A cold storm from the Gulf of Alaska brought winter storm conditions to the mountains of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Snow levels with this storm dropped to around 2500 feet and snowfall amounts between 6 and 12 inches were reported in the 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 LOX wrote it up.
A cold storm from the Gulf of Alaska brought winter storm conditions to the mountains of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Snow levels with this storm dropped to around 2500 feet and snowfall amounts between 6 and 12 inches were reported in the mountains. Along with the heavy snow, gusty northwest winds in excess of 50 MPH were reported.
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 Los Angeles, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 20, 3:00 AM PST, 5 hours earlier.
SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 300 AM PST WED FEB 20 2013 .SYNOPSIS... SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS AS WILL GUSTY WINDS AND COOLER TEMPERATURES. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW NORMAL FOR THE WEEK WITH A SLIGHT INCREASE BY FRIDAY. && SHORT TERM... THE BRUNT OF THE WINTER STORM HAS MOVED EAST OF THE SERVICE AREA AND WHAT REMAINS IS THE LINGERING ELEMENTS OF SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS... ADVISORY LEVEL WINDS... AND COLD TEMPERATURES. THESE LINGERING ELEMENTS WILL AFFECT THE REGION AT COMMUTE TIME UNFORTUNATELY... BUT SHOULD LESSEN IN IMPACT CONSIDERABLY AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. MUCH OF THE WRAPAROUND PRECIPITATION IS OFF THE COAST AS OF 3 AM AND WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE REGION DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS. A FEW CELLS OF HEAVIER PRECIPITATION ARE MIXED IN AND MAY PROVIDE BRIEF PERIODS OF MODERATE RAINFALL... AND/OR AN EXTRA INCH OR SO OF SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. AS THE LOW CENTER SAGS OVER US THE COLDEST AIRMASS IS ENTERING THE REGION AND THIS WILL COMBINE TO BRING THE LOWEST SNOW LEVELS OF THE STORM THROUGH 9 AM OR SO THIS MORNING... THOUGH ANY ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL WILL BE BRIEF WITH EACH PASSING SCATTERED SHOWER. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH 9 AM FOR SEVERAL ZONES TO ACCOUNT FOR THESE ADDITIONAL SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR ONGOING HAZARDS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE SLOW TO WARM FOLLOWING THE LOW PASSAGE AND ANY SNOW THAT FELL INTO LOW LEVEL PASSES AND CANYONS IN PARTICULAR COULD REMAIN THROUGH TOMORROW OR MELT BUT REFREEZE OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. THIS COULD BE ESPECIALLY HAZARDOUS ON SHADOWED PORTIONS OF ROADS AND HIGHWAYS. TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN TO RETURN TO NEAR NORMAL READINGS BY FRIDAY. AREA WINDS REMAIN ELEVATED AND GUSTY THIS MORNING BUT ARE DIMINISHING SLOWLY. WINDS IN MOST LOCATIONS SHOULD BE BELOW ADVISORY LEVEL BY MID-MORNING BUT IN WIND-FAVORED ZONES THEY SHOULD KICK BACK UP TO ADVISORY LEVEL THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE INTO EARLY THURSDAY MORNING BEFORE DIMINISHING AGAIN. A FEW WEAK SHORT WAVES ATTEMPT TO MOVE TOWARD SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LATE IN THE WEEK BUT LOOK WEAKER WITH TIME AND ALSO APPEAR TO BE MOVING A BIT FARTHER EAST AS THEY APPROACH. THEY LIKELY WILL HAVE LITTLE IMPACT ON THE SERVICE AREA OTHER THAN TO BRING A FEW CLOUDS AND POSSIBLY ELEVATE THE WINDS A BIT. LONG TERM... SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA LOOKS TO BE ON THE DOWNWARD SIDE OF A RIDGE OVER THE PACIFIC FOR THE NEXT WEEK OR SO. THIS WILL RESULT IN ANY SHORTWAVES MOVING TOO FAR EAST OF THE AREA TO BRING ANY NOTABLE WEATHER SYSTEMS TO THE REGION AND LITTLE TO NO NON-NOTABLE WEATHER SYSTEMS. THEY SHOULD PROVIDE WEAK WEATHER TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HOWEVER. THE PRIMARY UNCERTAINTY IN THIS