A significant winter storm struck the western half of the San Bernardino County Mountains from the 23rd through the 25th. Wrightwood was particulary hard hit by the storm.
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.
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 SGX wrote it up.
A significant winter storm struck the western half of the San Bernardino County Mountains from the 23rd through the 25th. Wrightwood was particulary hard hit by the storm. Several periods of heavy snow and whiteout conditions resulted in the closure of Interstate 15 and Highway 138. Weather spotters reported total accumulations of 24 to 38 inches of snow from the storm.
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 San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 23, 1:15 PM PST, 7 hours 8 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 115 PM PST WED JAN 23 2008 .SYNOPSIS...LOW PRESSURE OFF THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST WILL SEND A WEAK TROUGH OUR WAY WITH A PERIOD OF RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS WILL DECREASE TEMPORARILY LATER FRIDAY OR EARLY SATURDAY AS THE STORM OFF THE COAST REGROUPS. THE STORM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE TOWARD THE COAST SATURDAY NIGHT... INCREASING THE CHANCE FOR RAIN AND SNOW. STRONG WINDS...PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE WEEKEND. SCATTERED SHOWERS COULD LINGER THROUGH MONDAY BUT DRYING IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...FOR SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA INCLUDING SAN DIEGO... ORANGE...SOUTHWEST SAN BERNARDINO AND WEST RIVERSIDE COUNTIES. SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS CLOUDS THICKENING FROM THE SOUTH TODAY WHILE THE THICKER CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH HEAVY RAIN EXTEND FROM THE LA AREA TO WELL OFF THE COASTAL WATERS. RADAR SHOWS INDIVIDUAL SHOWERS MOVING NORTH...WHILE THE ENTIRE BAND SHIFTS SLOWLY E. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A BROAD UPPER LOW CENTERED OFF THE NOCAL COAST WITH A LOBE OF VORTICITY ROTATING AROUND THE S SIDE. THIS FEATURE IS SUPPORTING THE BAND OF MODERATE RAIN OFFSHORE AND SHOULD WEAKEN AND MOVE RAPIDLY EAST AFTER DARK. STILL EXPECTING A PERIOD OF RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW AFTER DARK TONIGHT AS A LOBE OF VORTICITY ROUNDS THE BASE OF THE UPPER LOW AND TRAVERSES SOCAL. HOWEVER...MOST OF THE ENERGY WILL MOVE NE OF THE SGX CWA SO PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN IN THE LA AREA. EXPECT AMOUNTS OF AROUND ONE-HALF TO THREE QUARTER OF AN INCH FOR ORANGE AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES...TAPERING TO ONE-QUARTER INCH OR LESS FOR SOUTHERN SNA DIEGO COUNTY. IN THE SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS AMOUNTS COULD BE CLOSER TO ONE INCH. BASED ON EXPECTED SOUTH WINDS TO 30 KT AND LIQUID EQUIVALENT OF ONE INCH...WINTER STORM WARNING WILL BE ISSUED FOR THE SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS FOR SNOWFALL UP TO 10 INCHES OVERNIGHT. NO WARNINGS OR ADVISORIES ARE EXPECTED AT THIS TIME FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE COUNTIES. MOIST CYCLONIC FLOW AND ADDITIONAL WEAK DISTURBANCES WILL KEEP A THREAT OF MOSTLY LIGHT RAIN AND SNOW AT TIMES INTO FRI MORNING. MODEL GUIDANCE SHOWS ADDITIONAL ENERGY MOVES INTO THE WEST COAST TROUGH ON FRI. THIS REDEVELOPS A MORE INTENSE UPPER LOW WELL OFF THE COAST. THIS PROCESS PUMPS UP 500 MB HEIGHTS/THICKNESS OVER SOCAL FRI THROUGH SAT MORNING WHEN LITTLE OR NO PRECIPITATION MAY OCCUR. AT THE SAME TIME THIS BETTER POSITIONS THE UPPER LOW TO DRAW IN SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE. THE GFS MODEL SHOWS S WINDS AT THE 850 MB LEVEL IN EXCESS OF 60 KTS AND TEMPS ABOVE 6 DEGREES C BY SAT EVENING. IF THIS HAPPENS...SNOW LEVELS WILL ROCKET TO 7000 FEET OR HIGHER FOR A TIME. THE WARMER CONDITIONS COUPLED WITH THE MOIST SUBTROPICAL FLOW WILL BRING A CHANCE FOR HEAVY RAIN...AND MELTING SNOW THROUGH EARLY SUN. AS THE UPPER LOW FINALLY MOVES INLAND LATE SUN...THE SNOW LEVELS SHOULD CRASH TO WELL BELOW RESORT LEVELS AGAIN. STRONG WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE AS WELL. ADVISORIES AND WARNINGS FOR THE STRONG WINDS MAY BE NEEDED OVER THE WEEKEND. