A fast moving winter storm brought heavy snow and gusty winds to the mountains on December 18th. This was the first of two winter storms that came in quick succession.
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 STO wrote it up.
A fast moving winter storm brought heavy snow and gusty winds to the mountains on December 18th. This was the first of two winter storms that came in quick succession.
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 Sacramento, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 17, 4:00 PM PST, 3 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 400 PM PST MON DEC 17 2007 .DISCUSSION... STRONG APPROACHING SHORTWAVE OFF THE COAST IS CLEARLY VISIBLE ON SATELLITE IMAGERY. RADAR AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SHOW THAT SNOW SHOWERS CONTINUE OVER THE WESTERN SLOPES OF THE SIERRA WITH DECENT UPSLOPE FLOW. OVERRUNNING PRECIPITATION AHEAD OF THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT. SNOW LEVELS WILL RISE BRIEFLY TO AROUND 4000 FEET IN SHASTA COUNTY...4500 FEET OVER THE COASTAL RANGE AND THE SIERRA. A WINTER STORM WARNING CONTINUES INTO TUESDAY AFTERNOON OVER THE BURNEY BASIN/EASTERN SHASTA COUNTY...MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHWESTERN SHASTA COUNTY TO NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY...SHASTA LAKE AREA/NORTHERN SHASTA COUNTY...THE WEST SLOPES OF THE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA AND WESTERN PLUMAS COUNTY INCLUDING THE LASSEN PARK AREA. SNOW AMOUNTS UP TO A FOOT WILL FALL OVERNIGHT OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WITH A STRONG FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL APPROACH THE COAST EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. 850 WINDS WITH THIS SYSTEM LOOK RATHER STRONG. AT AROUND 50 KT. SURFACE WINDS WILL PICK UP TO 55 MPH OVER HIGHER TERRAIN AND INTO THE NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY TONIGHT. AREAS WITH SNOW WILL EXPERIENCE REDUCED VISIBILITY IN MODERATE/HEAVY SNOW ALONG WITH THE STRONGER WINDS. A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR SOUTHERN LAKE COUNTY AND THE NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY...WHERE MODERATE RAIN IS EXPECTED. GUSTY WINDS WILL ALSO SPREAD ACROSS THE REST OF THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON...SO THE ADVISORY MAY NEED TO BE EXPANDED BY LATER SHIFTS. NAM BUFKIT IS PREDICTING OVER 3.5 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION AT BLUE CANYON BETWEEN THIS EVENING AND TUESDAY NIGHT...AND THIS SHOULD BE ALMOST ALL IN THE FORM OF SNOW. UP TO 2 ADDITIONAL FEET OF SNOW POSSIBLE ON TUESDAY IN THE WESTERN SLOPES OF THE SIERRA NEVADA...BRINGING TOTALS UP TO AROUND 3 FEET. HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TUESDAY AFTERNOON 18Z-00Z AS BEST DYNAMICS MOVE OVER THE REGION WITH HIGHER PW AMOUNTS. PRECIPITATION WILL GRADUALLY END TUESDAY EVENING. ...EXTENDED FORECAST...(WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY) ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN WILL PERSIST INTO NEXT WEEK. ANOTHER SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO SPREAD RAIN AND SNOW OVER THE REGION ON WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THIS SYSTEM LOOKS LIKE IT WILL BRING SOME MORE SIGNIFICANT SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS. THE PATTERN LOOKS TO BECOME SHOWERY BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND THEN TAPER OFF IN THE EVENING. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE REGION FOR FRIDAY TO KEEP THE INTERIOR DRY FOR A FEW DAYS. A SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ON SATURDAY MAY SPREAD SOME LIGHT RAIN/SNOW ACROSS THE FAR NORTHERN PORTIONS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BUT MOST AREA ARE EXPECT TO REMAIN DRY. AHEAD OF A SYSTEM DUE IN CHRISTMAS EVE SOME PRECIPITATION MAY START TO OVERRUN THE REGION DURING THE DAY ON MONDAY. THE MAIN FRONTAL BAND WITH THIS SYSTEM IS CURRENTLY DUE INTO OUR AREA DURING THE TIME FRAME OF CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS MORNING. THE HOLIDAY CONTINUES TO LOOK WET. && .AVIATION... MTNS WILL REMAIN OBSCD IN CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION. SNOW