California, 2017

Heavy Snow and High Wind in California, January 9 to 11, 2017

January 9 to 11, 2017 · NWS VEF · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Yet another Pacific storm system brought high winds to the Owens Valley and heavy snow to the Sierra Nevada.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$40,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 VEF wrote it up.

Yet another Pacific storm system brought high winds to the Owens Valley and heavy snow to the Sierra Nevada.

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 Las Vegas, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 9, 8:30 PM PST, 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 9, 8:30 PM PST, 2 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 high wind, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Owens Valley

When
January 9, 8:32 PM PST to January 10, 2:22 PM PST
Where
Owens Valley forecast zone
Measured
76 kt (87 mph) measured gust
Property damage
$40,000
Reported by
Law Enforcement

The peak gust was measured 5 miles NW of Independence. Four big rigs were blown over on Highway 395 near Olancha, prompting CHP to close the highway.

Heavy Snow, Eastern Sierra Slopes of Inyo County

When
January 10, 2:00 PM PST to January 11, 8:00 AM PST
Where
Eastern Sierra Slopes of Inyo County forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
36.511, -117.411 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Sixteen inches of snow fell in Aspendell.

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2017

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 674363, 674368.