California, 2008

Heavy Snow in California, January 4 to 5, 2008

January 4 to 5, 2008 · NWS MFR · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Multiple storm systems contributed to a historic heavy snow event over Northern California from 01/03 to 01/05/08. The event started off as a wind and snow event with blizzard conditions occurring in a number of places.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MFR wrote it up.

Multiple storm systems contributed to a historic heavy snow event over Northern California from 01/03 to 01/05/08. The event started off as a wind and snow event with blizzard conditions occurring in a number of places. The winds diminished on 01/04, but the heavy snow continued and lowered in altitude through the evening of 01/05.

The Heavy Snow Warning was issued at 04/1219 PST for California zones CAZ080/082/083 above 3000 feet, effective from 04/1219 until 05/0700 PST. It was extended to 05/1800 PST at 04/2203 PST, then extended again to 06/0600 PST and lowered to 1500 feet at 05/1012 PST. The warning was cancelled at 05/2112 PST.

What forecasters said that day

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 Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 4, 9:17 AM PST, 3 hours 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 4, 9:17 AM PST, 3 hours 43 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 4, 4:37 AM PST, 8 hours 23 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 4, 8:51 AM PST, 4 hours 9 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 4, 8:56 AM PST, 4 hours 4 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 4, 9:02 AM PST, 3 hours 58 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 4, 10:13 AM PST, 2 hours 47 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 4, 11:17 AM PST, 1 hour 43 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 4, 12:38 PM PST, 22 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, South Central Siskiyou County

When
January 4, 1:00 PM PST to January 5, 3:00 PM PST
Where
South Central Siskiyou County forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.593, -122.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A spotter 4SW Weed reported another 6 inches of snow between 05/0900 and 05/1500 PST, for a total of 22.5 inches of snow over 56 hours. A spotter 1N Mt. Shasta City reported 10 inches of snow between 04/0600 and 05/0600 PST; most of which likely fell in the last 17 hours of the period.

Heavy Snow, North Central & Southeast Siskiyou County

When
January 4, 1:00 PM PST to January 5, 9:00 PM PST
Where
North Central & Southeast Siskiyou County forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.593, -122.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Based on numerous spotter reports of heavy snow in adjacent zone CAZ082, it is assumed that CAZ083 also met Heavy Snow Warning criteria during this interval.

Heavy Snow, Western Siskiyou County

When
January 5, 9:00 AM PST to 9:00 PM PST
Where
Western Siskiyou County forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
41.593, -122.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A spotter 2SSW Etna reported 7 inches of snow in this 12 hour interval.

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2008

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 67114, 119804, 67121.