Heavy Snow in California, February 19 to 20, 1998

Name: Heavy Snow in California, February 19 to 20, 1998
Start: 1998-02-19T15:00
End: 1998-02-20T12:00
Location: California

February 19 to 20, 1998 · NWS HNX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Significant snowfall occurred throughout the Central California Mountain Areas beginning 2/19 and into 2/20/98. Fish Camp in Mariposa County had 16" of new snow in the 24 hours preceding 0750 PST 02/20/98 and still snowing at 0944 PST 02/20/98 at Wawona.

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 HNX wrote it up.

Significant snowfall occurred throughout the Central California Mountain Areas beginning 2/19 and into 2/20/98. Mammoth Mountain reported 10" of new snow...Fish Camp in Mariposa County had 16" of new snow in the 24 hours preceding 0750 PST 02/20/98 and still snowing at 0944 PST 02/20/98 at Wawona. Sierra Summit in Fresno County had 15" of new snow overnight by 0705 PST 2/20/98. Badger Pass snow depth by this time in excess of 114" of packed snow. In the Tehachapi Mountains of Kern County 5" of new snow fell and accumulated in the Tehachapi Valley by 0645 PST 02/20/98.

Event by event

3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Southern Sierra Nevada-Yosemite National Park to Kings Canyon

When: February 19, 3:00 PM PST to February 20, 12:00 PM PST
Where: Southern Sierra Nevada-Yosemite National Park to Kings Canyon forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Tulare County Mountains

When: February 19, 3:00 PM PST to February 20, 12:00 PM PST
Where: Tulare County Mountains forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Kern County Mountains

When: February 19, 3:00 PM PST to February 20, 12:00 PM PST
Where: Kern County Mountains forecast zone

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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, February 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: 5639099, 5639100, 5639101.