Heavy snow fell on the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains, the mountains of western Plumas County, and in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Total snow amounts were 12 to 18 inches over the higher mountain elevations.
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.
Heavy snow fell on the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains, the mountains of western Plumas County, and in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Total snow amounts were 12 to 18 inches over the higher mountain elevations. Locally gusty winds and the resulting blowing snow produced poor visibilities and travel difficulties over mountain passes.
Snow accumulations were generally light to moderate over the Coastal Mountains and the mountains of Shasta County.
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 Feb 26, 3:45 AM PST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 345 AM PST FRI FEB 26 2010 .DISCUSSION... LIGHT WARM ADVECTION PCPN BEGINNING TO SPREAD OVER THE NWRN PORTION OF INTERIOR NORCAL...WITH THE HEAVIER RAIN BAND ALONG OFFSHORE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. AMSU RAIN RATE SHOWED A FEW PIXELS OF .15 TO .25 IN/HR AMOUNTS ALONG THE RAIN BAND...AND ASSOCIATED 1.10-1.20 IN TPW PLUME. ALL OF THIS WILL BE SHIFTING EWD AND INLAND DURING THE DAY WITH THE LARGE SCALE DYNAMICS. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A STRONG VORT MAX ALONG 35N/140W AND A JET SPEED MAX RAPIDLY ENHANCING CLOUD TOPS WHICH ARE NEARING 130W AT PRESS TIME. THIS LOOKS TO BE THE INDICATIONS OF THE LARGE SCALE ASCENT THAT WILL BE AFFECTING OUR AREA MAINLY BETWEEN 18Z-00Z TODAY...AND IN CONJUNCTION WITH UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE IN THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF A STRONG CYCLONIC JET THAT WILL AFFECT THE AREA FOR MOST OF TONIGHT AS WELL. LAST LOOK AT 11Z IR IMAGERY SHOWED A RAPIDLY GROWING AREA OF ENHANCED CLOUD TOPS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LARGE SCALE ASCENT ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY MOVING TO NEAR 35N/125W...THIS LOOKS TO BE THE CLOUD MASS AND PCPN THAT WILL BE HEADING INTO OUR AREA TODAY. THE OFFSHORE FRONTAL BAND IS FORECAST TO NEAR THE COAST BY 00Z SAT. THIS WILL TIGHTEN THE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT TO ABOUT 6-7 MBS FROM MFR-SAC. A STRONG SOUTHERLY LLJ IS ALSO FORECAST TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE FRONT WITH THE NAM 925 MBS WINDS FORECAST TO REACH 45-50 KTS ACROSS THE VALLEY FROM 18Z-03Z. MOMENTUM TRANSFER AND/OR PCPN DRAG IS EXPECTED TO MIX DOWN A GOOD PORTION OF THIS WIND AND REACH WIND ADVSRY CRITERIA IN THE VALLEY. THIS LOW LEVEL JET...AND TERRAIN FORCING ARE CREATING SOME VERY STRONG VEERING WIND PROFILES WITH HIGH HELICITY VALUES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. IN THE VCNTY OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY...HEAVY CONVECTIVE RAIN BANDS AND/OR THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP MAINLY THIS EVENING AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES INLAND. THE WRF CAPE FORECAST SUGGESTS THE GREATEST CAPE WILL BE AFTER 02Z SAT...AND MAINLY FROM THE BAY AREA AND INTO THE E SIDE OF THE SAC VLY INCLUDING THE FOOTHILLS. WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE A NCFR BAND DEVELOP ALONG THE BOUNDARY THIS EVENING IT THE FRONT HOLDS TOGETHER...ALTHOUGH THE MODELS ARE INDICATING FRONTOLYSIS AS IT MOVES INLAND. HOWEVER...SATELLITE IS SHOWING AN AREA OF COLD AIR CUMULUS UNDER THE COLD POOL ALOFT WHICH WILL BE MOVING CLOSER TO THE COAST WITH THE UPPER LEVEL TROF AND DESTABILIZING THE ATMOSPHERE. BUFKIT FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE SOME THIN CAPE DURING THE EVENING AS MID LEVEL CAA STEEPENS THE MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES. HERE IS WHERE THE STRONG SLY FLOW AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND TERRAIN FORCING MAY SUSTAIN A LOW LEVEL BOUNDARY OR CONVERGENCE ZONE FOR A LONGER TIME. THERE IS STILL THE UPPER TROF THAT WILL BE MOVING CLOSER TO THE AREA AS WELL DURING THE EVENING. AS FOR QPFS...FROM TODAY INTO SAT...WE COULD SEE A DOUBLING OF QPFS IN THE VALLEY FROM THE PREVIOUS STORM...AND TWICE THE SNOWFALL FOR THE SIERNEV DUE TO HIGHER SNOW RATIOS AND MORE CONVECTIVE SHOWERS AS THE COLDER AIR AND UPPER TROF AXIS MOVE INLAND TONITE. THE 850-700 