A cold winter storm brought additional heavy snow to areas still digging out from a storm that passed through the region just a day or two earlier. Traffic was impacted on major highways and power was lost in many foothill locations.
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 cold winter storm brought additional heavy snow to areas still digging out from a storm that passed through the region just a day or two earlier. Traffic was impacted on major highways and power was lost in many foothill locations.
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 17, 5:00 AM PST, 3 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 500 AM PST THU FEB 17 2011 .SHORT TERM DISCUSSION (TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY)... SCATTERED SHOWERS HAVE BEEN IN PLACE ALL NIGHT SOUTHWARD OF I-80. SHOWERS ARE BEGINNING TO FILL IN THE GAP AND BECOMING MORE NUMEROUS OVER THE COAST. THIS IS EVIDENT ON SATELLITE AS THE VORT MAX IS JUST INSIDE OF 130W AND ENHANCED CLOUDS ARE DEVELOPING FROM 130W TO THE COASTAL RANGE OF NRN CAL. NRN CAL WILL BE NEAR THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF THE JET THIS MORN AND CONTINUE ON THE POLEWARD SIDE OF THE JET, KEEPING NRN CAL UNDER THE COLDER AIRMASS. WE HAVE WINTER STORM WARNINGS FOR THE WEST SLOPE OF THE SIERRA ABOVE 2000 FT AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES OVER THE COASTAL RANGE AND INTO SHASTA COUNTY MTNS ABOVE 2000 FT AT LEAST INTO FRIDAY. WE THOUGHT THE NRN SAC VALLEY NEAR REDDING COULD KEEP THE COLD AIR TRAPPED IN THERE TO GET SOME SNOW THIS MORN, BUT THE BREEZY SOUTHERLY WARM AIR ADVECTION WINDS HAVE RAISED THE TEMPS OVERNIGHT ENOUGH TO KEEP PRECIP LIQUID INITIALLY. HOWEVER, COLD AIR ADVECTION MAY LOWER TEMPS LATER TODAY TO ALLOW RAIN/SNOW MIX INTO NW REDDING (700-800 FT). A SECONDARY VORT MAX DESCENDS THE UPSTREAM RIDGE OVER ERN PAC AND INTO CENTRAL AND SRN CAL FRI AND SAT. THIS LEAVES NRN CAL IN A WRAP AROUND PRECIP PATTERN AND IT IS TOUGH TO DETERMINE AT THE POINT HOW MUCH PRECIP WILL OCCUR, BUT IT WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH INTO SAT AND SUN. TEMPS WILL BE BELOW NORMAL WITH THE COOLER AIRMASS IN PLACE. JCLAPP .EXTENDED DISCUSSION (MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY)... MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT IN DROPPING COLD UPPER LOW SOUTHWARD OFF THE COAST ON MONDAY. PROBLEM IS IN THE DETAILS. GFS KEEPING LOW CLOSEST TO THE COAST AND CLOSE ENOUGH TO GENERATE PRECIP THREAT OVER MOST OF THE CWA. MEANWHILE ECMWF KEEPS LOW FARTHER OFFSHORE FOR DRIER SOLUTION. GEM MODEL COMING IN IN BETWEEN. FOR NOW...HAVE KEPT SOME THREAT OF PRECIP IN FORECAST BUT OVER TIME MAY SEE DRIER SOLUTIONS PREVAILING. EXTENDED MODELS THEN DROP ANOTHER UPPER TROUGH INTO PACIFIC NORTHWEST. 06Z GFS TRENDING PATH OF THIS TROUGH FARTHER EAST THAN 00Z RUN. WITH UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE OVER NORCAL...CAN NOT RULE OUT PRECIP THREAT ALTOGETHER BUT WITH TENDENCY TOWARDS DRIER SOLUTIONS...SUB CLIMATE POPS LOOK LIKE A GOOD BET FOR NOW. AFTER TUESDAY...MODELS NOW KEEP MAINLY DRY NORTHWEST FLOW OVER THE REGION FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. EARLIER MODEL RUNS KEPT UPPER TROUGH CLOSER TO THE COASTLINE FOR A WETTER SOLUTION BUT MODEL TRENDS HAVE BEEN TO SHIFT THIS THROUGH FARTHER EAST FOR A DRIER SOLUTION. IF THIS TREND CONTINUES...MAY HAVE TO TRANSITION NEAR CLIMO POPS IN THE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY