Winter Storm in California, January 18 to 19, 1998

Name: Winter Storm in California, January 18 to 19, 1998
Start: 1998-01-18T10:00
End: 1998-01-19T10:00
Location: California

January 18 to 19, 1998 · NWS STO · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

This storm brought 1 to 2 feet of snow to the mountains of interior nothern California above 4000 feet. S.

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 STO wrote it up.

This storm brought 1 to 2 feet of snow to the mountains of interior nothern California above 4000 feet. In the Sierra Nevada, the three major transportation routes (Interstate 80, U.S. Route 50, and state route 88) were all temporarily closed due to zero visibility conditions in snow and blowing snow.

Event by event

5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Lake T N & X Sw/W Yolo/X Sw Colusa/E Napa/X Nw Solano

When: January 18, 10:00 AM PST to January 19, 2:00 AM PST
Where: Lake T N & X Sw/W Yolo/X Sw Colusa/E Napa/X Nw Solano forecast zone

Winter Storm, Ne & Ec Shasta

When: January 18, 10:00 AM PST to January 19, 2:00 AM PST
Where: Ne & Ec Shasta forecast zone

Winter Storm, Nw & Nc Shasta

When: January 18, 12:00 PM PST to January 19, 4:00 AM PST
Where: Nw & Nc Shasta forecast zone

Winter Storm, W Sierra T X W/C Nevada/C Placer/C El Dorado/E Amador/Ne Calaveras/C & Ne Tuolumne/Sw Alpine

When: January 18, 1:00 PM PST to January 19, 8:00 AM PST
Where: W Sierra T X W/C Nevada/C Placer/C El Dorado/E Amador/Ne Calaveras/C & Ne Tuolumne/Sw Alpine forecast zone

Winter Storm, X Se Shasta/X E Tehama/W Plumas T X Sw

When: January 18, 2:00 PM PST to January 19, 10:00 AM PST
Where: X Se Shasta/X E Tehama/W Plumas T X Sw 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 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in California, January 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5633132, 5633133, 5633134, 5633135, 5633136.