SETUP IS THAT A SLIGHTLY STRONGER SHORTWAVE COULD DIG A BIT FARTHER SOUTH AND OVER OUR REGION AFTER ALL. SO THE CURRENT FORECAST FOR THE NEXT WEEK IS PARTLY CLOUDY WITH NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT BUT PRECIPITATION COULD SNEAK IN SO WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED CLOSELY. && .AVIATION...20/1130Z... STORM IS WINDING DOWN ACROSS THE AREA...WITH RADAR INDICATING SOME SHOWERS ROTATING OFFSHORE TOWARDS THE COAST...AND ACROSS INTERIOR SECTIONS. THESE SHOWERS COULD IMPACT TAF SITES SOUTH OF POINT CONCEPTION WITH BRIEF SHOWERS THROUGH ABOUT 16Z. OVERALL...EXPECT ANY CIGS TO REMAIN AT VFR LEVELS THIS MORNING...EXPECT ACROSS INTERIOR SLOPES/PASSES WHERE NORTHERLY FLOW WILL LIKELY PRODUCE SOME VERY LOW CIGS/VSBYS TODAY. GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS/DESERTS. KLAX...HIGH CONFIDENCE IN 12Z TAF. KBUR...HIGH CONFIDENCE IN 12Z TAF. && .LOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING (SEE LAXWSWLOX). WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY (SEE LAXWSWLOX). WIND ADVISORY (SEE LAXNPWLOX). GALE WARNING (SEE LAXMWWLOX). HIGH SURF ADVISORY (SEE LAXCFWLOX). HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK (SEE LAXSRFLOX). MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT (SEE LAXMWSLOX). && PUBLIC...KJ AVIATION...RAT SYNOPSIS...B/KJ WWW.WEATHER.GOV/LOSANGELES
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 600 AM PST WED FEB 20 2013 CAZ034>041-044>046-051>054-059-087-088-547-548-211400- SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY CENTRAL COAST- SANTA BARBARA COUNTY CENTRAL COAST-SANTA YNEZ VALLEY- SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY INTERIOR VALLEYS-CUYAMA VALLEY- SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SOUTH COAST-VENTURA COUNTY COAST- LOS ANGELES COUNTY COAST INCLUDING DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES- VENTURA COUNTY INTERIOR VALLEYS-VENTURA COUNTY COASTAL VALLEYS- SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS RECREATIONAL AREA- SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY MOUNTAINS- SANTA BARBARA COUNTY MOUNTAINS-VENTURA COUNTY MOUNTAINS- LOS ANGELES COUNTY MOUNTAINS EXCLUDING THE SANTA MONICA RANGE- ANTELOPE VALLEY-CATALINA ISLAND-SANTA CLARITA VALLEY- LOS ANGELES COUNTY SAN FERNANDO VALLEY- LOS ANGELES COUNTY SAN GABRIEL VALLEY- 600 AM PST WED FEB 20 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE... TODAY AND TONIGHT AS THE STORM SYSTEM MOVES OUT OF THE AREA... LINGERING RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS... GUSTY WINDS... AND HIGH SURF REMAIN. THE SHOWERS WILL TAPER OFF BY MIDDAY TODAY AS WILL MOST OF THE GUSTY WIND. WINDS WILL INCREASE AGAIN TO ADVISORY LEVELS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN WIND-FAVORED LOCATIONS. COASTAL AREAS WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE HIGH SURF THROUGH LATE TONIGHT. * WIND ADVISORY..............SEE WWUS76 KLOX - NPWLOX FOR DETAILS * * WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY....SEE WWUS46 KLOX - WSWLOX FOR DETAILS * * GALE WARNING...............SEE WHUS76 KLOX - MWWLOX FOR DETAILS * * HIGH SURF ADVISORY.........SEE WHUS46 KLOX - CFWLOX FOR DETAILS * * MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT...SEE FZUS76 KLOX - MWSLOX FOR DETAILS * .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. KJ
2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter storm conditions were reported. Along with northwest winds gusting in excess of 50 MPH, snowfall amounts between 6 and 12 inches were observed with the highest totals reported at Mount Baldy and Mountain High ski resort.
Winter storm conditions were reported. Along with northwest winds gusting in excess of 50 MPH, snowfall amounts between 6 and 12 inches were observed with the highest totals reported at Mount Pinos.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 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: 436917, 436918.