Blizzard, San Bernardino County Mountains
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM PST to 11:00 AM PST
- Where
- San Bernardino County Mountains forecast zone
- Measured
- 46
- Coordinates
- 34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in California, December 22, 1996
A cold front sweeping through the San Bernardino and Riverside Mountains generated strong winds and heavy, wet snow in elevations above 6000 feet. Snow began falling during the early morning hours of the 22nd, and increased in intensity, along with the winds, until blizzard conditions were reported shortly after 7:00 AM.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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 SGX wrote it up.
A cold front sweeping through the San Bernardino and Riverside Mountains generated strong winds and heavy, wet snow in elevations above 6000 feet. Snow began falling during the early morning hours of the 22nd, and increased in intensity, along with the winds, until blizzard conditions were reported shortly after 7:00 AM. In the Big Bear Valley, 40 to 50 mph winds combined with heavy snow to snap trees and power lines, and cause severe visibility restrictions for several hours. By the early afternoon, the storm had diminished, leaving up to one half foot of snow in some areas.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Riverside County Mountains
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM PST to 11:00 AM PST
- Where
- Riverside County Mountains forecast zone
- Measured
- 46
- Coordinates
- 33.744, -115.994 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Blizzard
- Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Wind in Nevada, December 22, 1996
- Blizzard in California, December 22, 1996
- Tornado in California, December 22, 1996
- Winter Storm in Colorado, December 22 to 23, 1996
- High Wind in Utah, December 22, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, December 22 to 23, 1996
- Flood in California, December 22, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Nevada, December 22, 1996
- High Wind in California, December 22, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, December 22 to 24, 1996
- Damaging Wind in California, December 22, 1996
- Damaging Wind in California, December 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5576886, 5576887.