Another strong Pacific low pressure system brought heavy snow to the mountains of northeast California and the Lake Tahoe area. Over a foot of new snow fell above 5000 feet in Lassen County, with up to 2 feet above 6000 feet.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS REV wrote it up.
Another strong Pacific low pressure system brought heavy snow to the mountains of northeast California and the Lake Tahoe area. Over a foot of new snow fell above 5000 feet in Lassen County, with up to 2 feet above 6000 feet. Farther south, most ski areas reported a foot of new snow in 12 hours at the 7000 foot elevation, with up to 2 feet of new snow in 12 hours above 8000 feet. Interstate 80 was closed for 5 hours overnight between the Nevada State Line and Applegate, CA, due to the heavy snow.
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 Dec 30, 3:00 PM PST, 3 hours earlier.
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</html>CAZ070>073-NVZ001>005-311500- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV 500 AM PST MON DEC 30 2002 ...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT... ...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE SIERRA LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING... ...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR EASTERN CALIFORNIA AND WESTERN NEVADA THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NEVADA...THE EASTERN SIERRA AND NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...MONDAY ANOTHER WINTER STORM WILL MOVE INTO EASTERN CALIFORNIA AND WESTERN NEVADA INCLUDING THE SIERRA THIS AFTERNOON. HIGH WINDS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON WITH HEAVY SNOW STARTING LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. BLIZZARD LIKE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER RIDGES AND HIGHER PASSES OF THE SIERRA TONIGHT. SEE THE LATEST WINTER STORM WARNING...WSWREV (WWUS45) AND HIGH WIND WARNING...NPWREV (WWUS75) STATEMENTS FOR DETAILED INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A PACIFIC SYSTEM WILL PROVIDE A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW TO THE AREA ON THURSDAY NIGHT. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATER TODAY FOR STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY SNOW. BRONG
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2002
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: 5323945, 5323946.