California, 2002

Heavy Snow in California, March 6 to 7, 2002

March 6 to 7, 2002 · NWS REV · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Spotter in Mammoth reported 16-24 inches of snow at 9000 feet and 14 inches of snown at 8200 feet in 24 hours.

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.

  • 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
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 in Mammoth reported 16-24 inches of snow at 9000 feet and 14 inches of snown at 8200 feet in 24 hours.

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 6, 3:00 AM PST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 6, 3:00 AM PST, 4 hours before
WESTERN NEVADA AND EASTERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
300 AM PST WED MAR 6 2002

SHORT WAVE TROUGH NOW APPROACHING 130W SOUTH OF 40N WILL MOVE INTO
THIS AREA THIS EVENING.  A SECOND STRONGER AND COLDER TROUGH THEN
COMES IN FROM THE NW ON THURSDAY.  SNOW LEVELS WILL BE LOWERING THIS
AFTERNOON AS THE FIRST TROUGH MOVES IN AND WILL DROP TO THE VALLEY
FLOORS OF NORTHWEST NEVADA DURING THE DAY THURSDAY.  SNOW AMOUNTS
SHOULD EASILY EXCEED WARNING CRITERIA FOR THE EASTERN SIERRA AND MAY
AS WELL FOR OUR NORTHEAST CALIF ZONES COULD ABOVE 4500-5000 FEET IN
PARTS OF NORTHWEST NEVADA.  IT WILL BE WINDY MOST OF THE TIME THROUGH
THURSDAY ALTHOUGH THE ETA POINTS TO SPEEDS STAYING BELOW WARNING
LEVELS.  THE WEATHER QUIETS DOWN ON FRIDAY AS A RIDGE BUILDS INTO THE
AREA.

IN THE EXTENDED...RIDGE OVER THE AREA BEGINS TO MOVE EASTWARD ON
SATURDAY AS NEXT SHORT WAVE APPROACHES 130 WEST. THERE ARE SOME
TIMING AND STRENGTH DIFFERENCES IN THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ON THIS
SYSTEM BUT THE UNDERLYING THEME IS FOR THE SYSTEM TO MOVE THROUGH
THE CWA GENERALLY IN THE SUNDAY TIME PERIOD. THE MRF IS A LITTLE
SLOWER AND HAS MORE AMPLITUDE WITH MORE PRECIP THAN THE OTHER MODELS
ARE SHOWING. AFTER SUNDAY THE TREND IS TOWARDS A MORE ZONAL FLOW
WITH SEVERAL EMBEDDED FEATURES WHICH WOULD BE HARD TO TIME. ONE
COULD ARGUE FOR A FAIRLY BROAD BRUSHED FORECAST OF PRECIP FOR ALL
BUT THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE CWA FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY. HOWEVER
AFTER COORDINATION FOR NOW WILL JUST LIMIT THE THREAT TO A SLIGHT
CHANCE FOR ZONES 4 AND 5 AND KEEP THE REMAINDER OF THE CWA PARTLY
CLOUDY. HOPEFULLY LATER RUNS WILL RESOLVE THE PATTERN A LITTLE MORE.

.REV...WINTER STORM WARNING ZONE 2/72 TODAY AND THURSDAY
       WINTER STORM WARNING ZONE 71 ABOVE 5500 FEET TODAY AND
        ABOVE 4500 FEET TONIGHT AND THURSDAY
       WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE SIERRA PORTION OF ZONE 73
        THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY
       WINTER STORM WATCH ZONE 5/70 ABOVE 4500 FEET TONIGHT AND
        THURSDAY MORNING
       WINTER STORM WATCH ZONE 3 ABOVE 5000 FEET THURSDAY

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Mono

When
March 6, 7:00 AM PST to March 7, 7:00 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

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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, March 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5286135.