Winter Storm in California, December 20, 1997

Name: Winter Storm in California, December 20, 1997
Start: 1997-12-20T07:00
End: 1997-12-20T14:00
Location: California

December 20, 1997 · NWS EKA · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Small hail accumulated to a depth of an inch on US Highway 101 north of Orick (35N Eureka) and closed the road for a time. Light freezing rain fell in several valleys in Trinity County.

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 EKA wrote it up.

Small hail accumulated to a depth of an inch on US Highway 101 north of Orick (35N Eureka) and closed the road for a time. Light freezing rain fell in several valleys in Trinity County. No significant accumulations were reported.

Event by event

2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Upper Trinity River

When: December 20, 7:00 AM PST to 11:00 AM PST
Where: Upper Trinity River forecast zone

Winter Storm, Redwood Coast

When: December 20, 2:00 PM PST
Where: Redwood Coast forecast zone

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

Every storm in California in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in California, December 1997

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: 5626503, 5626502.