"
December 17, 2020 - The National Weather Service Hanford Office reports a storm system will impact Central California Today.
Precipitation amounts will be mostly light, but 6-9 inches of snow is expected to accumulate above 5000 feet across the Central Sierra Nevada.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 330 AM PST Thu Dec 17 2020 .SYNOPSIS...A storm system will bring wet weather to much of the district today along with gusty winds in the Kern county mountains and desert this afternoon and evening. A clearing trend will occur in the wake of this system tonight. A ridge of high pressure will build into California by Friday and remain in control through the Christmas holiday. Mostly clear skies can be expected during this time with areas of late night and morning fog in the San Joaquin Valley. && .DISCUSSION... Regional radar and satellite loops are showing the well advertised cold front just entering Merced county as of this writing. The front will be passing through CENCAL this morning with some possible clearing in the SJV later this afternoon. Unfortunately, there is not much lower elevation rain and mountain snow with the system. There will be enough to wet the roads, but as you get into Kern county, it will be drier. We are expecting winds to pick up across the Kern County mountains later today as the front pushes through. We have a winter weather advisory out for the Yosemite National Park area above 5500 feet for snow up to 9 inches through this afternoon. Cold air behind the system will allow our temepratures to drop below freezing overnight for the next several days into early next week. The active storm track will remain well to our north as a ridge of high pressure returns and will shun away any systems that try to move into CENCAL through the forecast period and beyond. We will have a system move through Nevada on Tuesday night that could bring some winds across parts of the CENCAL interior. A full amplitude ridge will block any weather systems along the west coast through the Christmas holiday week. A closed low center off of Baja will set up a Rex Block pattern later next week. Temperatures will try to moderate some by the end of the forecast period with dry conditions expected.Source: NWS