California, 2003

Heavy Snow in California, December 28 to 30, 2003

December 28 to 30, 2003 · NWS REV · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A powerfull storm moved through northeast California and northwest Nevada on the 28th and 29th. This system brought very strong winds and heavy snow to the region.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

A powerfull storm moved through northeast California and northwest Nevada on the 28th and 29th. This system brought very strong winds and heavy snow to the region. Winds of over 80 mph in the higher elevations created blizzard conditions. Strong winds mixed to the surface east of the Sierra. Over three feet of snow was reported at some locations in the Sierra.Snowfall totals:South Lake Tahoe 12 inchesTruckee 10 inchesTahoe City (7000 ft) 24 inchesBoreal Ski Resort 48-56 inchesAlpine Meadows Ski Resort 26-36 inchesSierra at Tahoe Ski Resort 16-22 inchesNorthstar at Tahoe Ski Resort 19-24 inchesSquaw Valley Ski Resort (6200 ft) 6-8 inches (8200 ft) 10 inches

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 Dec 28, 3:30 PM PST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 28, 3:30 PM PST, 4 hours 30 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 28, 7:00 AM PST, 13 hours before
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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, Greater Lake Tahoe Area

When
December 28, 8:00 PM PST to December 30, 3:00 AM PST
Where
Greater Lake Tahoe Area forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
38.935, -120.458 (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 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2003

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: 5328135.