A Pacific front moved through interior Northern California March 28-30th which brought rain and heavy snow to the area. Increased shear and CAPE developed in the Sacramento Valley on the 29th.
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 front moved through interior Northern California March 28-30th which brought rain and heavy snow to the area. Increased shear and CAPE developed in the Sacramento Valley on the 29th. A supercell strengthened in the Central Sacramento Valley that afternoon that eventually produced an EF0 tornado near Nord, CA that evening.
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 28, 3:34 PM PST, 4 hours 26 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 434 PM PDT Fri Mar 28 2014 .Synopsis... Showers along far northern California will spread southward through the region tonight and Saturday. Heavy snow will be likely over the Sierra Cascade range with thunderstorms possible Saturday over the valley. Showers on Sunday with another round of more steady precipitation Monday and Tuesday as a colder frontal system moves through the region. Another storm system is due to arrive late next week. && .Discussion... Weak high pressure has shifted eastward today as a deep low pressure system approaches the West Coast. Its associated moisture plume has begun to shift southward, the bulk of the precipitation being observed along the Mendocino and Shasta-Trinity ranges, and westward toward the coast. Temperatures this afternoon are ranging from the upper 50s near Redding to the lower 70s in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. Plume of moisture will shift southward tonight through Saturday. Look for precipitation to increase in coverage and intensity over the north this evening, spreading south to the Interstate 80 corridor by early morning Saturday. Expect 0.50" to 1.25" of rain across the Valley. The mountains could see 2 to 4 inches of liquid equivalent. Snow levels will start between 6000-7000 ft today, dropping to around 4000 ft by Saturday night. Look for 6-12" of snow accumulation above 5500 ft with this system, with 1-2 ft possible along the highest peaks. Convection will again be a possibility behind the cold front. The latest model runs have the cold frontal passage at around midday across the area. We should see at least a few hours of clearing in the afternoon to help fuel instability across most of the Valley. Wind shear profiles are also favorable for rotating updrafts when thunderstorms pop up. With most of the ingredients lining up, it wouldnt be surprising if a few severe thunderstorms and/or tornadoes pop up. A much colder frontal system is forecast to push into northern California on Monday bringing another round of rain and mountain snow. Snow levels with this colder system will be much lower than the weekend system at between 3000 and 4000 feet. Colder air behind this front will bring even lower snow levels and the possibility of more convection. Dang && .Extended Discussion (Tuesday through Friday) A cold core low from the Gulf of Alask will bring showers to the area on Tuesday. There could be some accumulating snow in the mountains. Some snow showers are possible into the upper foothills, and potentially lower. Instability from cold air aloft could also bring a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. South winds will be breezy over the valley and ridges through Tuesday before tapering off Tuesday evening. Ridging on Wednesday will bring drier and milder weather. Some showers may linger in the mountains. Another potentially wet system arrives late Thursday into Friday. Models differ in details, but it looks like the wet period could persist through Saturday. There is a general suggestion of drier weather for Sunday and especially Monday, but there is still quite a bit of uncertainty at this point. EK && .Aviation... MVFR valley ceilings and MVFR/IFR mountain ceilings over next 24 hours with breezy south winds until 18z Saturday primarily over the Sierra Nevada and eastern portion of the valley. -RA/-SN over Coastal Range/Southern Cascades/Sierra Nevada/KRDD Friday. Deteriorating ceilings with arrival of next system over next 24 hours hours. Heavier precipitation across the area with main frontal band after 06Z Saturday. Snow levels 5500-6500ft. && .STO Watches/Warnings/Advisories... winter storm warning from midnight tonight to 5 am pdt sunday above 5500 feet in the west slope northern sierra nevada... western plumas county/lassen park. wind advisory until 7 am pdt saturday central sacramento valley...northern sacramento valley. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 700 AM PDT FRI MAR 28 2014 CAZ013>019-063-064-066>069-291400- 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 FRI MAR 28 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TONIGHT BRINGING RAIN AND MOUNTAINS SNOW. * WINTER STORM WARNING.......SEE WWUS46 KSTO - WSWSTO FOR DETAILS * .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SNOW WILL CONTINUE OVER THE SIERRA CASCADE RANGE SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER COLD WEATHER SYSTEM WILL PASS THROUGH NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. YET ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO MOVE THROUGH NORCAL AROUND FRIDAY OF NEXT WEEK. * 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 AT WEATHER.GOV/SACRAMENTO INTERACT WITH US VIA SOCIAL MEDIA AT FACEBOOK.COM/NWS.SACRAMENTO TWITTER.COM/NWSSACRAMENTO
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 321 PM PDT FRI MAR 28 2014 CAZ013>019-063-064-066-067-291300- 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 COUNTY TO NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY- CLEAR LAKE/SOUTHERN LAKE COUNTY- NORTHEAST FOOTHILLS/SACRAMENTO VALLEY-MOTHERLODE- 321 PM PDT FRI MAR 28 2014 ...STORM SYSTEM TO IMPACT NORTHERN CALIFORNIA THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY... * IMPACTS: WET ROADS FOR THE VALLEY WITH WINTER LIKE CONDITIONS OVER THE MOUNTAINS. VALLEY THUNDERSTORMS MAY BRING LOCAL FLOODING, HAIL, GUSTY WINDS, AND POSSIBLY A TORNADO. * CONFIDENCE: HIGH. * TIMING: MODERATE PRECIPITATION ALONG THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS WILL MOVE SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE REGION TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. THE BEST CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE OVER THE CENTRAL VALLEY SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. * PRECIPITATION: 0.50 TO 1.25 INCHES OF RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE VALLEY. LOCALLY HIGHER TOTALS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THUNDERSTORMS. OVER THE MOUNTAINS, 1 TO 4 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION ARE EXPECTED. * WIND: SOUTH WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH WILL CONTINUE IN THE NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY THROUGH TONIGHT.
The Beale AFB radar (KBBX), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:39 UTC.
2 winter storm, 1 strong wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow levels dropped down near 3000 ft for the far Northern Sierra Nevada/Western Plumas County area on March 29th. Harkness Flat near Chester (6200 ft) received about 14 inches of new snow. Lassen Lodge (4200 ft) received approximately 20 inches of new snow.
Snow levels dropped down to around 3500 ft for the Northern Sierra Nevada on March 29th. Blue Canyon received 11 inches of snow between 4pm PDT the 29th and 4am PDT the 30th. Sugarbowl Ski Resort reported 23-30 inches of new snow from the 24 hour period March 29-30. Kingvale spotter (6200 ft) reported 17 inches of new snow.
During a wet/rainy day, breezy winds occurred on March 29th for the Southern Sacramento Valley, where winds gusted up to around 20 mph. A driver of a sedan was killed and the passenger was injured after a large oak tree fell on their vehicle. The event occurred around 12:20pm on Sunrise Blvd near Highland Ave in Citrus Heights, CA. Another driver in a minivan was injured after hitting the downed tree and striking a utility pole.
At approximately 7:40pm, a trained spotter saw a funnel cloud associated with a supercell near Nord, CA while travelling on Highway 99 just east of Cana Highway. He witnessed the funnel cloud briefly touch down to the ground and then lift again. NWS storm survey found an uprooted tree in an orchard where the touchdown occurred, and swirl marks in the ground surrounding the tree. No injuries were reported.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind, Southern Sacramento Valley | 2014-03-29 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for California, 2014Warnings in California, March 2014
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: 508966, 508965, 508989, 508194.