Weather Alert in California
Winter Weather Advisory issued March 13 at 1:02PM PDT until March 13 at 11:00PM PDT by NWS Hanford CA
AREAS AFFECTED: Mariposa-Madera Lower Sierra; Fresno-Tulare Lower Sierra; South End of the Lower Sierra
DESCRIPTION: * WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches between 3000 and 4000 feet. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph. * WHERE...Fresno-Tulare Lower Sierra, Mariposa-Madera Lower Sierra, and South End of the Lower Sierra. * WHEN...Until 11 PM PDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Thursday evening commute.
INSTRUCTION: Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.
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Current U.S. National Radar--Current
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National Weather Forecast for Tomorrow
Tomorrow National Weather Forecast and Tomorrow National Weather Map are show below.
North America Water Vapor (Moisture)
This map shows recent moisture content over North America. Bright and colored areas show high moisture (ie, clouds); brown indicates very little moisture present; black indicates no moisture.
Weather Topic: What is Precipitation?
Home - Education - Precipitation - Precipitation
Next Topic: Rain
Precipitation can refer to many different forms of water that
may fall from clouds. Precipitation occurs after a cloud has become saturated to
the point where its water particles are more dense than the air below the cloud.
In most cases, precipitation will reach the ground, but it is not uncommon for
precipitation to evaporate before it reaches the earth's surface.
When precipitation evaporates before it contacts the ground it is called Virga.
Graupel, hail, sleet, rain, drizzle, and snow are forms of precipitation, but fog
and mist are not considered precipitation because the water vapor which
constitutes them isn't dense enough to fall to the ground.
Next Topic: Rain
Weather Topic: What are Shelf Clouds?
Home - Education - Cloud Types - Shelf Clouds
Next Topic: Sleet
A shelf cloud is similar to a wall cloud, but forms at the front
of a storm cloud, instead of at the rear, where wall clouds form.
A shelf cloud is caused by a series of events set into motion by the advancing
storm; first, cool air settles along the ground where precipitation has just fallen.
As the cool air is brought in, the warmer air is displaced, and rises above it,
because it is less dense. When the warmer air reaches the bottom of the storm cloud,
it begins to cool again, and the resulting condensation is a visible shelf cloud.
Next Topic: Sleet
