Winter Storm, San Bernardino County Mountains
- When
- January 5, 6:00 AM PST to January 6, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- San Bernardino County Mountains forecast zone
- Measured
- 50
- Coordinates
- 34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in California, January 5 to 6, 1997
A rapidly deepening upper low over over southern California produced snow and strong winds in the mountains and high deserts. Snow was reported as low as 3200 feet in the Cajon Pass, along with wind gusts to 58 mph.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
- 3
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 rapidly deepening upper low over over southern California produced snow and strong winds in the mountains and high deserts. Snow was reported as low as 3200 feet in the Cajon Pass, along with wind gusts to 58 mph. Sleet, snow pellets, and thunder accompanied the snow at many locations. At least 7500 customers lost power throughout the region, as falling trees and branches severed electric lines. Four to five inch snows were reported in the mountains, with two to three inches in the Apple Valley.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Riverside County Mountains
- When
- January 5, 6:00 AM PST to January 6, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- Riverside County Mountains forecast zone
- Measured
- 50
- Coordinates
- 33.744, -115.994 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Apple and Lucerne Valleys
- When
- January 5, 6:00 AM PST to January 6, 6:00 AM PST
- Where
- Apple and Lucerne Valleys forecast zone
- Measured
- 50
- Coordinates
- 34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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
- Winter Storm in New Mexico, January 5 to 6, 1997
- High Wind in California, January 5 to 7, 1997
- Tornado in Alabama, January 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, January 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, January 5, 1997
- High Wind in Ohio, January 5, 1997
- Tornado in Ohio, January 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, January 5, 1997
- Tornado in Georgia, January 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, January 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, January 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, January 5, 1997
More
Every storm in California in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 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: 5588430, 5588431, 5588432.