A winter storm which came in two waves dropped heavy snow over the mountains of interior northern California on the 24th and 25th. The northern Sierra Nevada Mountains received 1 to 3 feet of snow above 6000 feet, with amounts of more than 5 feet reported at Lassen Volcanic National Park.
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 winter storm which came in two waves dropped heavy snow over the mountains of interior northern California on the 24th and 25th. The northern Sierra Nevada Mountains received 1 to 3 feet of snow above 6000 feet, with amounts of more than 5 feet reported at Lassen Volcanic National Park. Wind gusts exceeding 60 mph were recorded over higher mountain peaks. The strong wind, coupled with falling snow, brought limited visibilities over the higher mountains. Holiday travel was significantly curtailed with many roads closed for a period of time, including Interstate 80.
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 24, 4:00 AM PST, 2 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 400 AM PST WED DEC 24 2008 .DISCUSSION... SURFACE LOW IS ABOUT 300 MILES WEST OF SAN FRANCISCO. GFS APPEARS A BIT BETTER INITIALIZED WITH ITS POSITION. SHOWERS HAVE SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA...DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO HAS 0.07 INCHES AS OF 4 AM AND MORE MODERATE SHOWERS ARE MOVING ONTO THE COAST AT THE PRESENT TIME. SNOW HAS DEVELOPED IN THE MOUNTAINS AS WELL. PROFILERS SHOW THE SNOW LEVELS ARE NEAR 3000-3500 FEET ALONG THE WEST SLOPE OF THE SIERRA AND AUTOMATED SENSORS SUGGEST THEY ARE AROUND 2000 FEET IN SHASTA COUNTY...TO NEAR 3000 FEET IN LAKE COUNTY. CHAIN CONTROLS ARE UP OVER THE SIERRA AND LASSEN PARK PASSES ONCE AGAIN. THE WARM FRONT WILL KEEP STEADY RAIN GOING ALL DAY IN THE VALLEYS. MODELS ARE SUGGESTING ABOUT A HALF INCH OF PRECIPITATION TODAY. KDAX PROFILER IS SHOWING 25-30KT WINDS ABOUT 1000 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL...WHICH WILL MIX DOWN TO THE SURFACE AROUND SUNRISE. CANSAC MM5 SHOWS A STRONG CORE OF SOUTHEAST WINDS 20 TO 35 MPH FROM AROUND INTERSTATE 80 SOUTH THROUGHOUT THE DAY. WE HAVE WIND ADVISORIES FOR GUSTS OVER 45 MPH LATER THIS MORNING THROUGH 4 PM IN THESE AREAS. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TODAY. IT WILL BE NEAR OROVILLE AROUND 10 AM AND BE JUST NORTH OF SACRAMENTO BY 2 PM OR SO. IT WONT MAKE IT MUCH FARTHER SOUTH THAN THIS AS THE UPPER LOW IS SWEPT UP IN THE SOUTHERN BRANCH OF THE JET AND A SECOND...MUCH STRONGER SYSTEM MOVES INTO FAR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. THIS WILL PUSH A STRONG COLD FRONT THROUGH THE AREA TONIGHT. POWERFUL 110KT JET MOVES OVER CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AND A VERY STRONG UPPER DIVERGENCE / LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE COUPLET WILL BE OVER CENTRAL CALIFORNIA TONIGHT. WOULD EXPECT A BAND OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN TO ACCOMPANY THE FRONT HOWEVER THE FRONT SHOULD MOVE THROUGH RAPIDLY. GUSTY WINDS MAY ALSO PRECEDE THE FRONT. SHOWERY WEATHER WILL PERSIST INTO CHRISTMAS DAY UNDER CYCLONIC FLOW. WE GET INTO THE ANTICYCLONIC SIDE OF THE JET BY CHRISTMAS NIGHT...AND RECENT MODEL RUNS SUGGEST THAT 500MB HEIGHTS WILL RISE ARE WE GET INTO THE WEEKEND...THE RIDGE NEAR HAWAII SHIFTS CLOSER TO THE COAST AS STRONG BLOCKING RIDGE DEVELOPS OVER SIBERIA AND A DEEP COLD LOW DROPS INTO THE GULF OF ALASKA. THE JET STREAM LIFTS NORTH AS A SERIES OF SYSTEMS MOVES INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THESE MAY BRING SHOWERS TO THE REDDING / RED BLUFF AREAS WHILE THE REMAINDER OF OUR AREA WOULD GET A BREAK FROM THE RAINS. IN THE MOUNTAINS...THE STRONGEST DYNAMICS TODAY WILL BE IN THE LASSEN PARK AREA AND SHASTA COUNTY MOUNTAINS IN A DEFORMATION BAND. SNOW LEVELS WILL RISE TO 3000 FEET IN THE SOUTHERN CASCADES TO 5500 FEET ALONG I-80 LATER TODAY. THIS BAND MAY BRING OVER TWO FEET OF SNOW TO LASSEN PARK ABOVE 7000 FEET TODAY AND 6 TO 12 INCHES COULD DEVELOP ACROSS THE BURNEY BASIN AS WELL. HIGHER PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES SHIFT SOUTH LATER TODAY. THE WINTER STORM WARNINGS LOOK GOOD AS SNOW WILL CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF THE DAY ALONG I-80 AND HIGHWAY 50. A BREAK IS POSSIBLE LATER TODAY...AND THE MOST POWERFUL DYNAMICS ARRIVE TONIGHT AS 160KT JET DRIVES A STRONG VORT MAX INTO THE REGION. GFS DEPICTS 700MB WINDS OVER 60KTS AND HAS VERY STRONG UPPER DIVERGENCE/LIFT. TRAVEL CONDITIONS WILL BE EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS IN THE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT WITH 3 INCH/HOUR SNOWFALLS AND WIND GUSTS OVER 60 MPH LIKELY OVER MAJOR MOUNTAIN