MBS WINDS ARE FORECAST TO RESULT IN STRONG OROGRAPHICS FOR THE SIERNEV AS SPEEDS INCREASE TO 50-55 KTS TODAY...BEFORE WEAKENING EARLY SAT MORNING. SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO LINGER OVER THE INTERIOR OF NORCAL... ESPECIALLY OVER THE SIERNEV ON SAT...THEN DIMINISH SAT EVENING AS THE TROF AXIS SHIFTS EWD. WE BEGAN TO DECREASE POPS SAT AFTN AS THIS SYSTEM IS STILL FORECAST TO SPLIT AS IT MOVES INLAND AS A SECONDARY VORT MAX VCNTY 40N/140W DIGS SEWD INTO SOCAL. HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN BUILD OVER THE AREA ON SUN WITH DRIER AND MILDER WX. MORE PCPN MAY RETURN TO INTERIOR NORCAL MON NITE AND TUE AS LOW PRESSURE APPROACHES FROM THE GULF OF AK. JHM .EXTENDED DISCUSSION (TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)... MEDIUM RANGE MODELS CONSISTENT IN MOVING NEXT PACIFIC FRONTAL SYSTEM INTO INTERIOR NORCAL TUESDAY THEN DIFFER ON TRACK OF ASSOCIATED UPPER LOW/TROUGH WEDNESDAY. MODELS ALL SUGGEST SHOWERY PATTERN OVER THE FORECAST AREA WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY EVENING. SHORT WAVE RIDGE PROGGED TO MOVE OVER THE CWA THURSDAY FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER STORM FRIDAY HOWEVER DIFFERENCES EXIST IN RIDGE AMPLITUDE AND PROGRESSION OF UPSTREAM SYSTEM THAT MAKE FOR SOME TIMING UNCERTAINTIES THIS FAR OUT IN THE FORECAST CYCLE. && .AVIATION... PAC FNTL SYS MOVS THRU INTR NORCAL TDA INTO TNGT FLWD BY ASSOCD UPR LOW/TROF SAT. FOR CNTRL VLY...INCRSG MVFR/IFR CONDS SPRD N TO S THIS MRNG BCMG WDSPRD AFT 20Z WITH LCL LIFR CONDS THRU 03Z SAT. INCRSG S-SE SFC WND THIS MRNG WITH WDSPRD GSTS 25-35 KTS BTWN 19Z-02Z. FOR NRN/CSTL...WDSPRD MVFR/IFR WITH LCL LIFR CONDS TIL ARND 03Z THEN SLOLY IMPVG. SN LVLS ARND 050-055 AMSL TDA LWRG 035-045 AMSL TNGT. AREAS STG S-SELY SFC WND THRU 03Z FRI WITH GSTS 30-40 KTS. FOR W SLPS SIERNEV...INCRSG MVFR/IFR CONDS AFT 18Z BCMG WDSPRD IFR/LIFR THIS AFTN THRU TNGT. SN LVLS ARND 050-060 TDA LWRG 040-050 TNGT. AREAS STG S-SW WND 25-35 KTS WITH GSTS 40-50 KTS AFT 18Z CONTG THRU 06Z SAT. && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 10 AM PST SATURDAY FOR BURNEY BASIN / EASTERN SHASTA COUNTY-WESTERN PLUMAS COUNTY/LASSEN PARK. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 PM PST SATURDAY FOR WEST SLOPE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT PST TONIGHT FOR MOUNTAINS SOUTHWESTERN SHASTA COUNTY TO NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY-SHASTA LAKE AREA / NORTHERN SHASTA COUNTY. WIND ADVISORY FROM NOON TO 10 PM PST FRIDAY FOR CARQUINEZ STRAIT AND DELTA-SACRAMENTO VALLEY-NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 700 AM PST THU FEB 25 2010 CAZ013>019-063-064-066>069-261500- 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 THU FEB 25 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE AREA TODAY WILL RESULT IN SOME PATCHY DENSE EARLY MORNING FOG AROUND THE SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY. * WINTER STORM WATCH.........SEE WWUS46 KSTO - WSWSTO FOR DETAILS * .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE SECOND STORM OF THE WORK WEEK WILL BRING RAIN...SNOW...POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS AND STRONG WINDS TO THE AREA MAINLY ON FRIDAY. DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED ON SUNDAY. * WINTER STORM WATCH.........SEE WWUS46 KSTO - WSWSTO FOR DETAILS * * SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT..SEE WWUS86 KSTO - SPSSTO 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
5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Four to eight inches of snow fell across the highest elevations.
Up to eight inches of snow fell in the highest elevations including two inches in the foothills surrounding Redding.
Up to eight inches of heavy snow fell at the highest elevations including three inches in Burney.
Heavy snow fell over the mountains of western Plumas County. Snow amounts of 10 to 15 inches were reported over the higher mountain elevations.
Heavy snow fell over the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains, with 12 inches measured at the Central Sierra Snow Lab at 6900 feet. There was 12.5 inches reported at a ski resort in Twin Bridges at 7300 feet and 18 inches was reported at 8900 feet.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 2010
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: 251978, 242478, 242479, 215747, 215746.