Another of a series of cold winter storms dropped heavy snow over the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Southern Cascade Range. This system caused significant holiday travel problems at the passes.
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.
Another of a series of cold winter storms dropped heavy snow over the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Southern Cascade Range. This system caused significant holiday travel problems at the passes.
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 20, 4:00 PM PST, 2 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 400 PM PST SAT DEC 20 2008 .DISCUSSION (UPDATE)... ISSUED THE WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE SIERRA AND LASSEN PARK ZONES AS IT SEEMS A PRETTY SURE THING WELL SEE 2 TO 3 FEET OF SNOW ABOVE 7000 FEET FROM TOMORROW AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. THE HEAVIEST SNOW SHOULD FALL ALONG I-80 AND HWY 50 FROM EARLY SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...BUT HEAVY SNOW IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE THERE WELL INTO MONDAY. SNOW LEVELS WILL INITIALLY BE TOO HIGH TO AFFECT THE BURNEY BASIN...SHASTA COUNTY AND MENDOCINO MOUNTAINS. ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THESE ZONES TOMORROW BEHIND THE COLD FRONT (AFTERNOON) PASSES. ALONG WITH THE CNRFC...I PREFER THE WETTER NAM-12 AS THE SATELLITE SHOWS A BETTER INITIAL TAP INTO PACIFIC MOISTURE. THE 18Z GFS CONTINUES DRIER. THERE COULD BE INCIDENTS OF FREEZING DRIZZLE OR RAIN IN SOME OF THE HIGHER MOUNTAIN VALLEYS OVERNIGHT AS WARMER AIR OVERRUNS COLDER AIR. THIS IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE WIDESPREAD. SG .PREVIOUS SHORT TERM DISCUSSION (ISSUED 10 AM SATURDAY)... A PRETTY NICE DAY IS ON TAP ACROSS THE AREA UNDER WEAK HIGH PRESSURE. THE NEXT SYSTEM HAS A NICE COMMA / BAROCLINIC LEAF STRUCTURE AS SURFACE LOW DEEPENS ABOUT 1000 MILES NW OF SAN FRANCISCO. THIS SYSTEM IS TAPPING INTO A 1.8 INCH PRECIPITABLE WATER PLUME EXTENDING WELL BACK TO A WARM WATER ANOMALY NORTH OF HAWAII. OVERRUNNING / ISENTROPIC LIFT CLOUDS ARE ALREADY SPREADING INTO THE REGION...AND LIGHT SNOW HAS PUSHED INTO KLAMATH FALLS AND LAKEVIEW OREGON. COLD UPPER LOW DROPS INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TOMORROW AND STRONG JETOGENESIS OCCURS ALONG 130W TOMORROW NIGHT. THIS WILL KEEP THE DEEPER...TROPICAL MOISTURE OFFSHORE. NEVERTHELESS THIS STORM COMES IN WITH BETTER MOISTURE THAN THE LAST ONE...A 35-40KT 850-700MB LOW LEVEL JET SUNDAY AFTERNOON FOR EXCELLENT OROGRAPHIC IN THE MOUNTAINS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT...AND A STRONG COLD FRONT WHICH WILL BRING SOME GUSTY WINDS AND RAIN SHOWERS TO THE VALLEYS SUNDAY. THE GFS INITIALIZED WRF IS A BIT FASTER SPREADING THE WARM FRONT INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TONIGHT. THE AFTERNOON PACKAGE WILL FOLLOW THIS TREND...MOVING SHOWERS INTO THE REDDING AREA MIDNIGHT TONIGHT...INTO SACRAMENTO BY 8 AM OR SO AND SOUTH INTO STOCKTON BY EARLY AFTERNOON. IN THE MOUNTAINS...SNOW LEVELS WILL BEGIN LOW AS WARMER AIR RUNS OVER ANY VALLEYS WHERE COLD AIR IS TRAPPED...AND SOME FREEZING RAIN MAY ALSO DEVELOP FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. HAZARDOUS TRAVEL IS LIKELY IN THE MOUNTAINS EARLIER THAN FORECAST SO WILL PROBABLY MOVE THE WINTER STORM WATCHES UP SEVERAL HOURS AND UPGRADE TO WARNINGS THIS AFTERNOON. THE COLD FRONT MOVES INTO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AROUND 00Z SUNDAY AFTERNOON. WIND GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE FRONT. SNOW LEVELS WILL RISE IN THE MOUNTAINS AS INVERSIONS MIX OUT AHEAD OF THE FRONT. 