Avalanche in California, March 5, 2001

Name: Avalanche in California, March 5, 2001
Start: 2001-03-05T07:55
End: 2001-03-05T07:55
Location: California

March 5, 2001 · NWS REV · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Spotter reported US 395 was closed just north of Lee Vining due to an avalanche, no injuries or damage were reported.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 REV wrote it up.

Spotter reported US 395 was closed just north of Lee Vining due to an avalanche, no injuries or damage were reported.

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 Reno, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 5, 3:49 AM PST, 4 hours 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 5, 3:49 AM PST, 4 hours 6 minutes before

WESTERN NEVADA AND EASTERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
330 AM PST SUN MAR 4 2001

UPPER LOW SPLITTING INTO TWO CENTERS OFF CA CST WITH NRN CA CENTER
OCCLUDING WHILE SRN CENTER BECOMING MORE ORGANIZED WITH NLY JET
INJECTING ADDITONAL COLD AIR AND ENERGY TO SYSTEM. 00Z MODELS FOCUS
MOST OMEGA AND QPF OVER SRN SIERRA TODAY IN NE QUAD OF UPPER LOW
FORMING OFF POINT CONCEPTION. WILL EXTEND W.S. WARNING OVER MONO
COUNTY INTO MONDAY NIGHT WHILE DOWNGRADING W.S. OVER TAHOE TO SNOW
ADVISORY TODAY AS SE FLOW PARALLEL TO SIERRA KEEPG OROGRAPHIC
COMPONENT TO MINIMUM WHILE DYNAMICS SLIP TO S. CHANCE POPS OVER WRN NV
N OF I80 TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH LIKELY POPS OVER SRN CWA. CATEGORICAL
POPS IN SIERRA FROM TAHOE S TODAY WITH SOME DECREASE IN ACTIVITY N OF
TAHOE THIS AFTERNOON. POPS DOWN A CATEGORY ON TUESDAY AS LOW MOVES
ACROSS SRN CA WITH WRAP AROUND MOISTURE MAINLY S OF I80. IN BETWEEN
SYSTEMS ON WED HOWEVER ENOUGH MOISTURE AND INSTABLITY TO KEEP IN A
SLIGHT CHC OF AFTN SHOWERS OVER W CENTRAL NV AND MONO COUNTY WITH LOW
LEVEL CONVERGENCE FORECAST INTO SFC TROUGH FROM ABOUT ELY TO WMC. NEXT
UPPER LOW DROPS S OFF NRN CA CST THU AND DRIFTS S INTO SRN CA ON SAT
FOR BROAD BRUSH CHC OF SHOWERS. COLDER AIR REMAINS OFF CST SO SHOULD
SEE RAIN IN VALLEYS AND SNOW IN HIGHER ELEVATIONS. LEAVE DRY FORECAST
FOR SUNDAY AS S/WV RIDGE MOVE OVER AREA FM N. CYLKE

.REV...SNOW ADVISORY ABOVE 6000 FEET CAZ071 AND CAZO72 TODAY...
      .WINTER STORM WARNING MONO COUNTY CAZ73 ABOVE 6000 FEET THROUGH
        MONDAY NIGHT.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.

Avalanche, Mono

When: March 5, 7:55 AM PST
Where: Mono forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.939, -118.887 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Avalanche: A mass of snow sliding down a mountainside that caused a death, an injury or damage.

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, March 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5238846.