Flood and Heavy Snow in California, March 11 to 14, 2016

Name: Flood and Heavy Snow in California, March 11 to 14, 2016
Start: 2016-03-11T08:00
End: 2016-03-14T07:00
Location: California

March 11 to 14, 2016 · NWS STO · 9 events in 6 counties and zones

A series of strong winter storms moved across northern California Friday through Monday. Storms just a few days earlier had area small creeks and streams running high.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS STO wrote it up.

A series of strong winter storms moved across northern California Friday through Monday. Storms just a few days earlier had area small creeks and streams running high. Moisture from these storms resulted in numerous areas of low land flooding, small creek and stream flooding and main stem rivers getting high enough to flow over Weirs, that are part of the flood control system in the Northern Valley. This made local news as it was the first time in 4 years that the Weirs flowed since CA drought began back in 2012. There were also breezy to gusty winds with this system that resulted in power outages from downed trees and power lines. Wet slushy snow over the Sierra Nevada passes resulted in numerous slow downs and delays from slide offs and other accidents. A CHP officer was fatally injured when he was struck by a vehicle that lost control on the slick roads.

What forecasters said that day

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 11, 4:25 AM PST, 3 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 11, 4:25 AM PST, 3 hours 35 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Sacramento CA
425 AM PST FRI MAR 11 2016

.SYNOPSIS...
A weather system moves through NorCal today with periods of
moderate rain and high elevation snow. A second system arrives by
later Saturday with a third on Sunday. Heavier precipitation at
times will bring increased potential for stream flooding across
the lower elevations and periods of whiteout conditions over the
northern Sierra passes, especially over the weekend.

&&

.SHORT TERM DISCUSSION...
Periods of light to moderate precipitation along with potential
for some thunderstorms today as approaching upper trough crossing
130W becomes negatively tilted and slows the eastward progression
of the surface front. Looks like the best potential for heavier
precipitation today will be around midday as the main frontal band
crosses NorCal. Snow levels will be moderately high with the
potential for some winter weather impacts today across the higher
elevations of the northern Sierra.

Diminishing showers tonight as the trough shifts east, but any
break in the weather will be short-lived as the next system
follows quickly on its heels and will move into NorCal on
Saturday followed by another on Sunday. These weekend systems will
have the potential for bringing heavy rain to the lower elevations
and heavy snow to the mountains along with gusty winds.

&&

.EXTENDED DISCUSSION (Tuesday THROUGH Friday)...
Models similar in showing drier weather with warming trend
Tuesday through Friday as upper level ridging amplifies over the
West Coast. Above normal temperatures expected by midweek with
locally breezy North to East wind possible Wednesday and Thursday.

&&

.AVIATION...
Moist SWly flow alf as Pac fnt and assocd upr trof mov thru Intr
NorCal nxt 24 hrs. Wdpsrd MVFR/IFR conds, with lcl LIFR omtns, tda
into Sat mrng. Lcl Sly sfc wnd gsts up to 30 kts poss in Cntrl Vly
and areas S-SW sfc wnd gsts to 40 kts or gtr ovr hyr mtn trrn nxt
24 hrs.

&&

.STO Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
Flood Watch through Sunday afternoon for Burney Basin / Eastern
Shasta County-Carquinez Strait and Delta-Central Sacramento
Valley-Clear Lake/Southern Lake County-Motherlode-Mountains
Southwestern Shasta County to Northern Lake County-Northeast
Foothills/Sacramento Valley-Northern Sacramento Valley-Northern
San Joaquin Valley-Shasta Lake Area / Northern Shasta County-
Southern Sacramento Valley-West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada-
Western Plumas County/Lassen Park.

Winter Storm Warning from noon PST today to 11 AM PDT Monday for
West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada-Western Plumas County/Lassen
Park.

&&

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heavy rain, 3 heavy snow, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Shasta

When: March 11, 8:00 AM PST to March 12, 8:30 AM PST
Where: Shasta County, 1 mi SSW of Sims
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 41.037, -122.337

Spotter reported receiving 3.16 inches of rain in 24 hours.

Heavy Rain, Tuolumne

When: March 11, 10:00 AM PST to 2:30 PM PST
Where: Tuolumne County, 1 mi ESE of Sonora
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.974, -120.363

Spotter reported 1.01 inches of rain fell in 4 hours. Hasn't seen any flooding, but heard small creeks are running high and fast.

Heavy Snow, West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada

When: March 12, 9:00 AM PST to March 13, 9:00 AM PST
Where: West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Spotter 1 mile WSW of Kingvale reported 18 inches of snow in a 24 hour period.

Heavy Rain, Plumas

When: March 12, 4:00 PM PST to March 13, 10:00 AM PST
Where: Plumas County, 1 mi N of Quincy
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 39.944, -120.950

Reported total rainfall of 3.5 inches since it began the previous afternoon.

Flood, Nevada

When: March 13, 6:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST
Where: Nevada County, 7.18 mi SSE of North Bloomfield to 7.13 mi SSE of North Bloomfield
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 39.270, -120.863

Four people were rescued Sunday morning after their vehicles were swept away in Greenhorn Creek in Nevada County when they attempted to cross a flooded roadway (Lower Greenhorn Road) that crosses over Greenhorn Creek.

Early Sunday morning, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team was called to the creek.

Two teams were dispatched to the river where they found four people located on the left bank of the river awaiting rescue.

Heavy Snow, West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada

When: March 13, 7:00 AM PST to March 14, 7:00 AM PST
Where: West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada forecast zone
Deaths: 0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by: Department of Highways

Kingvale shed reported a storm total of 36 inches of snow, receiving about 12 inches each day between early Saturday morning and Monday morning. They reported numerous spin outs and a few interstate holds as they cleared the snow and accidents through the event. On the evening of March 12th, a CHP officer was fatally injured when we he struck by a vehicle while outside his patrol vehicle directing traffic from an earlier vehicle accident. Excessive speed, an illegal lane change and slick roads were suspected reasons for the crash.

Heavy Snow, West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada

When: March 13, 7:00 AM PST to March 14, 7:00 AM PST
Where: West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada forecast zone
Reported by: Public

Sugar Bowl Ski Resort Summit reported an estimated 66 inches of snow. The summit is at 8383 feet and this was over a 3 day span of time.

Heavy Rain, El Dorado

When: March 13, 7:00 AM PST to March 14, 7:00 AM PST
Where: El Dorado County, Pacific House
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.770, -120.530

Spotter measured 2.95 inches of rain in a 24 hour period.

Heavy Rain, El Dorado

When: March 13, 7:00 AM PST to March 14, 7:00 AM PST
Where: El Dorado County, 4 mi E of Kyburz
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.780, -120.226

Spotter measured 1.6 inches in 24 hours.

The people who died

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
Heavy Snow, West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada	2016-03-13	35	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Indirect

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 2016 Every state in 2016 This day in weather history Warnings in California, March 2016

Sources

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: 626895, 626894, 626899, 626897, 627006, 626892, 626893, 626901, 626902.