The long term drought continued through January, though precipitation amounts for the month were much better than in recent years, about 150-200% of normal. This built an above normal snow pack for the northern Sierra and southern Cascades by the end of the month.
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.
The long term drought continued through January, though precipitation amounts for the month were much better than in recent years, about 150-200% of normal. This built an above normal snow pack for the northern Sierra and southern Cascades by the end of the month. Reservoirs across the area continued to increase but generally remained below normal levels. Folsom Lake was an exception to this, rising to 104% by the end of January after a record low late in the fall. The Department of Water Resources increased water delivery projections from 10 percent early in the month to 15 percent of full water allotments by the end of the month, due to the increased reservoir levels.
Extreme drought continued to be detected by the U.S. Drought Monitor across most the region, with exceptional drought for the northern San Joaquin Valley, the central and southern Sacramento Valley, the Burney Basin and the Sierra.
Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency for the entire state of California January 17, 2014 and this continued to be in effect. He extended the executive order requiring Californians to continue conserving water through October 2016. At the end of January 2016, the California State Water Control Board approved an eight-month extension of the existing drought-related emergency regulations with just some minor adjustments.
Local Emergency Proclamations have been issued for El Dorado, Glenn, Lake, Plumas, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sutter, Tuolumne, and Yuba counties. The cities of Live Oak Lodi, and Ripon continue in a drought emergency. Drought task forces have been established in Butte, Lake, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tuolumne, and Yolo counties to coordinate response to the drought.
Mandatory water reductions of 25 percent as ordered by Governor Brown continued to be in effect statewide.
The state continued to supply food assistance to those impacted by the drought, along with California Disaster Assistance Act money for those who have lost drinking water due to dry wells. Nonprofit organizations in the San Joaquin Valley struggled to meet the needs of their clients for drought-related programs.
A study released in late December by the Carnegie Institution for Science counted as many as 58 million trees statewide suffering severe water loss marked by browning leaves and dying limbs that’s far greater than previously thought. An earlier study by the National Forest Service reported 29 million trees already dead. Repercussions of this are that wildfires are likely to become more destructive, rivers and lakes that are naturally cleaned by forest ecosystems may become degraded, and less carbon dioxide is apt to be soaked up by trees.
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 31, 10:01 PM PST, 1 hour 59 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Sacramento CA 1001 PM PST THU DEC 31 2015 .SYNOPSIS... Dry and cool for the beginning of 2016...but changes are coming over the weekend into next week. A few weak weather systems will bring light rain/mountain snow Saturday night and Sunday night. More impressive valley rain and mountain snow with warming temperatures and rising snow levels much of next week. && .DISCUSSION... Clear skies over NorCal this evening with 5-15 mph north winds through the valley. Winds with continue at these speeds over the north and central part of the valley overnight...which will lower the fog threat. However...from Sacramento south expect the winds to diminish allowing patchy fog to develop towards sunrise. Current forecast is on track and no evening update will be needed. && .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... Breezy conditions over the Sierra Nevada range and northern Sacramento valley will continue tonight into early Friday. Expect another clear/cold night in the valley which will make for chilly New Years Celebrations, dress appropriately. Also, a weak weather system rotating around the parent low over the great basin will keep a threat of light snow showers over the Sierra Nevada crest tonight through Friday. Another round of patchy fog is expected late tonight and early Friday morning in the southern Sacramento and Northern San Joaquin valley. Dew points remain elevated and winds have been very light there today. Dry and below average temperatures will continue Friday and Saturday as cold but dry upper low remains over Northern California. Saturday night the low will shift north as a warm front ahead of next weather system pushes in. The models are hinting that there could be some precipitation associated with this warm front, mainly over the coastal Mountains...Lassen park and the northern Sierra mountains. Also, will have to monitor any cold air trapped in valleys up there as the precipitation could fall as freezing rain. However, with the dry air in place from the exiting weather system, most the precipitation should be confined to the higher terrain. We will continue to monitor this scenario. Sunday and Sunday night will see an increase in clouds and temperatures as moisture and warm air ahead of first weather system moves into northern California. Again, this first wave is expected to have only minor rain/mountain snow mostly in the coastal Mountains, as most of energy will be sheared apart as it breaks down the blocking pattern. Could see a few light showers and sprinkles by Monday morning in the Central and northern Sacramento Valley. Mead && .EXTENDED DISCUSSION (Monday THROUGH Thursday) Active pattern for next week as Pacific jet stream shifts south. Several systems are progged to move through the area although model differences remain on evolution and timing. Have made only small changes to going forecast until each system can be better defined. As it stands now, looks like wettest system will move thru Tuesday into Wednesday. Wet weather may then continue thru the end of the week. Systems will be warmer with milder temperatures than past few we've seen and snow levels generally above 5000 feet. CEO && .AVIATION... VFR conditions next 24 hours except for localized MVFR - IFR conditions Friday morning due to patchy fog across southern Sac and northern San Joaquin valleys. Northerly winds 5-15 kts for TAF sites. Dang && .STO Watches/Warnings/Advisories... None. &&
6 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
The Household Water Supply Shortage Reporting System indicated there were still some homes without well water due to dry wells, with 2 in Shasta County, 34 at Tehama County, unchanged from December.
The Household Water Supply Shortage Reporting System indicated there were some homes without well water due to dry wells, with 70 in Butte County, 28 in Glenn County, and 8 in Colusa County. This was unchanged from December.
The Household Water Supply Shortage Reporting System indicated there were some homes without well water due to dry wells, with 82 in Stanislaus County, and 22 in San Joaquin County. This was unchanged from December.
The Household Water Supply Shortage Reporting System indicated there were some homes without well water due to dry wells, with 8 in Yolo County, 1 in Sacramento County. This was unchanged from December.
The Household Water Supply Shortage Reporting System had 2 homes without well water in Solano County. This was unchanged from December.
The Household Water Supply Shortage Reporting System had Calavereas county with 1 household (no change from Dec) and Tuolumne had 235 households (up 6 from December).
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, January 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: 617284, 617285, 617286, 617287, 617288, 617463.