Heavy snow brought chain controls and slow-downs to holiday travelers. Low snow levels impacted major freeways, such as interstates 5 and 80.
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.
Heavy snow brought chain controls and slow-downs to holiday travelers. Low snow levels impacted major freeways, such as interstates 5 and 80.
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 Dec 23, 3:51 AM PST, 4 hours 9 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Sacramento CA 351 AM PST Fri Dec 23 2016 .Synopsis... A winter storm with rain...wind and heavy mountain snow moves through the area today disrupting holiday travel into Saturday. Clearing Sunday. A chance of showers northern mountains early next week...otherwise dry. && .Discussion... A moderately strong Pacific frontal system has begun moving into the northwest corner of the state this morning. Precipitation is currently falling northwest of about Chico and radar estimates are showing pockets of heavy rain embedded within the initial rain band. Winds have been running somewhat weaker than predicted by the model guidance and based on this and current and predicted surface gradients, have dropped wind speeds a bit for today. Snow levels based on current surface observations are around 3500 feet over Shasta county and in line with current forecast package. Other than windspeeds for today...made only minor adjustments to the forecast grids and will leave current winter storm warning as is. Models remain fairly consistent on timing of main frontal passage moving it into the Sacramento area around early afternoon and then on into the Sierra late this afternoon and early evening. Cold air pushing in behind the front this afternoon will bring cooler temperatures today with daytime highs dropping to below normal for this time of year. Cold air filtering in to the region will bring a continued drop in snow levels tonight with Shasta county possibly seeing snow down to the 2000 foot level by morning. This could impact interstate 5 but precipitation should be on the decline by Saturday morning as the frontal system moves out of the state. Upper low will bring continued showers over the Sierra on Saturday. Snow levels will be low enough to bring snow down into the Sierra foothills but snow amounts will be declining there as well on Saturday. By Saturday evening...snow amounts become insignificant. Partial clearing over the valley and cold airmass will make for a chilly night in the valley with lows down around freezing or a little lower. Sunday looks dry at this time under upper ridging along the west coast but cool airmass in place will keep daytime highs below normal. Models now becoming fairly consistent in keeping an upper low offshore on Monday so early next week remains dry with daytime highs warming slightly. && .EXTENDED DISCUSSION (Tuesday THROUGH Friday) An upper level trough will move into the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday, only impacting Shasta and Tehama counties at best with some chances of light rain. The models are in agreement of a building ridge over the region with warming trend Wednesday and beyond. Some offshore winds will setup during the extended, but not terribly strong as the jetstream remains to the north and east. Valley fog is a legitimate possibility under the ridge depending on wind speeds, especially within the San Joaquin and eastern Sacramento Valleys. JClapp && .AVIATION... IFR conditions and rain currently over northern Sac Valley and adjacent mountains this morning. We expect lowering ceilings and rain to spread southeastward today. Snow levels will continue to lower to 1000 to 2000 ft MSL by Saturday morning. Expect decent rainfall/snowfall rates over Sierra foothills/mountains. Expect south winds to pick up ahead of the front this morning before dying down this evening. JClapp && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Storm Warning until 10 AM PST Saturday for West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada-Western Plumas County/Lassen Park. Winter Storm Warning until 4 AM PST Saturday for Burney Basin / Eastern Shasta County-Shasta Lake Area / Northern Shasta County. &&
4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow levels dropped down to as low as 1820 feet with I5 by Sims Rd. covered with snow. There were chain controls in effect from 10 miles north of Redding northward, with slow-downs reported by Caltrans, significantly impacting heavy holiday travel.
There were 18 inches of snow reported at Kingvale at 6200 feet by a trained spotter over 24 hours. There was a storm total of 19 inches, liquid equivalent 1.37 inches. Chain controls and slow-downs were reported by Caltrans, significantly impacting heavy holiday travel.
There were 16 inches of snow reported by Caltrans at Donner Pass along I80 over 24 hour. Chain controls and slow-downs were reported by Caltrans, significantly impacting heavy holiday travel.
There was 7.0 inches of snow reported at Chester by the CO-OP observer. Slow-downs and chain controls were reported by Caltrans on area mountain roads, impacting holiday travel.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2016
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: 670831, 670828, 670832, 671437.