LEVELS WILL GENERALLY RANGE FROM 035 OVER SHASTA COUNTY TO 045 FEET OVER THE WEST SLOPES OF THE SIERRA NEVADA FOR NEXT 24 HOURS. A STRONGER SYSTEM WILL INCREASE WINDS AND PRECIPITATION OVER THE MTNS WITH SW GUSTS UP TO 50KT OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. FOR THE VLY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO REMAIN MVFR THROUGH ABOUT 23Z WITH SOME IMPROVEMENT FOR THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS. WHILE CONDITIONS MAY BECOME MOSTLY VFR TO BORDERLINE VFR EARLY IN THE EVENING AREAS OF MVFR CIGS AND VSBYS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP BY LATE EVENING OVER THE NORTH END OF THE SAC VLY...WHILE FURTHER SOUTH VFR CIGS EXPECT WITH AREAS OF MVFR VSBYS. ON TUESDAY GUSTY SOUTHEAST WINDS WITH MODERATE RAIN IN THE VLY PRODUCING MAINLY MVFR CONDITIONS WITH OCCASIONAL IFR IN HEAVY RA. && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR BURNEY BASIN/EASTERN SHASTA COUNTY...MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHWESTERN SHASTA COUNTY TO NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY...SHASTA LAKE AREA/NORTHERN SHASTA COUNTY...THE WEST SLOPES OF THE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA AND WESTERN PLUMAS COUNTY INCLUDING THE LASSEN PARK AREA. ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM PST TO 4 PM PST TUESDAY FOR SOUTHERN CLEAR LAKE COUNTY AND THE NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 700 AM PST MON DEC 17 2007 CAZ013>019-063-064-066>069-181500- SHASTA LAKE AREA/NORTHERN SHASTA COUNTY- BURNEY BASIN/EASTERN SHASTA COUNTY-NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY- CENTRAL SACRAMENTO VALLEY-SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY- CARQUINEZ STRAIT AND DELTA-NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY- MOUNTAINS SOUTHWESTERN SHASTA TO NORTHERN LAKE COUNTIES- CLEAR LAKE/SOUTHERN LAKE COUNTY-MOTHERLODE- EAST FOOTHILLS/NORTH SACRAMENTO VALLEY- WESTERN PLUMAS COUNTY/LASSEN PARK-WEST SLOPE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA- 700 AM PST MON DEC 17 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A PACIFIC FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE NORTH STATE IS BRINGING SNOW AND BREEZY WINDS TO THE SIERRA CASCADE RANGE THIS MORNING. THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE EAST OF THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON. ANOTHER WETTER SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TONIGHT BRINGING STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY SNOW. * WINTER STORM WARNING.......SEE WWUS46 KSTO - WSWSTO FOR DETAILS * * SNOW ADVISORY..............SEE WWUS46 KSTO - WSWSTO FOR DETAILS * .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A WET PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BRING HEAVY SNOW TO THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA MOUNTAINS WITH 2 FEET OR MORE OF SNOWFALL POSSIBLE AT THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS BY TUESDAY NIGHT. GUSTY WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS SYSTEM AS WELL. MORE WEATHER SYSTEMS ARE POSSIBLE THURSDAY AND SOMETIME OVER THE WEEKEND. * WINTER STORM WARNING.......SEE WWUS46 KSTO - WSWSTO FOR DETAILS * .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT (LOWER CASE): HTTP://WWW.WRH.NOAA.GOV/STO
5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Four to six inches of snow fell down to 3000 feet with wind gusts to 50 mph. This was the first storm of the season for this zone.
The snow level was down to 2500 feet and up to six inches of snow fell at the higher elevations with wind gusts to 50 mph. This was the first storm of the season for this zone.
Four to six inches of snow fell down to 3000 feet with wind gusts to 50 mph. This was the first storm of the season for this zone.
The snow level was 3500 to 4000 feet and up to a foot of snow fell at the higher elevations. Wind gusts reached 50 mph.
The snow level was 4000 to 5000 feet and up to a foot of snow fell at the higher elevations. Wind gusts reached 45 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2007
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: 111547, 111550, 111548, 111552, 111553.