California, 2002

Extreme Cold in California, February 1 to 3, 2002

February 1 to 3, 2002 · NWS SGX · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Cold air brought in by a late January storm, lingered over the region for several more days. Most of the freezing damage had been done in the first few nights of the cold snap.

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
7

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 SGX wrote it up.

Cold air brought in by a late January storm, lingered over the region for several more days. Most of the freezing damage had been done in the first few nights of the cold snap. Frost and freezing temperatures were reported over the coastal plain. Hard freezes continued in the valleys and deserts. Overnight lows in the single digits were common at mountain resort locations.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, San Bernardino County Mountains

When
February 1, 12:00 AM PST to February 2, 7:00 AM PST
Where
San Bernardino County Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Apple and Yucca Valleys

When
February 1, 12:00 AM PST to February 2, 7:00 AM PST
Where
Apple and Yucca Valleys forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Riverside County Valley/The Inland Empire

When
February 1, 12:00 AM PST to February 2, 7:00 AM PST
Where
Riverside County Valley/The Inland Empire forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, San Diego County Valleys

When
February 1, 12:00 AM PST to February 3, 7:00 AM PST
Where
San Diego County Valleys forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, San Diego County Coasts

When
February 1, 12:00 AM PST to February 3, 7:00 AM PST
Where
San Diego County Coasts forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Riverside County Mountains

When
February 1, 12:00 AM PST to February 2, 7:00 AM PST
Where
Riverside County Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
33.744, -115.994 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, San Diego County Mountains

When
February 1, 12:00 AM PST to February 2, 7:00 AM PST
Where
San Diego County Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 2002

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: 5283699, 5283700, 5283701, 5283702, 5283703, 5283704, 5283705.