Winter Storm, Mono
- When
- December 21, 12:00 AM PST to December 23, 12:00 AM PST
- Where
- Mono forecast zone
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 37.939, -118.887 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in California, December 21 to 23, 1996
A powerful winter storm pummeled the Mono County area with heavy snow. The most noteworthy snowfall accumulations were from early Saturday morning (21st) to late Saturday afternoon and also from late Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS REV wrote it up.
A powerful winter storm pummeled the Mono County area with heavy snow. The most noteworthy snowfall accumulations were from early Saturday morning (21st) to late Saturday afternoon and also from late Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. At Mammoth Lakes, 20 inches of snow fell from early Saturday morning to late Saturday afternoon (12-18 hour period). Also, Tom's Place (southeast of Mammoth Lakes) reported 12 inches of snow in the same time frame. The Mammoth Lakes area received an additional 20-30 inches of snow from late Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon (22nd). The storm total ending early Monday morning (23rd) was 53 inches at Mammoth Lakes with 72 inches at the Mammoth Ski Resort.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Wind in California, December 21, 1996
- Cold in Minnesota, December 21 to 27, 1996
- Cold in North Dakota, December 21 to 27, 1996
- Avalanche in California, December 21, 1996
- Winter Storm in California, December 21 to 22, 1996
- High Wind in Colorado, December 21 to 22, 1996
- High Wind in Colorado, December 21, 1996
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, December 21 to 22, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Montana, December 21, 1996
- High Wind in Alaska, December 21, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Montana, December 21 to 31, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Nevada, December 21 to 22, 1996
More
Every storm in California in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5580654.