Cold in California, December 21 to 22, 1998

Name: Cold in California, December 21 to 22, 1998
Start: 1998-12-21T23:00
End: 1998-12-22T08:00
Location: California

December 21 to 22, 1998 · NWS EKA · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Minimum temperatures dropped below zero in many interior valleys and into the teens on the coast. Many record minimum temperatures were set.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

Minimum temperatures dropped below zero in many interior valleys and into the teens on the coast. Many record minimum temperatures were set. Minimal agricultural damage but many buildings suffered water damage from broken pipes.

Event by event

5 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Redwood Coast

When: December 21, 11:00 PM PST to December 22, 8:00 AM PST
Where: Redwood Coast forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Cold/Wind Chill, Mendocino Coast

When: December 21, 11:00 PM PST to December 22, 8:00 AM PST
Where: Mendocino Coast forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Cold/Wind Chill, Mendocino Interior

When: December 21, 11:00 PM PST to December 22, 8:00 AM PST
Where: Mendocino Interior forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Cold/Wind Chill, North Coast Interior

When: December 21, 11:00 PM PST to December 22, 8:00 AM PST
Where: North Coast Interior forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Cold/Wind Chill, Upper Trinity River

When: December 21, 11:00 PM PST to December 22, 8:00 AM PST
Where: Upper Trinity River forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill: Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in California, December 1998

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: 5673545, 5673546, 5673547, 5673548, 5673549.