Snow amounts of up to a foot fell over the higher mountains and with winds gusting to 40 to 50 mph this produced reduced visibilities.
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.
Snow amounts of up to a foot fell over the higher mountains and with winds gusting to 40 to 50 mph this produced reduced visibilities.
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 18, 9:15 AM PST, 3 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 915 AM PST THU DEC 18 2008 .DISCUSSION...WATER VAPOR IMAGERY CONTINUES TO SHOW THE NEXT TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE SLOWLY DIGGING SOUTH ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA...SPREADING MAINLY MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS ACROSS THE NORTHERN INTERIOR AT THIS TIME. THIS CLOUD COVER HELD OFF LONG ENOUGH THAT IT HAD LITTLE IMPACT ON THE OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES. IN FACT...A NUMBER OF THE MOUNTAIN VALLEY LOCATIONS ARE REPORTING NEAR ZERO AND SUB ZERO TEMPERATURES ONCE AGAIN. IN THE VALLEY...MOST LOCATIONS FELL INTO THE TWENTIES...WITH REDDING SETTING A NEW RECORD. ALTHOUGH TEMPERATURES ARE RUNNING A LITTLE WARMER IN THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY THIS MORNING...A NUMBER OF LOCATIONS ARE STILL AT OR BELOW FREEZING. THEREFORE...WILL LET THE FREEZE WARNING RUN THROUGH 10 AM THIS MORNING. MEANWHILE...RADAR IMAGERY SHOWS PRECIPITATION MOVING INTO THE NORTHWEST COAST AND THE SOUTHERN CASCADES THIS MORNING. BURNEY IS ALREADY REPORTING LIGHT FLURRIES. HOWEVER...THE BRUNT OF THE MOISTURE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT...WITH GOOD OROGRAPHICS ENHANCING PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND SIERRA. THIS LEADS ME TO MY OTHER PRIMARY CONCERN FOR THE DAY. TEMPERATURES IN SHASTA COUNTY AND THE NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY ARE BELOW FREEZING...WITH A NUMBER OF LOCATIONS STILL IN THE 20S. DEPENDING ON HOW QUICKLY THE PRECIPITATION STARTS IN THESE AREAS...THE EXTREMELY COLD AIR IN PLACE MAY HELP EVAPORATIVE COOLING PROCESSES...ENHANCING SNOW FORMATION AND ARTIFICIALLY LOWER SNOW LEVELS TEMPORARILY IN THESE AREAS. THEREFORE...WILL CONTINUE TO CONTINUE THESE AREAS CLOSELY. THIS SYSTEM WILL ALSO BRING GUSTY WINDS TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN...WITH GUSTY WINDS UP TO 60 MPH POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT WITH THE FRONT. THEREFORE...THE WINTER STORM WARNING AND ADVISORIES REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS SURROUNDING THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY. WILL PLAN ON UPDATING THE FORECAST THIS MORNING AROUND 10 AM...WITH THE FREEZE WARNING EXPIRATION. MAY ALSO NEED TO TWEAK TEMPERATURES A BIT...ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND BURNEY BASIN REGIONS AS TEMPERATURES SEEMS A LITTLE WARM. PALMER && .AVIATION...DETERIORATING CONDITIONS TODAY INTO TONIGHT AS AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM MOVES OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. PATCHY FOG IN THE SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY AND NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY WILL DISSIPATE BY 19Z. ISOLATED SHOWERS JUST NORTH AND WEST OF THE NORTHERN SAC VALLEY WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY AS THEY SPREAD SOUTHWARD INTO THE NORTHERN SJ VALLEY BY LATE THIS EVENING. AREAS OF MVFR AND LOCAL IFR CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH RAIN IN THE VALLEY AND SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS. SNOW LEVELS TODAY WILL BE GENERALLY AROUND 500-1000 FEET IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND AROUND 2000 FEET OVER THE SIERRA WITH LOCALLY LOWER LEVELS POSSIBLE. SOUTHERLY WINDS IN THE VALLEY WILL INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON TO 10-15 KT WITH LOCAL GUSTS TO 20-25 KT POSSIBLE BY EARLY EVENING. SOUTHWEST GUSTS TO 50-60 KT POSSIBLE OVER MOUNTAIN RIDGES. && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ...FREEZE WARNING THROUGH 10 AM PST TODAY FOR THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY...THE NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...AND THE DELTA. ...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS OF SHASTA COUNTY FROM NOON TODAY THROUGH NOON FRIDAY. ...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR BURNEY BASIN / EASTERN SHASTA COUNTY AND THE WEST SLOPE OF THE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA-WESTERN PLUMAS COUNTY/LASSEN PARK FROM 6 PM TODAY TO 6 PM FRIDAY. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS OF SHASTA COUNTY SOUTHWARD ALONG THE COASTAL RANGE TO SOUTHERN LAKE COUNTY FROM 6 PM TODAY THROUGH NOON FRIDAY. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE FOOTHILLS OF THE SIERRA CASCADE RANGE FROM 6 PM TODAY THROUGH 6 PM FRIDAY. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 700 AM PST THU DEC 18 2008 CAZ013>019-063-064-066>069-191500- 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 THU DEC 18 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A COLD DRY AIRMASS IS IN PLACE THIS MORNING WHICH COMBINED WITH CLEAR SKIES BROUGHT VERY COLD TEMPERATURES TO THE CENTRAL VALLEY. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM THIS MORNING AND CLOUDS WILL MOVE IN AHEAD OF ANOTHER COLD WEATHER SYSTEM DROPPING OUT OF CANADA. THIS COLD SYSTEM WILL BRING SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS TO THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. SNOW LEVELS WILL BE AS LOW AS THE LOWER FOOTHILLS. * WINTER STORM WARNING.......SEE WWUS46 KSTO - WSWSTO FOR DETAILS * * FREEZE WARNING.............SEE WWUS76 KSTO - NPWSTO FOR DETAILS * * WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY....SEE WWUS46 KSTO - WSWSTO FOR DETAILS * .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MOUNTAIN AND FOOTHILL SNOW AS WELL AS GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY FRIDAY OVER THE SIERRA AND FOOTHILLS WITH SNOW ENDING BY MID DAY OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND COASTAL MOUNTAINS. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL BE MOVING THROUGH NORCAL SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT BRINGING RAIN AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW TO NORCAL. A MUCH WETTER WEATHER SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO TAP INTO SUB TROPICAL MOISTURE AND MOVE INTO NORCAL LATE WEDNESDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING HIGH SNOW LEVELS AND POSSIBLY HEAVY PRECIPITATION TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. * WINTER STORM WARNING.......SEE WWUS46 KSTO - WSWSTO FOR DETAILS * * WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY....SEE WWUS46 KSTO - WSWSTO FOR DETAILS * * SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT..SEE WWUS86 KSTO - SPSSTO 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
4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow amounts up to 7 inches fell over the higher mountains. Gusty winds were reported lowering visibilities on mountain passes.
Snow amounts up to a foot fell over the higher mountains. Gusty winds were reported lowering visibilities on mountain passes.
Snow amounts up to a foot fell over the higher mountains. Gusty winds were reported lowering visibilities on mountain passes.
Snow amounts up to a foot fell over the higher mountains. Gusty winds were reported lowering visibilities on mountain passes.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2008
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: 171816, 171817, 171815, 171495.