California, 2001

Winter Storm in California, November 28 to 29, 2001

November 28 to 29, 2001 · NWS MFR · 6 events in 3 counties and zones

A Winter Storm Warning was issued for CAZ080/081/083/084/085 at 1707 PST on 11/28/01 and cancelled at 2232 PST on 11/28/01. The above spotter reports verified the warning, but the warning was issued too late and cancelled too early.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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 MFR wrote it up.

A Winter Storm Warning was issued for CAZ080/081/083/084/085 at 1707 PST on 11/28/01 and cancelled at 2232 PST on 11/28/01. The above spotter reports verified the warning, but the warning was issued too late and cancelled too early.

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 Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 28, 1:30 AM PST, 5 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 28, 1:30 AM PST, 5 hours 15 minutes before
SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
230 AM PDT WED NOV 28 2001

PREVIOUS FORECAST STILL LOOKS VERY GOOD...SO ONLY A FEW ADJUSTMENTS
TO MAKE. MAIN ADJUSTMENT IS TO CONTINUE SNOW ADVISORIES FOR MUCH OF
OUR AREA THROUGH TONIGHT. EXCEPTION BEING WESTERN VALLEY ADVISORIES
ONLY FOR THIS MORNING. LOW ELEVATION SNOW IN THE WESTERN VALLEYS
ALREADY FROM A TRACE TO 3 INCHES BUT SNOW LEVEL WILL BEGIN RISING
AROUND SUNRISE. ALSO NEED TO BUMP UP FORECAST FOR THE CASCADES AND
SISKIYOUS BUT SNOWFALL OF 8 TO 16 INCHES IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS WOULD
STILL BE IN THE ADVISORY CATEGORY. WARM FRONTAL PRECIP SHOULD
DECREASE THIS MORNING WHILE SOUTHERLY WINDS INCREASE. HIGH WINDS HAVE
REACHED CAPE BLANCO AND SPEEDS WILL INCREASE TO THAT LEVEL ACROSS OUR
COASTAL ZONES AND THE SHASTA VALLEY TODAY. PRECIP WILL INCREASE AGAIN
IN THE AFTERNOON AS THE COLD FRONT REACHES THE COAST. WILL ONLY
CONTINUE ADVISORY LEVEL SNOWFALLS AS FAR AS TONIGHT BUT LIGHTER POST
FRONTAL SHOWERS WILL ACTUALLY CONTINUE ON THURSDAY MORNING. ONLY VERY
LIGHT AND MAINLY COASTAL SHOWERS POSSIBLE THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
FRIDAY WITH MOIST ONSHORE FLOW BUT LITTLE FORCING. PLENTY OF
RAIN/SNOW WITH SOME BREAKS FROM FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY
AS MRF FORECASTS LITTLE CHANGE IN THIS PATTERN OF CONDITIONS.
WEYGAND

.MFR...HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY COOS/CURRY COAST (ORZ021/022).
       HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY-TONIGHT SHASTA VALLEY (CAZ081).
       SNOW ADVISORY WED MORNING ORZ023/024/026
       SNOW ADVISORY TODAY-TONIGHT ORZ025/027>31 AND
        CAZ080/081/083>085.
       WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY-TONIGHT CAZ082 (MOUNT SHASTA).
       STORM WARNING FOR THE COASTAL WATERS.
       HEAVY SURF ADVISORY FOR THE COASTAL WATERS AND ORZ021/022.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Central Siskiyou County

When
November 28, 6:45 AM PST
Where
Central Siskiyou County forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.593, -122.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Spotter SY84 at 2800 feet reported 4 inches of new snow.

Winter Storm, Central Siskiyou County

When
November 28, 11:57 AM PST
Where
Central Siskiyou County forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.593, -122.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Spotter SY69 in Weed reported 5 inches of snow in 6 hours.

Winter Storm, Northeast Siskiyou and Northwest Modoc Counties

When
November 28, 1:36 PM PST
Where
Northeast Siskiyou and Northwest Modoc Counties forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.592, -121.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Spotter SY57 near Macdoel reported new white out conditions and Highway 97 shut down.

Winter Storm, Central Siskiyou County

When
November 28, 5:29 PM PST
Where
Central Siskiyou County forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.593, -122.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Spotter SY69 in Weed reported 7 inches of snow in the preceding 6 hours.

Winter Storm, Central Siskiyou County

When
November 28, 6:30 PM PST
Where
Central Siskiyou County forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.593, -122.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Spotter SY05 2W Weed reported 12 inches of snow in the preceding 24 hours.

Winter Storm, Modoc County

When
November 29, 8:58 AM PST
Where
Modoc County forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.590, -120.725 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Spotter MO33 at Lookout reported 15 inches of snow overnight.

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, November 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: 5272260, 5272261, 5272262, 5272342, 5272343, 5272344.