California, 2008

Heavy Snow in California, December 18, 2008

December 18, 2008 · NWS MFR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

hot on the heels of the first one. but heavy snow was reported in the mountains as well.

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 MFR wrote it up.

The second major winter storm of the year moved into Southern Oregon and Northern California at this time...hot on the heels of the first one. The main impact of the storm was the low snow levels which created widespread travel difficulties...but heavy snow was reported in the mountains as well.

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 Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 18, 9:00 AM PST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 18, 9:00 AM PST, 0 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 18, 4:37 AM PST, 4 hours 23 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 18, 6:24 AM PST, 2 hours 36 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 18, 7:33 AM PST, 1 hour 27 minutes 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, South Central Siskiyou County

When
December 18, 9:00 AM PST to 9:00 PM PST
Where
South Central Siskiyou County forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
41.593, -122.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The cooperative observer at Mount Shasta City reported 6 inches of snow.

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 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2008

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: 138189.