High pressure over the area brought light winds and clear skies. This allowed the unusual case of a record minimum and a record maximum both being tied on the same day in the northern Sacramento Valley.
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.
High pressure over the area brought light winds and clear skies. This allowed the unusual case of a record minimum and a record maximum both being tied on the same day in the northern Sacramento Valley.
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 3, 9:45 PM PST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 945 PM PST WED DEC 3 2008 .DISCUSSION... UPPER LOW DROPPING SOUTHWARD OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA TONIGHT WITH UPPER RIDGE BUILDING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. FOG/STRATUS REDEVELOPING FROM THE CENTRAL SACRAMENTO VALLEY SOUTHWARD TONIGHT. SUBSIDENCE AND NORTHERLY FLOW BRIEFLY INCREASES THURSDAY WHICH MAY MIX OUT THE STRATUS A BIT FURTHER SOUTH. FORECASTS IN GOOD SHAPE...NO UPDATES. && .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... STRATUS DECK GRADUALLY ERODING...AND GIVEN CURRENT SATELLITE TRENDS EXPECT STRATUS TO CLEAR ERN ZONE 18/CENTRAL ZONE 19 LAST...PROBABLY AFTER THE AFTERNOON FORECAST ISSUANCE TIME. UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION FROM THE DIFFLUENT FLOW IN ADVANCE OF THE APPROACHING CLOSED LOW OFF THE PAC NW/NRN CA COAST WILL WEAKEN SUBSIDENCE OVER INTERIOR NORCAL COMPARED TO LAST NITE...AND THIS SHOULD PRECLUDE THE STRATUS/FOG FROM BEING AS WIDESPREAD AS LAST NITE. THE WEAKER SUBSIDENCE AND PASSING HIGH CLOUDINESS ASSOCIATED WITH THE OFFSHORE CLOSED LOW WILL ALSO REDUCE RADIATIONAL EFFECTS...THUS STRATUS EXPECTED TO GENERALLY FORM LATER IN THE EVENING. BOUNDARY LAYER WIND/RH PROGS SUGGEST THE STRATUS WILL FORM AGAIN TONITE FROM THE NRN SAN JOAQUIN VLY...INTO THE DELTA AND SRN/CENTRAL SAC VLY AREAS...ABOUT AS FAR N AS THE COLUSA/TEHAMA CO BORDER. THE CLOSED LOW OFF THE COAST IS FORECAST TO DROP SWD ALONG THE CA COAST...EVENTUALLY FORMING AN OMEGA-REX BLOCK ALONG THE W COAST BY FRI. A WEAKER SHORT WAVE ALONG THE B.C./WA BORDER IS FORECAST TO DIVE SWD ACROSS WRN NV JUST IN THE WAKE OF THE CLOSED LOW...AND BEHIND THESE 2 SYSTEMS...NLY SURFACE WINDS WILL BE INCREASING OVER INTERIOR NORCAL AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE FROM CANADA BUILDS INTO THE GREAT BASIN. LIGHT NLY FLOW EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER MOST OF THE INTERIOR OF NORCAL BY THU MORNING WHICH SHOULD KEEP THE STRATUS OUT OF THE NRN SAC VLY AND MOTHERLODE TONITE/THU MORNING...WITH THE INCREASING NELY PRESSURE GRADIENTS RESULTING IN MODERATE OFFSHORE FLOW BY FRI. THIS WILL LIMIT OR CONFINE THE STRATUS/FOG TO THE NRN SAN JOAQUIN VLY...AND OUT OF THE MOTHERLODE FRI MORNING. CLOUDS FROM THESE SYSTEMS EXPECTED TO BRUSH ACROSS PORTIONS OF OUR FORECAST AREA AT TIMES TONITE AND THU. COLD...EASTERLY FLOW FROM THE GREAT BASIN HIGH WILL PROMOTE STRONG RADIATIONAL COOLING IN THE MTN VLYS AND COLD OVERNITE LOWS FOR FRI MORNING. HOWEVER...THERE IS LIKELY TO BE MIXING FROM THE NLY WINDS IN THE INTERIOR VLY TO PROMOTE SOME MODERATION IN MIN TEMPS FOR FRI MORNING. WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE OMEGA-REX BLOCK JUST OFFSHORE...NORCAL WILL BE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE OMEGA/ANTICYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT ON SAT. A DRY...STABLE AIR MASS WITH STRONG RADIATIONAL COOLING IS EXPECTED FRI NITE/SAT MORNING...RESULTING IN COLD TEMPS IN THE INTERIOR