A Pacific storm moved through California on Thursday that brought a few inches of snow to the mountains, and moderate to strong showers over the valley and foothills. Thursday evening, a supercell developed in Tehama County that produced heavy rain, hail, funnel clouds, and a tornado that touched down near Red Bluff, CA.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 STO wrote it up.
A Pacific storm moved through California on Thursday that brought a few inches of snow to the mountains, and moderate to strong showers over the valley and foothills. Thursday evening, a supercell developed in Tehama County that produced heavy rain, hail, funnel clouds, and a tornado that touched down near Red Bluff, CA.
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 Apr 4, 2:20 PM PST, 3 hours 39 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 320 PM PDT THU APR 4 2013 .SHORT TERM DISCUSSION... WEATHER FRONT MOVED THROUGH NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AROUND MIDDAY TODAY...WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS NOW FILLING BEHIND THE FRONT. MODERATE RAIN TOTALS HAVE BEEN REPORTED THUS FAR WITH A QUARTER TO AROUND HALF AN INCH ACROSS THE VALLEY...AND HALF AN INCH TO AN INCH OVER THE MOUNTAINS. SKIES HAVE REMAINED CLOUDY FOR THE MOST PART TODAY...THOUGH A FEW BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS ARE BEING OBSERVED ON VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY. THIS CLOUDINESS HAS HELPED TO INHIBIT CONVECTION FROM TAKING OFF. FOR TONIGHT...EXPECT CONTINUED SCATTERED SHOWERS WITH CYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT AND A VERY MOIST ATMOSPHERE. WATER VAPOR SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS A VORT MAX APPROACHING THE CA/OR BORDER...AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO KICK OFF SOME HEAVIER SHOWERS OR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. SHOWERS SHOULD BEGIN TO DECREASE IN COVERAGE BY LATE THIS EVENING. IT WOULD NOT BE SURPRISING TO SEE SOME PATCHY DENSE FOG DEVELOP BY EARLY FRIDAY MORNING ALONG PORTIONS OF THE VALLEY. A COUPLE OF WEAK WAVES BRUSH BY ALONG THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE STARTING FRIDAY AND CONTINUING INTO THE WEEKEND. ANY PRECIPITATION THAT FALLS SHOULD REMAIN GENERALLY LIGHT AND MOSTLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80. DANG .EXTENDED DISCUSSION (MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) UPPER LOW/TROUGH WILL WILL DROP SOUTH OVER NORCAL LATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. MODELS HAVE COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT THIS AFTERNOON WITH THIS SYSTEM. EURO WHICH HAD BEEN FARTHER NORTH AND EAST HAS SHIFTED FARTHER SOUTH AND TURNED FASTER. THIS IS LINED UP PRETTY WELL WITH GFS AND HAVE INCREASED POPS...ESPECIALLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS. EXPECT SNOW LEVELS TO FALL TO 5500 FEET BY MONDAY AFTERNOON. DRY WEATHER AND BREEZY NORTH WINDS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE REGION ON TUESDAY WITH NORCAL ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE TROUGH WHILE RIDGING BUILDS OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC. UPPER RIDGE WILL BUILD OVER THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY AND REMAIN THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK. THIS WILL PROVIDE A WARMING TREND...AS TEMPERATURES CLIMB BACK TO AROUND 80 DEGS FOR VALLEY LOCATIONS. && .AVIATION... WIDESPREAD MVFR CONDITIONS IN THE VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON WILL IMPROVE TO VFR BY THIS EVENING AS CIGS LIFT AND SHOWERS DISSIPATE. SOUTHEAST WINDS 10-15KTS WILL DIE DOWN BY THIS EVENING. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE BETWEEN KSMF AND KRBL THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING. WITH RECENT RAINS...LINGERING MOISTURE MAY ALLOW FOG TO DEVELOP EARLY FRIDAY MORNING 10Z- 16Z...BRINGING THE POSSIBILITY OF MVFR/IFR CIGS/VSBYS TO VALLEY TAF SITES. IN THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS...WIDESPREAD IFR/LIFR WILL IMPROVE TO VFR OVERNIGHT AS SHOWERS DISSIPATE. -DVC && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 525 AM PDT THU APR 4 2013 CAZ013>019-063-064-066>069-051400- 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- 525 AM PDT THU APR 4 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEM WILL BRING PRECIPITATION TO THE REGION TODAY WITH A CHANCE OF ACCUMULATING SNOW LIMITED TO THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS OF THE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. * SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT..SEE WWUS86 KSTO - SPSSTO FOR DETAILS * .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT (LOWER CASE): HTTP://WWW.WRH.NOAA.GOV/STO
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
617 PM PDT THU APR 4 2013
CAZ015-050145-
NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY CA-
617 PM PDT THU APR 4 2013
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR...
CENTRAL NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY
UNTIL 645 PM PDT
AT 610 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES NORTH OF HENLEYVILLE..MOVING NORTHEAST AT
15 MPH.
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG
WITH HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.
THE STORM WILL IMPACT AREAS ALONG I5 NEAR RED BLUFF THROUGH 645PM.
LAT...LON 4021 12222 4017 12213 4011 12205 3999 12227
4006 12238
TIME...MOT...LOC 0114Z 222DEG 15KT 4007 12226
DRPSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
645 PM PDT THU APR 4 2013
CAZ013-015-066-050230-
SHASTA LAKE AREA / NORTHERN SHASTA COUNTY CA-NORTHEAST
FOOTHILLS/SACRAMENTO VALLEY CA-NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY CA-
645 PM PDT THU APR 4 2013
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR...
CENTRAL SHASTA LAKE AREA / NORTHERN SHASTA COUNTY
NORTH CENTRAL NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY
EXTREME NORTHWESTERN NORTHEAST FOOTHILLS/SACRAMENTO VALLEY
UNTIL 730 PM PDT
AT 642 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM TO ONO THROUGH
KESWICK AND EXTENDING TO THE NORTHEAST INTO THE MOUNTAINS. THE
INDIVIDUAL STORMS WITHIN THE LINE WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER IS EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS...
ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
RURAL CENTRAL SHASTA COUNTY...
THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND
TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
LAT...LON 4093 12185 4064 12223 4055 12245 4063 12249
4080 12239 4110 12203
TIME...MOT...LOC 0142Z 299DEG 18KT 4095 12192 4059 12238
4049 12259
RBPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
659 PM PDT THU APR 4 2013
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0650 PM TORNADO 5 WNW LOS MOLINOS 40.05N 122.18W
04/04/2013 TEHAMA CA BROADCAST MEDIA
REPORTS OF A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN NEAR GERBER,
CA. UNKNOWN IMPACTS AT THIS TIME.
&&
IRIS SYSTEMThe Beale AFB radar (KBBX), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:57 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Public reported a brief tornado with visible debris cloud in an empty field south of Shasta College. Tornado duration was approximately 2 minutes. This tornado was rated an EF0 with no known damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for California, 2013Warnings in California, April 2013
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: 439895.