Heavy Snow in California, March 7, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in California, March 7, 2002
Start: 2002-03-07T10:40
End: 2002-03-07T14:10
Location: California

March 7, 2002 · NWS REV · 2 events in 1 county or zone

The Bureau of Land Management reported 4 3/4 inches of snow in 3 hours in Cedarville at 4600 feet. Spotters reported 2 inches of snow in Eagleville (elevation 4640 feet), 3 inches at Lake City (elevation 4559 feet) and up to 6 inches in Cedarville (elevation 4630 feet).

Where it happened

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.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

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 7, 9:00 AM PST, 1 hour 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 7, 9:00 AM PST, 1 hour 40 minutes before

WESTERN NEVADA AND EASTERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
900 AM PST THU MAR 7 2002

WITH MODEL DATA BEING BACKLOGGED AT HQ...NO 12Z DATA TO WORK WITH
YET. LIGHT SNOW CONTINUING ALONG THE CENTRAL SIERRA THIS MORNING.
COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEXT SHORTWAVE IS CURRENTLY MOVING
SOUTHWARD INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. TIMING THIS FRONT WILL PUT IT
INTO LASSEN COUNTY LATER THIS MORNING AND THE GREATER LAKE TAHOE AND
RENO AREA BY AROUND MID-AFTERNOON AND MONO COUNTY LATE THIS
AFTERNOON. TIMING SEEMS TO COINCIDE WITH CURRENT FORECAST...SO NO
UPDATES NEEDED AT THIS TIME.

.REV...WINTER STORM WARNING ZONE 2/72 TODAY
       WINTER STORM WARNING ZONE 71 ABOVE 5500 TODAY
       WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE SIERRA PORTION OF ZONE
        73 TODAY
       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ZONE 5/70
        ABOVE 4500 FEET TODAY
       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ZONE 71
        BELOW 5000 FEET TODAY
       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ZONE 3
        ABOVE 5000 FEET TODAY
       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ZONE 4
        ABOVE 5500 FEET TODAY
       WIND ADVISORY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR ZONES 3 AND 73

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 7, 7:10 AM PST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO, NV
710 AM PST THU MAR 7 2002

TIME(PST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0500 AM    KIRKWOOD                  CA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
03/07/02   ALPINE                         18 INCHES NEW SNOW PAST 24
                                          HOURS. STORM TOTAL 24
                                          INCHES. REPORTED BY
                                          KIRKWOOD SKI RESORT.

0400 AM    INCLINE VILLAGE           NV   HEAVY SNOWFALL
03/07/02   WASHOE                         15-16 INCHES NEW SNOW PAST
                                          24 HOURS AT 7623 FEET.
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

0410 AM    TRUCKEE                   CA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
03/07/02   NEVADA                         10 1/2 INCHES NEW SNOW
                                          PAST 24 HOURS AT 6300 FEET.
                                          REPORTED BY SPOTTER NV04.

0615 AM    NORTHSTAR SKI AREA        CA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
03/07/02   PLACER                         12 INCHES NEW SNOW AT 7300
                                          FEET AND 22 INCHES AT 8600
                                          FEET. REPORTED BY NORTHSTAR
                                          SKI RESORT.

0630 AM    SQUAW VALLEY              CA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
03/07/02   PLACER                         14 INCHES NEW SNOW PAST 24
                                          HOURS AT 6200 FEET AND 24
                                          INCHES AT 8200 FEET.
                                          REPORTED BY SQUAW VALLEY
                                          SKI RESORT.

0635 AM    DONNER SUMMIT             CA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
03/07/02   NEVADA                         30 INCHES NEW SNOW PAST 24
                                          HOURS. STORM TOTAL 35-36
                                          INCHES. REPORTED BY BOREAL
                                          SKI RESORT.

0650 AM    MEYERS                    CA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
03/07/02   EL DORADO                      18-24 INCHES NEW SNOW PAST
                                          24 HOURS. REPORTED BY
                                          SIERRA AT TAHOE SKI RESORT.

0655 AM    INCLINE VILLAGE           NV   HEAVY SNOWFALL
03/07/02   WASHOE                         10-14 INCHES NEW SNOW PAST
                                          24 HOURS. REPORTED BY
                                          DIAMOND PEAK SKI RESORT.

0655 AM    ALPINE MEADOWS            CA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
03/07/02   PLACER                         16 INCHES NEW SNOW PAST 24
                                          HOURS AT 7000 FEET AND 22
                                          INCHES AT 8600 FEET.
                                          REPORTED BY ALPINE MEADOWS
                                          SKI RESORT.

0700 AM    MAMMOTH                   CA   HEAVY SNOWFALL
03/07/02   MONO                           16-24 INCHES NEW SNOW PAST
                                          24 HOURS AT 9000 FEET AND
                                          14 INCHES AT 8200 FEET.
                                          REPORTED BY SPOTTER.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Surprise Valley

When: March 7, 10:40 AM PST to 1:40 PM PST
Where: Surprise Valley forecast zone
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates: 41.590, -120.725 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Surprise Valley

When: March 7, 11:10 AM PST to 2:10 PM PST
Where: Surprise Valley forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.590, -120.725 (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

Every storm in California in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5286027, 5286028.