PASSES. SNOW WILL TURN MORE SHOWERY CHRISTMAS DAY BEFORE THE JET SHIFTS EAST OF THE SIERRA CHRISTMAS NIGHT. SNOW LEVELS WILL DROP BEHIND THE FRONT CHRISTMAS NIGHT. THE LATEST MODELS SHOW THIS OCCURRING MORE SLOWLY THAN BEFORE...AND THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES IN THE FOOTHILLS AND MOTHERLODE MAY NEED TO BE PUSHED BACK UNTIL CHRISTMAS MORNING. SNOW LEVELS WILL DROP TO 1500 TO 2000 FEET DURING THE DAY CHRISTMAS DAY...AND SEVERAL INCHES COULD CERTAINLY FALL THEN. THE WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN SHASTA COUNTY TO NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY LOOKS FINE. AFTER SNOW LEVELS RISE TODAY...THE SHASTA LAKE / NORTHERN SHASTA COUNTY AREA MAY NOT BE IMPACTED TOO MUCH UNTIL CHRISTMAS DAY. SG && .AVIATION... MVFR OCCASIONAL IFR CIGS AND VSBY TODAY OVER LOWER ELEVATIONS WITH LIFR OMTNS AS PACIFIC FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH NORCAL. INCREASING SE WINDS THIS MORNING FOR NRN SJ AND SRN SAC VALLEY AND DELTA AHEAD OF FRONT WITH SUSTAINED WINDS 20-30 GUSTS TO 40 MPH. STRONGEST WINDS 24/15-25/00Z. GUSTY WINDS OVER MOUNTAINS WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH POSSIBLE. FRONTAL PASSAGE THROUGH CENTRAL VALLEY EXPECTED AROUND 00Z THIS AFTERNOON WITH WINDS DECREASING AND SHIFTING SOUTHWEST THROUGH THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS. LIGHTER WINDS CENTRAL AND NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY. FREEZING LEVELS 4000 FEET N OF REDDING TO 5000 FEET SOUTH OF SCK TODAY LOWERING TO 1000 TO 2000 FEET BY THURSDAY MORNING WITH PASSAGE OF COLDER FRONTAL SYSTEM THROUGH FAR NORCAL. SHOWERS CONTINUING WITH SLIGHTLY IMPROVED CONDITIONS BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 PM PST THURSDAY FOR MOUNTAINS SOUTHWESTERN SHASTA COUNTY TO NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY-SHASTA LAKE AREA / NORTHERN SHASTA COUNTY. ...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 PM PST THURSDAY FOR BURNEY BASIN / EASTERN SHASTA COUNTY-WEST SLOPE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA-WESTERN PLUMAS COUNTY/LASSEN PARK. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 10 PM TONIGHT TO 4 PM PST THURSDAY FOR MOTHERLODE-NORTHEAST FOOTHILLS/SACRAMENTO VALLEY. ...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM PST WEDNESDAY FOR CARQUINEZ STRAIT AND DELTA-NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY. &&
6 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
A winter storm brought snow accumulations of 8 to 12 inches above elevations of 3000 feet and was accompanied by gusty winds. This brought hazardous travel conditions to area roads.
A winter storm brought snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches with gusty winds to elevations above 3000 feet. Greater snow amounts fell above 6000 feet. Lassen Volcanic National Park measured 67 inches of snow at Lower Lassen Peak, which is at an elevation of 8250 feet. This brought hazardous travel conditions to eastern Shasta County, western Plumas County, and Lassen Volcanic National Park, with chain restrictions on Highways 299 and 44.
A winter storm brought snow accumulations of 2 to 3 feet to elevations above 7000 feet accompanied by strong, gusty winds. Snow amounts of a foot or more fell above 6000 feet, with several inches falling at elevations between 3000 and 6000 feet. Blue Canyon received 19 inches of snow, and Echo Peak measured 24 inches. This brought hazardous travel conditions and chain restrictions to area roads such as I-80 and US Highway 50.
A woman was struck by a train on the 25th while hiking with her son on railroad tracks near Soda Springs. Whiteout conditions and snow accumulation made them unaware they were on railroad tracks. She died in a hospital in Truckee from her injuries. Her son was also injured.
A winter storm brought snow accumulations of 8 to 12 inches to elevations above 4000 feet accompanied by strong, gusty winds. This brought hazardous travel conditions to area roads.
A winter storm brought snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches to elevations above 3000 feet accompanied by strong, gusty winds. This brought hazardous travel conditions to area roads.
A winter storm brought snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches to elevations above 3000 feet accompanied by strong, gusty winds. This brought hazardous travel conditions to area roads.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Storm, West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada | 2008-12-25 | 59 | Female | Outside/Open Areas | Indirect |
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: 144071, 144073, 144074, 144075, 144076, 144072.