Heavy Snow in California, February 26 to 27, 2001

Name: Heavy Snow in California, February 26 to 27, 2001
Start: 2001-02-26T14:15
End: 2001-02-27T22:15
Location: California

February 26 to 27, 2001 · NWS SGX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

2 heavy snow, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $175,000
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 forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 26, 9:30 AM PST, 4 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 26, 9:30 AM PST, 4 hours 45 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Feb 26, 9:25 AM PST, 4 hours 50 minutes before

CAZ042-043-048-050-055>058-60>62-262230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
1000 AM PST MON FEB 26 2001

...WET UNSETTLED WEATHER TO CONTINUE IN SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INTO
MID WEEK...

A LARGE STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE SHOWERS TODAY WITH SNOW AT THE
HIGHER ELEVATIONS. A SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF
SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET.

AS UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SLOWLY MOVES SOUTH OFF THE CALIFORNIA
COAST...SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE OVER SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA WITH A
CHANCE OF SHOWERS INTO TUESDAY. ANOTHER WEAK UPPER LEVEL LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM COULD CONTINUE SHOWERS INTO WEDNESDAY. THERE WILL
ALSO BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY AS
COLD UNSTABLE AIR MOVES IN.

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL TOTALS THROUGH WEDNESDAY SHOULD RANGE FROM ABOUT
0.50 TO 1.00 INCH WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS WITH UP TO 2.00 INCHES ON THE
FOOTHILLS AND LOWER COASTAL MOUNTAIN SLOPES. THE DESERTS COULD GET
ABOUT 0.25 INCH OF ADDITIONAL RAIN. LOCAL HEAVY SHOWERS COULD CAUSE
FLOODING OF POORLY DRAINED LOW LYING AREAS AND OF SMALL CREEKS AND
STREAMS.

THE RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE ROADS SLICK. DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH
FLOODED AREAS OR AROUND BARRICADES. PEOPLE NEAR SMALL STREAMS AND
RIVERS OR BELOW RECENTLY BURNED SLOPES SHOULD KEEP A CLOSE WATCH FOR
SIGNS OF FLOODING OR MUDSLIDES.

MM

Special weather statement, Feb 26, 10:00 AM PST, 4 hours 15 minutes before

CAZ042-043-048-050-055>058-060>062-262230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
1000 AM PST MON FEB 26 2001

...WET UNSETTLED WEATHER TO CONTINUE IN SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INTO
MID WEEK...

A LARGE STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE SHOWERS TODAY WITH SNOW AT THE
HIGHER ELEVATIONS. A SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF
SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET.

AS UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SLOWLY MOVES SOUTH OFF THE CALIFORNIA
COAST...SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE OVER SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA WITH A
CHANCE OF SHOWERS INTO TUESDAY. ANOTHER WEAK UPPER LEVEL LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM COULD CONTINUE SHOWERS INTO WEDNESDAY. THERE WILL
ALSO BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY AS
COLD UNSTABLE AIR MOVES IN.

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL TOTALS THROUGH WEDNESDAY SHOULD RANGE FROM ABOUT
0.50 TO 1.00 INCH WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS WITH UP TO 2.00 INCHES ON THE
FOOTHILLS AND LOWER COASTAL MOUNTAIN SLOPES. THE DESERTS COULD GET
ABOUT 0.25 INCH OF ADDITIONAL RAIN. LOCAL HEAVY SHOWERS COULD CAUSE
FLOODING OF POORLY DRAINED LOW LYING AREAS AND OF SMALL CREEKS AND
STREAMS.

THE RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE ROADS SLICK. DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH
FLOODED AREAS OR AROUND BARRICADES. PEOPLE NEAR SMALL STREAMS AND
RIVERS OR BELOW RECENTLY BURNED SLOPES SHOULD KEEP A CLOSE WATCH FOR
SIGNS OF FLOODING OR MUDSLIDES.

MM

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, San Bernardino County Mountains

When: February 26, 2:15 PM PST to February 27, 10:06 PM PST
Where: San Bernardino County Mountains forecast zone
Property damage: $175,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Twelve to 42 inches of snow fell at elevations above 5000 feet. The roof of an equipment warehouse collapsed under the weight of the snow. Mountain residents reported heavy snow all day with the snow level as low as 3000 feet.

Heavy Snow, Riverside County Mountains

When: February 27, 5:00 AM PST to 10:15 PM PST
Where: Riverside County Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 33.744, -115.994 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Twelve inches of snow fell at the 6300 feet elevation. Idyllwild residents reported snowflakes were the size of quarters.

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 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in California, February 2001

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: 5229874, 5229875.