California, 2001

Winter Storm in California, January 25 to 26, 2001

January 25 to 26, 2001 · NWS STO · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

An abnormally cold winter storm produced snow as low as 700 feet. Snow accumulations barely exceeded a foot even at the highest elevations, but strong south winds created white out conditions.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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.

An abnormally cold winter storm produced snow as low as 700 feet. Snow accumulations barely exceeded a foot even at the highest elevations, but strong south winds created white out conditions. With the low snow levels and strong, gusty winds, Interstate 80 and Highway 50 were temporarily closed. Interstate 5 in Shasta county as well as Highway 20 in Nevada county were also closed.

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 Sacramento, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 25, 3:45 AM PST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 25, 3:45 AM PST, 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
345 AM PST THU JAN 25 2001

COLD...ENERGETIC PACIFIC SYSTEM APPROACHING CALIFORNIA COAST. WARM
ADVECTION...MAINLY ELEVATED PRECIPITATION LIGHTING UP THE CALIFORNIA
RADAR MOSAIC OVER NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE STATE. SYSTEM HAS PICKED
UP STEAM THE LAST 24 HOURS REQUIRING THE MENTION OF HIGHER POPS
SOONER.

SLIGHT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 00Z ETA AND AVN POSITIONING VIGOROUS SHORT
WAVE ON 00Z FRIDAY WITH AVN FURTHER NORTH ACROSS THE COASTAL RANGE.
BOTH MODELS PRODUCING A WIDE AREA OF UVM MAKING DIFFERENCE SOMEWHAT
NEGLIGIBLE. WITH IMPRESSIVE H8-H7 OMEGA VALUES WOULD EXPECT EMBEDDED
HEAVY DOWNPOURS. BUFKIT IS PRODUCING 1 INCH VALUES ACROSS NORTHERN
VALLEY LOCALES IN ABOUT A 6 HOUR PERIOD TODAY. IF THIS VERIFIES WOULD
NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE SOME MINOR URBAN FLOODING.

BOTH SURFACE/UPPER LOWS MOVE DOWN COAST FRIDAY. ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE
30+ VORT LOBE ACCOMPANIES THIS FEATURE PRODUCING ANOTHER ROUND OF
UVM...MORE SO FOR WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE CWA. HAVE ADDED SMALL
REMNANT POPS FOR FRIDAY NIGHT. REST OF EXTENDED LOOKED GOOD.

SURFACE WINDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE TODAY AND CONTINUE TO BE
MODELED POORLY. 00Z MODELED UPPER LEVEL WINDS IN BETTER SHAPE AND
PRODUCE REASONABLE 30 TO 50 KTS ACROSS THE HIGHER SLOPES. GOING
GENERAL QPF VALUES STILL REASONABLE WITH UP TO 2.5 INCHES ACROSS THE
NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND SIERNEV...1.0 TO 1.5 INCHES FOR THE NORTHERN
VALLEY...AND .5 TO 1 INCH FOR THE DELTA AND SOUTHERN VALLEYS.

.STO...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF
       WESTERN SHASTA COUNTY SOUTH TO THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN
       LAKE COUNTY.
    ...WINTER STORM WARNING THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FOR EASTERN
       SHASTA COUNTY INCLUDING BURNEY BASIN...WESTERN PLUMAS
       COUNTY/LASSEN PARK...AND THE WEST SLOPES OF THE NORTHERN
       SIERRA NEVADA.
    ...WINTER WEATHER 4ADVISORY FOR THE EAST FOOTHILLS/NORTH
       SACRAMENTO VALLEY ABOVE 2500 FEET.

BLU SJ 030/024 029/024 036 677+7
RBL RW 046/039 051/037 056 67++7
SAC RW 051/041 050/035 055 678+7

KRUZDLO

Event by event

8 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Burney Basin/Eastern Shasta County

When
January 25, 4:00 AM PST to January 26, 4:00 AM PST
Where
Burney Basin/Eastern Shasta County forecast zone
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE

Winter Storm, Shasta Lake/North Shasta County

When
January 25, 4:00 AM PST to January 26, 4:00 AM PST
Where
Shasta Lake/North Shasta County forecast zone
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE

Winter Storm, Northern Sacramento Valley

When
January 25, 4:00 AM PST to January 26, 4:00 AM PST
Where
Northern Sacramento Valley forecast zone
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE

Winter Storm, Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley

When
January 25, 4:00 AM PST to January 26, 4:00 AM PST
Where
Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley forecast zone
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE

Winter Storm, Mountains Southwest Shasta County to Northern Lake County

When
January 25, 4:00 AM PST to January 26, 4:00 AM PST
Where
Mountains Southwest Shasta County to Northern Lake County forecast zone
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE

Winter Storm, West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada

When
January 25, 4:00 AM PST to January 26, 4:00 AM PST
Where
West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada forecast zone
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE

Winter Storm, Mt Shasta/Western Plumas County

When
January 25, 4:00 AM PST to January 26, 4:00 AM PST
Where
Mt Shasta/Western Plumas County forecast zone
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE

Winter Storm, Motherlode/Camptonville to Groveland

When
January 25, 4:00 AM PST to January 26, 4:00 AM PST
Where
Motherlode/Camptonville to Groveland forecast zone
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE

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

More

Every storm in California in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 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: 5228479, 5228480, 5228481, 5228482, 5228483, 5228484, 5228485, 5228486.