Winter Storm, San Francisco
- When
- January 18, 4:00 AM PST to 9:00 PM PST
- Where
- San Francisco forecast zone
- Measured
- 50
- Coordinates
- 37.778, -122.442 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in California, January 18 to 19, 1996
A very powerful Gulf of Alaska storm brought very cold air to the Sacramento valley, with snow reported as low as 500 feet. 4 inches accumulate.
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
- 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 STO wrote it up.
A very powerful Gulf of Alaska storm brought very cold air to the Sacramento valley, with snow reported as low as 500 feet. WSO Redding had 5.4 inches accumulate. Strong winds also accompanied the storm with gusts to 46kt as far south as Yuba County Airport with even higher gusts north of the airport. In the Sierra Nevada, winds gusted to 60kt along the ridges.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Coastal Monterey County
- When
- January 18, 4:00 AM PST to January 19, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- Coastal Monterey County forecast zone
- Measured
- 60
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
- Cold in Oklahoma, January 18 to 20, 1996
- Blizzard in Iowa, January 18, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Washington, January 18 to 19, 1996
- Cold in Wisconsin, January 18, 1996
- High Wind in Indiana, January 18, 1996
- Flash Flood in Virginia, January 18 to 19, 1996
- Tornado in Missouri, January 18, 1996
- Flash Flood in Virginia, January 18 to 19, 1996
- Flash Flood in New York, January 18, 1996
- High Wind in Alabama, January 18 to 19, 1996
- Tornado in Kentucky, January 18, 1996
- Tornado in Arkansas, January 18, 1996
More
Every storm in California in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5537531, 5537532.