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS AN EVOLVING SYSTEM. CUT-OFF LOWS ARE NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TO TIME. WE WILL LIKELY SEE MORE SCENARIO CHANGES THROUGH THE WEEK...BUT AT THIS TIME EXPECT RAIN AT SOME POINT THIS WEEKEND WITH A GOOD POSSIBILITY OF SOME HEAVY RAIN TO DEVELOP BY SAT NIGHT OR SUN. WITH THE SPECTER OF SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE AND STRONG DYNAMICS NOW IN THE MIX...TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS COULD EASILY BE IN THE TWO TO FOUR INCH RANGE W OF THE MTNS THROUGH MON...WHILE THE COASTAL MOUNTAIN SLOPES GET CONSIDERABLY MORE. SNOWFALL WILL BE PROBLEMATIC NOW THAT IT APPEARS SNOW LEVELS MAY BE LIFTED ABOVE RESORT LEVELS AHEAD OF THE MAIN SYSTEM ON SAT AND SUN. MOIST CYCLONIC FLOW CONTINUES MONDAY FOR A CHANCE OF LINGERING SHOWERS...OTHERWISE SOME DRYING IS EXPECTED THROUGH MID-WEEK...BASED ON 12Z MODEL GUIDANCE. && .AVIATION... 232130Z...THIS AFTERNOON...LOW CLOUDS FROM THE SOUTH HAVE MOVED INTO THE AREAS WEST OF THE MTNS BRINGING CIGS AROUND 4000 FT TO SOME LOCATIONS...MOSTLY IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE...THICKENING AND LOWERING...THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH INCREASING CHANCES FOR RAIN. RAIN BECOMING LIKELY FROM THE NORTHWEST BY LATE AFTERNOON OR EVENING. RAIN THROUGH TONIGHT WITH CLOUDS AND SHOWERS BREAKING UP EARLY THURSDAY MORNING...THEN MORE RAIN BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THE NIGHT. CIGS LOWERING BY THIS EVENING TO AROUND 2000 TO 2500 FT MSL. BASES LIFTING LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY THURSDAY MORNING...THEN LOWERING AGAIN THURSDAY AFTERNOON. VSBY MOSTLY ABOVE 7SM...LOWER ALONG THE COASTAL SLOPES WITH AREAS 3-5SM BY THIS EVENING...DROPPING TO 1-2SM IN RAIN WITH BASES LOWERING TO 1K FT OR LOWER AT TIMES. && .MARINE...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.SURF AND SWELL WILL INCREASE THURSDAY WITH LITTLE CHANGE EARLY FRIDAY...THEN INCREASING LATE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY AS STRONG SOUTH WINDS DEVELOP FRIDAY MORNING. POSSIBLE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS FRIDAY MORNING INTO SATURDAY. && .SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS 6 PM PST TONIGHT TO 6 AM PST THU. SEE LAXWSWSGX. HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK FOR POSSIBLE HEAVY RAIN AND SNOWFALL THROUGH THIS WEEKEND. SEE LAXESFSGX. && PUBLIC...JAD AVIATION/MARINE...PG
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 400 PM PST WED JAN 23 2008 CAZ042-043-048-050-055>058-060>062-241200- ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS- SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE- SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS-SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS- RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS- SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-APPLE AND LUCERNE VALLEYS- COACHELLA VALLEY-SAN DIEGO COUNTY DESERTS- 400 PM PST WED JAN 23 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT INCREASING MOISTURE AHEAD OF A PACIFIC STORM WILL BRING RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW OVERNIGHT...HEAVY AT TIMES. THERE WILL BE LOCAL DENSE FOG IN THE MOUNTAINS. THERE WILL BE STRONG WINDS...HEAVY SNOW...AND DENSE FOG IN THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS TONIGHT. SEE LAXWSWSGX FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY LOW PRESSURE OFF THE COAST WILL BEGIN TO MOVE INLAND SATURDAY. DISTURBANCES ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW WILL BRING PERIODS OF RAIN THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. HEAVY RAIN...MOUNTAIN SNOW...AND STRONG WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE MAINLY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. SEE LAXESFSGX FOR DETAILS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SKYWARN WEATHER ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED FOR THIS AREA AT THIS TIME...HOWEVER WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS WEEKEND. DA
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
809 PM PST WED JAN 23 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0800 PM HEAVY SNOW WRIGHTWOOD 34.36N 117.63W
01/23/2008 M7.0 INCH SAN BERNARDINO CA TRAINED SPOTTER
SEVEN INCHES OF SNOW HAS ACCUMULATED IN WRIGHTWOOD SINCE
4 PM.
&&
SCVThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
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, January 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: 79894.