A winter storm brought snow to the northern Coastal Mountains, the Northern Mountains, and to the northern and central Sierra Nevada Mountains.
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 winter storm brought snow to the northern Coastal Mountains, the Northern Mountains, and to the northern and central Sierra Nevada Mountains.
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 Mar 18, 3:57 AM PST, 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 457 AM PDT FRI MAR 18 2011 .SHORT TERM DISCUSSION (TODAY THROUGH MONDAY)... BROAD LONGWAVE TROUGH REMAINS ENTRENCHED OVER MUCH OF THE EASTERN PACIFIC WITH MULTIPLE, VERY DYNAMIC SHORTWAVES PROPAGATING ONTO THE WEST COAST. INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY DEPICTS AN IMPRESSIVE MATURE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING INTO NW CAL. LAPSE RATES ARE DECENT ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT NEAR THE COAST BECAUSE SCATTERED T-STORMS HAVE BEEN OCCURRING MOST OF THE NIGHT. HOWEVER NOW THAT THE BAND OF CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY HAS MOVED ONSHORE, THE LIGHTNING HAS DIMINISHED. WITH THE BACK EDGE OF THE FRONTAL CLOUD BAND MOVING AROUND 30 MPH, EXTRAPOLATION WOULD BRING SLIGHT SUN BETWEEN SCATTERED SHOWERS TO THE SAC VALLEY BY LATE MORNING. AFTERNOON HEATING CORRESPONDING WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL LIKELY GIVE RISE TO SOME T-STORMS. THIS SYSTEM TODAY HAS COME FROM THE COLDER SOURCE REGION OF THE GULF OF ALASKA. SO IT DOESN'T HAVE QUITE THE MOISTURE TAP THAT THE STORM EARLIER THIS WEEK DID. HOWEVER, STRONG DIVERGENCE ALOFT AND GOOD OROGRAPHICS EXIST FOR THE SIERRA. FORECAST PRECIP TOTALS INTO SATURDAY MORNING WILL BE 0.50 TO 1 INCH FOR VALLEY LOCATIONS WITH THE MAJORITY OF LOCATIONS LESS THAN 0.75 OF AN INCH. EXPECT LIQUID EQUIVALENTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES OVER THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS WITH MOST LOCALES UNDER 2 INCHES. SNOW LEVELS WILL BE A FAIR BIT LOWER THAN THE LAST FEW STORMS...IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 2500 TO 3500 FEET. HIGHER SNOW-WATER RATIOS COULD POTENTIALLY BRING 2 TO 3 FEET OF NEW SNOW AT THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS OF THE SIERRA. WINDS HAVE PICKED UP OVER THE NRN SAC VALLEY AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. WE HAVE ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY FOR THIS AREA INTO EARLY AFTERNOON. THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT SHORTWAVE IMPACTS NRN CAL ON SUNDAY. IN BETWEEN MAIN SYSTEMS ON SATURDAY, UPPER LEVEL FLOW IS STILL CYCLONIC WITH GOOD OROGRAPHIC LIFT. AREAL COVERAGE OF SHOWERY PRECIPITATION MAY DIMINISH OVER THE VALLEY WHILE MORE NUMEROUS SHOWERS MAY STILL LINGER OVER THE WEST SLOPE OF THE SIERRA. WITH DECENT LAPSE RATES EXPECTED ON SATURDAY, T-STORMS ARE IN THE FORECAST AGAIN SATURDAY AFTERNOON. A MORE INTENSE SHORTWAVE TROUGH AMPLIFIES THE LONGWAVE TROUGH JUST OFFSHORE, PUTTING NRN CAL IN THE DIVERGENT FLOW OF A NEUTRAL TO A SLIGHT NEGATIVELY TILTED SHORTWAVE. FORECAST PRECIP TOTALS FROM SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT ARE SIMILAR TO THE CURRENT FORECAST FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH PERHAPS A BIT LESS IN THE SIERRA DUE TO A LESS OROGRAPHIC WIND COMPONENT. GIVEN THE ALREADY ELEVATED STREAM AND SMALLER RIVER LEVELS, MORE URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING ARE A GOOD POSSIBILITY IN THE VALLEY AND FOOTHILLS. MORE IN THE WAY OF ROCK AND MUD SLIDES COULD OCCUR OVER THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS. A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN CONTINUED TO HIGHLIGHT THESE CONCERNS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. MONDAY LOOKS TO BE SHOWERY AS THE WEAKENING UPPER LOW MOVES OVERHEAD. JCLAPP .EXTENDED