5500 FEET IS LIKELY ALONG I-80 TO 4000 FEET IN SHASTA COUNTY. BEHIND THE FRONT...THEY WILL DROP TO 2000 TO 2500 FEET IN THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS TO 1500 FEET IN THE SHASTA COUNTY MOUNTAINS. MODEST 30KT BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS WILL FOCUS A BIT MORE PRECIPITATION IN THE NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY. AN 1.5 INCHES WILL LIKELY FALL UP THERE...TAPERING TO 0.5 TO 1 INCHES IN SACRAMENTO. IN THE SIERRA...A 2 TO 3 FOOT SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE BY MONDAY MORNING. MONDAY THE JET SHIFTS INTO THE GREAT BASIN AS SHOWERS TAPER OFF IN A NW FLOW. OROGRAPHIC SNOW SHOWERS MAY CONTINUE IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE GFS AND NAM-12 CAME IN FARTHER EAST WITH THE NEXT SHORT WAVE THAT MOVES INTO NORTHERN NEVADA MONDAY NIGHT. THE CANADIAN ALSO FOLLOWS THIS TREND. THIS FEATURE WILL BRING MORE SNOW SHOWERS TO THE NORTHERN SIERRA AND SOUTHERN CASCADES. SG .EXTENDED DISCUSSION (TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY)... EXPECT A BIT OF SHOWER RESPITE ON TUESDAY AS THE SUNDAY/MONDAY STORM PUSHES EAST OF OUR CWA LEAVING ONLY A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN ITS WAKE WITH MAY SQUEEZE UP TO A TENTH OF AN INCH OF RAIN IN THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY IF SHOWERS DEVELOP. THE NEXT CONCERN FOR MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS OCCURS IN THE DEC 24-26 TIMEFRAME. THE EXTENDED ECMWF AND GFS MODELS ARE INDICATING A MORE COASTAL TRACK FOR THE UPCOMING HOLIDAY STORM. MOST OF THE MOISTURE SHOULD RAIN OUT OVER THE OCEAN AS THE LOW MOVES SOUTHWARD JUST OFFSHORE OF THE CALIFORNIA COASTLINE...BUT AS THIS SYSTEM MAKES ITS TREK...CYCLONIC FLOW SHOULD MOVE SHOWERS INTO THE CENTRAL VALLEY AND SIERRA MOUNTAINS. THE AMOUNT OF PRECIPITABLE WATER WILL DEPEND ON THE ACTUAL PATH OF THE STORM. THE ECMWF HAS THE LOW WELL OFFSHORE AND THEN HITTING SOCAL...WHILE THE GFS MODEL STILL SHOWS THE LOW MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL COAST THE MORNING OF DEC 24. DID NOT MAKE MANY CHANGES TO EXTENDED FORECAST UNTIL MODELS GET A BETTER HANDLE OF STORM PATH...THUS HAVE KEPT LIKELY SHOWERS FOR CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS BECOMING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS BY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WITH SNOW LEVELS GENERALLY 2000-3500 FEET FROM NORTH TO SOUTH. LATEST MODELS INDICATE RAIN ACCUMULATIONS IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY RANGING FROM 0.5-1.0 INCH DURING THE HOLIDAYS. JBB && .AVIATION... LIGHT NORTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE IN THE VALLEY BECOMING LIGHT SOUTHERLY OVERNIGHT AS THE APPROACHING STORM MOVES INLAND. MODERATE WEST TO NORTHWESTERLY WINDS ALOFT. MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS MOVING OVER THE CWA NOW WITH CIGS RANGING 7000 TO 10000 FEET. CIGS WILL LOWER NEAR 5000 FEET OVERNIGHT AROUND 06Z...DOWN TO 1000-2500 FEET BY 12Z. PATCHY FOG...LOCALLY DENSE...LIKELY TO DEVELOP AGAIN IN THE NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY OVERNIGHT WHILE LIGHT SHOWERS WITH MVFR/IFR CONDS COULD BEGIN IN THE NORTHERN AND COASTAL MOUNTAINS AS THE STORM APPROACHES. NORTHERN SAC VALLEY SHOULD START SEEING SHOWERS LATER THIS EVENING AS RAIN IS CURRENTLY SEEN ON THE RADAR AFFECTING THE EUREKA COAST. SHOWERS WILL SPREAD SOUTHWARD BECOMING MORE WIDESPREAD IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY AFFECTING ALL VALLEY TERMINALS WITH MVFR/IFR CONDS BY LATE SUNDAY MORNING. JBB && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 10 AM SUNDAY TO 10 AM PST MONDAY FOR WESTERN PLUMAS COUNTY/LASSEN PARK. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 4 PM SUNDAY TO 4 PM PST MONDAY FOR WEST SLOPE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 PM SUNDAY TO 10 AM PST MONDAY FOR BURNEY BASIN / EASTERN SHASTA COUNTY-MOUNTAINS SOUTHWESTERN SHASTA COUNTY TO NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY-SHASTA LAKE AREA / NORTHERN SHASTA COUNTY. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 700 AM PST SAT DEC 20 2008 CAZ013>019-063-064-066>069-211500- 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 SAT DEC 20 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A STORM SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO MOVE INTO AREA WITH LIGHT PRECIPITATION BEGINING OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF SHASTA COUNTY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING INTO TONIGHT. LOCALLY DENSE FOG HAS DEVELOPED OVER THE SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY AND THE NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY THIS MORNING AND IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH BY MID MORNING. