Projected rainfall totals for Mariposa: 0.50" to 1.00"
Projected rainfall totals for Oakhurst: 0.50" to 1.00"
Projected rainfall totals for Yosemite Valley: 1.00" to 1.50"
February 9, 2021 - The National Weather Service Hanford office reports a trough of low pressure will move southeastward across Northern California Thursday night into Friday morning.
In the San Joaquin Valley, rain amounts will be lowest in Kern and Kings Counties.
Snow levels will start at around 7,000 feet Thursday night, before falling to about 5,000 feet Friday morning.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hanford CA 400 AM PST Tue Feb 9 2021 .SYNOPSIS...A weak cold front will move southward through the central California interior today with little more than sprinkles in the valley and foothills and isolated showers in the Sierra north of Kings Canyon. Otherwise, dry weather will prevail over the district through Thursday. A couple of storm systems will move through the region from Thursday evening through Sunday with rain and mountain snow. Temperatures will average slightly above normal through Thursday before trending much cooler at the end of the week. && .DISCUSSION...Wet weather is definitely in the offing later this week and it couldn`t be more welcome. After all, it`s been at least ten days since any precipitation has fallen anywhere over the central California interior. The storm systems that will bring water into the CWA in the 3 to 7 day period aren`t likely to rival the heavy deluge we received during the last week of January. Nonetheless, by Presidents day, the mountains above 7,000 feet will be blanketed by several new inches of snow, a soaking rain will fall in the foothills and the eastern third of the San Joaquin Valley should receive its first wetting rain this month. In the meantime, a rather weak and diffuse Pacific cold front will drag its feet through the central California interior this afternoon. This front will be the "door opener" for storm systems later in the week. Its passage through the CWA today will be accompanied by little more than sprinkles in the valley and foothills. Isolated showers or snow flurries are possible with this front in the Sierra north of Kings Canyon today and it will be nothing to write home about. In the wake of this cold front, westerly winds will increase through and below the Kern county mountain passes by late this afternoon and remain gusty into Wednesday. Additionally, some low clouds may bank up along the west slopes of the Sierra and the north facing slopes of the Tehachapi mountains tonight and linger into Wednesday morning. A high pressure ridge over the Eastern Pacific will build into central California Wednesday and remain in control through at midday Thursday with dry weather. Increasing and thickening clouds Thursday will be the forerunners of precipitation that will probably arrive over the northern part of our CWA as early as Thursday afternoon. Kern County will have to wait until at least Thursday evening for the arrival of wet weather. The models differ slightly on the exact track of the upper level low associated with this late week storm system but seem to agree that it will exit south and east of our CWA by Friday afternoon, during which time the precipitation it brings will be ending or have already ended. Another ridge of high pressure is forecast to build in behind Friday`s departing storm and remain in control Friday night into Saturday. The storm system that follows will be colder and wetter and will bring rain and mountain snow to the district from midday Saturday into Sunday. There are timing differences with the models.(The ECM is about 6 hours slower than the GFS.) Whatever the case, this second round of precipitation should wrap up by Sunday afternoon as an Eastern Pacific ridge begins to build into the Golden State. A northwesterly flow aloft will reside over California early next week. While this is generally a dry pattern for us, weak upper level disturbances embedded in this flow could generate light precipitation at times in the Sierra on days 6 and 7. Temperature-wise, we`ll be trending a bit cooler each day this week but still remain slightly above normal until the end of this week.
Source: NWS