VLY...AND POSSIBLY SOME LIGHT FROST. THE FROST SHOULD BE LIGHT AND SCATTERED DUE TO THE DRIER DOWNSLOPE/NELY FLOW OVER INTERIOR NORCAL THU/FRI. THIS BLOCKING PATTERN WAS BASICALLY WHAT AFFECTED NORCAL LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME AND RESULTED IN A VERY DRY FALL AND SLOW START TO OUR WATER YEAR. STORMS BEGAN TO PICK UP AFTER 12/4 LAST YEAR...TOOK A BREAK...PICKED UP AGAIN DURING THE MIDDLE AND END OF THE MONTH LAST YEAR. A LOOK AT THE GFS ENSEMBLES INDICATE A PRETTY STRONG BLOCKING PATTERN CONTINUING OVER THE ERN PAC THROUGH THE NEXT 7 DAYS. SEVERAL GFS PERTURBATIONS INDICATE A POSSIBLE SHORT WAVE DIVING INTO THE DESERT SW AND FORMING A CLOSED LOW BY/AROUND NEXT TUE. GIVEN THIS TRAJECTORY OF THE UPPER AIR PATTERN...A COLD/DRY CONTINENTAL/ CANADIAN SURFACE HIGH MAY BUILD SWD INTO THE GREAT BASIN PROVIDING INTERIOR NORCAL WITH DRY/COLD NLY FLOW AND POSSIBLY SOME FROSTY TEMPS EARLY NEXT WEEK IF THIS PATTERN SHOULD MATERIALIZE. JHM && .EXTENDED DISCUSSION (SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY)... UPPER LEVEL LOW REMAINS IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC OFF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING OVER THE NORTHEASTERN PACIFIC AND INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO BRING DRY WEATHER TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL. NORTH TO EAST WINDS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD...ESPECIALLY IN THE NIGHT AND MORNING HOURS WITH THE THERMAL TROUGH MOVING TO THE COAST. THE NORTH TO EAST WINDS MAY KEEP THE FOG AND LOW CLOUDS FROM BECOMING WIDESPREAD AND LIMITING THE AREA TO AROUND SACRAMENTO AND SOUTH. && .AVIATION... UPR LOW CONTS TO MOV SLOLY S OFF CAL CST AS UPR RDG BLDS INLD OVR NORCAL THU. WDSPRD MVFR/IFR CONDS WITH LCL LIFR CONDS IN FOG/ST OVR SAC VLY AND NRN SAN JOAQUIN VLY TIL ARND 20-22Z BCMG LCL MVFR IN HZ AFT. VFR CONDS OVR RMNDR OF INTR NORCAL NXT 24 HRS EXC ISOLD MVFR/IFR CONDS IN FOG/ST IN MTN VLYS TIL 18Z. STG N-NE FLOW DVLPS OVR INTR NORCAL AFT 12Z THU WITH LCL NE-E SFC WND GSTS TO 25 KTS OR GTR AFT 18Z THU. && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 600 AM PST WED DEC 3 2008 CAZ013>019-063-064-066>069-031500- 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- 600 AM PST WED DEC 3 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WIDESPREAD FOG AND STRATUS THROUGHOUT THE CENTRAL VALLEY AND DELTA WITH ONLY PATCHY DENSE FOG THIS MORNING. THE STRATUS WILL DIMINISH ACROSS THE NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY BY MID MORNING AND RETREAT SOUTHWARD. THE NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY WILL MOST LIKELY REMAIN CLOUDY ALL DAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. PATCHY FOG OVER THE SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY...DELTA AND NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY WILL REFORM OVERNIGHT AND DURING THE MORNING HOURS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. .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 JMC
1 cold/wind chill, 1 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Light winds and clear skies brought cold morning temperatures to the northern Sacramento Valley. The minimum temperature of 28 degrees tied the daily record at Redding Airport, which was previously set in 1998.
Sunny skies and a warming airmass allowed temperatures to tie the daily record high of 72 degrees at Red Bluff Airport. This record was previously set in 1976.
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: 146127, 146131.