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING ACCUMULATING SNOW OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS SUNDAY MORNING AND SPREADING INTO THE SIERRA BY THE AFTERNOON. HEAVIER SNOW IS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT INTO MONDAY. ANOTHER SYSTEM WILL ARRIVE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY AND ANOTHER ON CHRISTMAS DAY. EACH SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DROP AS MUCH AS AN INCH OF PRECIPITATION TO THE VALLEY WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS OVER THE MOUNTAINS. SNOW LEVELS WILL BE HIGHER THAN THE LAST FEW STORMS BUT STILL GENERALLY BELOW 5000 FEET. SNOW AMOUNTS OF A FOOT OR MORE ARE POSSIBLE WITH EACH SYSTEM OVER THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS. * WINTER STORM WATCH.........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
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 340 PM PST SAT DEC 20 2008 CAZ013>019-063-064-066>069-211400- 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 COUNTY TO NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY- CLEAR LAKE/SOUTHERN LAKE COUNTY- NORTHEAST FOOTHILLS/SACRAMENTO VALLEY-MOTHERLODE- WESTERN PLUMAS COUNTY/LASSEN PARK- WEST SLOPE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA- 340 PM PST SAT DEC 20 2008 ...SERIES OF WEATHER SYSTEMS TO AFFECT NORTHERN CALIFORNIA THROUGH THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY PERIOD... A SERIES OF COLD AND WET STORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE WEST THIS WEEK...BRINGING PERIODS OF RAIN...MOUNTAIN SNOW...AND GUSTY WINDS TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. THE FIRST OF WHICH IS A COLD LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL SHIFT FROM ALASKA INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ON SUNDAY...WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF VALLEY RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW SUNDAY INTO MIDDAY MONDAY. SNOW WILL BEGIN IN THE MOUNTAINS BY MIDDAY SUNDAY...AND MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES SUNDAY NIGHT. SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN AROUND 3500 FEET IN THE SHASTA COUNTY MOUNTAINS TO NEAR 6000 FEET IN THE NORTHERN SIERRA. HOWEVER...SNOW LEVELS WILL LOWER TO BETWEEN 2000 AND 3000 FEET BEHIND THE COLD FRONT SUNDAY NIGHT. GUSTY WINDS WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY THIS SYSTEM...WITH GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH POSSIBLE OVER THE SIERRA. RAIN WILL ALSO SPREAD OVER THE VALLEY BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS UP TO 30 MPH ARE POSSIBLE...ALONG WITH PERIODS OF MODERATE RAINFALL SUNDAY NIGHT. SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE MONDAY AS COLD UNSTABLE AIR SPILLS INTO THE REGION. THIS WEATHER SYSTEM MAY PRODUCE UP TO AN INCH OF RAIN IN THE VALLEY BY MIDDAY MONDAY. OVER THE MOUNTAINS...TWO TO THREE FEET OF SNOW MAY FALL ABOVE 6000 FEET...WITH A FEW INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE DOWN TO 2000 FEET MONDAY MORNING. UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION ON TUESDAY...PERSISTING THROUGH AT LEAST CHRISTMAS DAY AS A SERIES OF COOL WEATHER SYSTEMS MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO ACCUMULATE IN THE MOUNTAINS...WITH SNOW LEVELS GENERALLY EXPECTED TO REMAIN BETWEEN 2000 FEET AND 3500 FEET. ANYONE PLANNING TRAVEL ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA DURING THE NEXT WEEK IS ADVISED TO BE PREPARED FOR WINTER WEATHER AND POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ENCOURAGES YOU TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECAST...STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS AS WE APPROACH THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY TRAVEL PERIOD.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snow fell over the higher mountains with amounts over 2 feet at the ski resorts. Around 12 to 14 inches was recorded Ebbetts Pass and Echo Summit. Chain controls were in effect for Interstate 80 and Highway 50.
Heavy snow fell in the higher mountains, with around 1 foot recorded at lower Lassen Peak. Travel on area roads was affected.
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: 171824, 171823.