DISCUSSION (TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY) COOL AND UNSETTLED PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD WITH SEVERAL SYSTEMS FORECAST TO MOVE THROUGH THE MEAN TROUGH ALONG THE WEST COAST IMPACTING NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. CONFIDENCE ON TIMING OF INDIVIDUAL SYSTEMS IS LOW WITH SIGNIFICANT MODEL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE FASTER (MORE PROGRESSIVE) GFS SOLUTIONS AND THOSE OF ITS EUROPEAN COUSINS (THE ECMWF AND UKMET) WHICH SHOW SLOWER EVOLUTION WITH A DEEPER TROUGH OVER THE EPAC. && .AVIATION... PAC CD FNTL SYS MVS THRU INT NORCAL TDA WITH SCTD SHWRS BEHIND THE FNT TNGT. FOR CNTL VLY...GENL VFR CONDS XCP MVFR CIGS AND VSBYS WITH BAND OF HEAVIER SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS AHEAD OF CD FNT... APPROX 15Z-20Z N SAC VLY AND 18Z-22Z SAC AREA. FOR SIERNEV...WDSPRD IFR CONDS DVLPG BY 18Z AS HEAVIER PRECIP DVLPS. VLY SFC WINDS INCRSG SELY GUSTING 25-35 KTS AHEAD OF CD FNT...DROPPING OFF BY 22Z-00Z SAT. A LOCAL AIRPORT ADVISORY FOR WINDS IS IN EFFECT FROM 13Z TO 20Z AT KRDD. && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING ABOVE 3000 FEET FOR THE BURNEY BASIN / EASTERN SHASTA COUNTY...WESTERN PLUMAS COUNTY/LASSEN PARK. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 5 AM PDT SATURDAY ABOVE 3000 FEET FOR THE WEST SLOPE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON ABOVE 3000 FEET FOR THE MOUNTAINS SOUTHWESTERN SHASTA COUNTY TO NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY...SHASTA LAKE AREA / NORTHERN SHASTA COUNTY. FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT CENTRAL SACRAMENTO VALLEY...MOTHERLODE...NORTHEAST FOOTHILLS/SACRAMENTO VALLEY... NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY...SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON CENTRAL SACRAMENTO VALLEY...NORTHEAST FOOTHILLS/SACRAMENTO VALLEY...NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 700 AM PDT THU MAR 17 2011 CAZ013>019-063-064-066>069-181400- 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 PDT THU MAR 17 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY WEATHER SYSTEM TO BEGIN IMPACTING INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TONIGHT WITH LIGHT PRECIPITATION. SNOW LEVELS ARE BETWEEN 4000 AND 5000 FEET INITIALLY. * WINTER STORM WARNING.......SEE WWUS46 KSTO - WSWSTO FOR DETAILS * .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY WEATHER SYSTEM WILL STILL BE IMPACT INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FRIDAY WITH MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION, ESPECIALLY OVER THE WEST SLOPE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA. SNOW LEVELS WILL BE INITIALLY 4000 FEET LOWERING TO 2500 FEET BY SATURDAY MORNING. ANOTHER STORM TO IMPACT THE REGION AGAIN ON SUNDAY. ADDITIONAL RAIN OVER SATURATED SOIL WILL GENERATE THE GREATEST CONCERN WITH LOCALIZED FLOODING AND MUD/DEBRIS FLOWS. * WINTER STORM WARNING.......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 JCLAPP
5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
A winter storm brought up to eight inches of new snow to the higher elevations and lesser amounts down to near 4500 feet.
A winter storm brought up to eight inches of new snow to the higher elevations and lesser amounts down to near 4500 feet.
A winter storm brought up to eight inches of new snow to the higher elevations and lesser amounts down to near 4500 feet.
A winter storm brought up to two feet of new snow to the higher elevations and lesser amounts down to near 4500 feet.
A winter storm brought up to eighteen inches of new snow to the higher elevations and lesser amounts down to near 4000 feet.
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, March 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: 295357, 295358, 295359, 295361, 295360.