Winter Storm, San Francisco
- When
- March 4, 8:00 AM PST to March 5, 3:00 AM PST
- Where
- San Francisco forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.778, -122.442 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in California, March 4 to 5, 1996
A strong cold front moved through Northern California, producing scattered power outages and minor flooding in the Sacramento Valley, and snowfall and drifting snow in the Sierra Nevada that caused closure of Interstate 80. Gusts to 80 mph were observed along I-80 at the 6000 foot elevation.
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 strong cold front moved through Northern California, producing scattered power outages and minor flooding in the Sacramento Valley, and snowfall and drifting snow in the Sierra Nevada that caused closure of Interstate 80. Gusts to 80 mph were observed along I-80 at the 6000 foot elevation.
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
- March 4, 8:00 AM PST to March 5, 3:00 AM PST
- Where
- Coastal Monterey County forecast zone
- Measured
- 80
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
- Heavy Snow in New York, March 4, 1996
- Heavy Snow in New York, March 4, 1996
- Winter Storm in Colorado, March 4 to 6, 1996
- High Wind in Hawaii, March 4, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, March 4 to 5, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, March 4 to 5, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, March 4 to 5, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Utah, March 4 to 6, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, March 4 to 5, 1996
- High Wind in Alaska, March 4 to 5, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Washington, March 4, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Hawaii, March 4, 1996
More
Every storm in California in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 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: 5549758, 5549759.