STORM SUMMARY NUMBER 01 FOR SOUTHWESTERN U.S. HEAVY RAIN/SNOW
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD
100 PM PST FRI FEB 28 2014

...MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN CONTINUES TO AFFECT MUCH OF
DROUGHT-STRICKEN CA WHILE WINTRY PRECIPITATION FALLS OVER THE
SIERRA NEVADA RANGE.

WINTER STORM WARNINGS AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN
ISSUED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN CA MOUNTAINS AND UP ALONG THE SIERRA
NEVADA RANGE.

HIGH WIND WARNINGS AND WIND ADVISORIES ARE IN PLACE OVER AREAS OF
SOUTHERN CA...SOUTHERN NV...AND WESTERN AZ.

FLASH FLOOD WATCHES...COASTAL FLOOD WARNINGS...FLASH FLOOD
WARNINGS...AND FLOOD ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT ACROSS MUCH OF
SOUTHERN CA.

FOR A DETAILED GRAPHICAL DEPICTION OF THE LATEST
WATCHES...WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES...PLEASE SEE WWW.WEATHER.GOV

AT 1200 PM PST...A POWERFUL AND ANOMALOUS CLOSED LOW SEEN SPINNING
ON VISIBLE SATELLITE AROUND 35N/130W HAS HELPED DRAW ABUNDANT
MOISTURE FROM THE TROPICAL PACIFIC WHICH HAS SPREAD SEVERAL ROUNDS
OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL INTO CA. THE 19Z SURFACE ANALYSIS
DEPICTED A 976 MB (28.82 INCHES) CYCLONE WELL OFFSHORE WITH AN
OCCLUDED SYSTEM EXTENDING ALONG THE COAST OF CA. NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SHOWED A PAIR OF
ELONGATED BANDS OF SHOWERS WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS TRACKING
INLAND. THE FURTHER SOUTH BAND HAS ROLLED THROUGH THE LOS ANGELES
BASIN AND MOVED INTO THE DESERT REGION. THE AXIS OF PRECIPITATION
TO THE NORTH STRETCHED FROM NEAR SANTA BARBARA...CA AND EXTENDED
ACROSS THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA AND INTO THE SIERRA NEVADA.
HIGHER ELEVATIONS WERE DEPICTED SNOW...PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE
NORTHERN SIERRA.

...SELECTED STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL IN INCHES FROM 400 AM PST WED FEB
26 THROUGH 1000 AM PST FRI FEB 28...

...CALIFORNIA...
SODA SPRINGS 1.5 SSQ                 12.0                    
LEE VINING 5.9 NW                    10.5                    
KINGVALE 1.3 WSW                      8.0                    
TAHOMA 0.5 S                          6.4                    

...SELECTED STORM TOTAL RAINFALL IN INCHES FROM 400 AM PST WED FEB
26 THROUGH 1000 AM PST FRI FEB 28...

...CALIFORNIA...
PINYON PEAK ALERT #66                 5.90                    
BONNY DOON 2 NE                       5.19                    
COBB 0.8 S                            4.97                    
LOS GATOS 5.4 SSW                     4.82                    
FELTON 4.5 NNE                        4.68                    
MIDDLE FORK LYTLE CK PRECIP SITE      4.66                    
SAN ANSELMO 1.2 NNW                   4.63                    
BIG SUR 9.5 NNW                       4.60                    
PIT RIVER PH #5                       4.60                    
CARMEL HIGHLANDS 7 SE                 4.45                    
SCOTTS VALLEY 1.7 SW                  4.36                    
SANTA CRUZ 6.3 NNE                    4.03                    
BOULDER CREEK 3.0 NW                  4.01                    
CAZADERO 6.9 WNW                      4.01                    
CLEAR CREEK                           3.84                    
TOPANGA                               3.75                    
OJAI 0.3 WNW                          3.42                    
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES/USC CAMPUS       2.70                    
SAN JOSE 1.9 SW                       2.08                    
OAKLAND 7.8 SE                        2.07                    


AS THE CLOSED LOW ADVANCES CLOSER TO THE COAST...THE SYSTEM SHOULD
GRADUALLY WEAKEN BUT WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE ACCESS TO WELL ABOVE
NORMAL MOISTURE. THE COMBINATION OF ONSHORE FLOW...ANOMALOUS
MOISTURE CONTENT...AND LOCAL TOPOGRAPHY WILL HELP INVIGORATE
ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS CA WITH 2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN
EXPECTED ALONG THE SOUTHERN/CENTRAL CA COAST WITH ISOLATED HIGHER
AMOUNTS THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON. IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF
THE SIERRA NEVADA RANGE...12 TO 18 INCHES OF SNOW ARE LIKELY WITH
LOCALIZED HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. MEANWHILE...LOWER AMOUNTS ARE
EXPECTED FURTHER SOUTH ACROSS THE SAN BERNARDINOS...SAN
GABRIELS...AND SAN JACINTOS. AS THE SYSTEM PROGRESSES
EASTWARD...MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION IS BEING FORECAST OVER
THE MOGOLLON RIM WITH 1 TO 2 INCHES POSSIBLE. THUS FAR INTO THE
EVENT...THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN REPORTS OF FLASH FLOODING AS THE
HEAVY RAINS HAVE FALLEN ON TOP OF DROUGHT-STRICKEN GROUNDS WHICH
HAS LED TO RAPID RUN-OFF. MORE EPISODES WILL BE POSSIBLE AS HEAVY
RAINS REMAIN IN THE FORECAST.

THE NEXT STORM SUMMARY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE WEATHER PREDICTION
CENTER AT 700 PM PST. PLEASE REFER TO YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS EVENT.

RUBIN-OSTER