TIME FRAMES TO SOMETHING DRIER. EITHER WAY...COOL NORTHERLY FLOW WILL KEEP DAYTIME HIGHS BELOW NORMAL THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD. .AVIATION... DISTURBANCE NOW JUST OFF THE NORCAL COAST FORECAST TO SWING THROUGH NORTH STATE TODAY BRINGING WIDESPREAD PRECIP TO THE REGION THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY. FOR CNTRL VLY...MNLY VFR EXC LCL MVFR/IFR CONDS POSS IN SHWRS. FOR FTHLS/MTNS...AREAS MVFR/IFR CONDS WITH LCL LIFR THROUGH TODAY. SN LVLS ARND 015-020 MSL...LCLY LWR. STG SWLY FLOW ALF. IN CNTRL VLY...LCL SLY SFC WND GSTS TO 25 KTS POSS THROUGH 00Z THIS AFTERNOON. IN FTHLS/MTNS AREAS S-SW SFC WND GSTS 25 TO 35 KTS. CONDITIONS IMPROVING OVER THE VLY AFTER 02-06Z. && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST FRIDAY WESTERN PLUMAS COUNTY/LASSEN PARK. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST FRIDAY WEST SLOPE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM PST FRIDAY ABOVE 2000 FEET FOR THE MOUNTAINS SOUTHWESTERN SHASTA COUNTY TO NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY...SHASTA LAKE AREA / NORTHERN SHASTA COUNTY. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM PST FRIDAY BURNEY BASIN / EASTERN SHASTA COUNTY. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST FRIDAY ABOVE 2000 FEET FOR THE MOTHERLODE. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST FRIDAY ABOVE 2000 FEET FOR THE NORTHEAST FOOTHILLS/SACRAMENTO VALLEY. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT PST TONIGHT ABOVE 2000 FEET FOR THE CLEAR LAKE/SOUTHERN LAKE COUNTY.. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 700 AM PST THU FEB 17 2011 CAZ013>019-063-064-066>069-181500- 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 17 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY ANOTHER ROUND OF WINTER WEATHER WILL IMPACT NORTHERN INTERIOR CALIFORNIA AS THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM INTENSIFIES NEAR THE COAST. * WINTER STORM WARNING.......SEE WWUS46 KSTO - WSWSTO FOR DETAILS * * WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY....SEE WWUS46 KSTO - WSWSTO FOR DETAILS * .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE IMPACTS OF THE SAME STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY OVER THE SIERRA NEVADA. * WINTER STORM WARNING.......SEE WWUS46 KSTO - WSWSTO 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 JCLAPP
6 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Five to eight inches of snow fell near 3000 feet with the snow level down to near 1000 feet in some locations.
Up to eighteen inches of snow fell at the highest elevations with up to a foot of snow falling on major highways.
Three to four feet of snow fell at the highest elevations, more than two feet at 7000 feet, and eight to twelve inches fell down to 3000 feet.
Up to a foot of snow fell near 3000 feet with the snow level as low as 1500 feet in some locations. Power was lost across many foothill locations for several days due to downed trees branches.
Three to four feet of snow fell at the highest elevations, more than two feet at 7000 feet, and eight to twelve inches fell down to 3000 feet.
Eight to twelve inches of snow fell at the highest elevations. The snow level was down to 1500 feet in some locations.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 2011
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: 299868, 299870, 299902, 299865, 299863, 299869.