California, 2018

Winter Weather and Astronomical Low Tide in California, February 20 to 22, 2018

February 20 to 22, 2018 · NWS EKA · 15 events in 8 counties and zones

An upper disturbance yielded mountain snow as it moved south across northern California during February 21st and 22nd.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
15

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 EKA wrote it up.

An upper disturbance yielded mountain snow as it moved south across northern California during February 21st and 22nd.

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 Eureka, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 20, 4:11 AM PST, 2 hours 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 20, 4:11 AM PST, 2 hours 49 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 20, 3:03 AM PST, 3 hours 57 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

14 winter weather, 1 astronomical low tide. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Southern Trinity

When
February 20, 7:00 AM PST to February 21, 7:00 AM PST
Where
Southern Trinity forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
40.651, -123.113 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

CoCoRaHS report of 0.3 inch of snow.

Astronomical Low Tide, Northern Trinity

When
February 21, 11:00 AM PST to February 22, 11:00 AM PST
Where
Northern Trinity forecast zone
Reported by
Public

Public report of 3.0 inches of snow over a 24 hour period at an approximate elevation of 1680 feet.

Winter Weather, Del Norte Interior

When
February 21, 11:00 AM PST to February 22, 11:00 AM PST
Where
Del Norte Interior forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
41.745, -123.958 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Public report of 0.5 inch of snow over a 24 hour period.

Winter Weather, Southern Humboldt Interior

When
February 21, 11:15 AM PST to February 22, 11:15 AM PST
Where
Southern Humboldt Interior forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
40.705, -123.916 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Public report of 2.0 inches of snow over a 24 hour period at an elevation of 2500 feet.

Winter Weather, Southern Humboldt Interior

When
February 21, 12:00 PM PST to February 22, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Southern Humboldt Interior forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
40.705, -123.916 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Public report of 3.0 inches of snow over a 24 hour period at an elevation of 2200 feet.

Winter Weather, Northern Trinity

When
February 21, 12:00 PM PST to February 22, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Northern Trinity forecast zone
Reported by
Public

Public report of 3.0 inches of snow at an elevation of 1400 feet.

Winter Weather, Southern Humboldt Interior

When
February 21, 12:00 PM PST to February 22, 12:00 PM PST
Where
Southern Humboldt Interior forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
40.705, -123.916 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Public report of 4.0 inches of snow at an approximate elevation of 2000-2500 feet.

Winter Weather, Northern Humboldt Interior

When
February 21, 12:18 PM PST to February 22, 12:18 PM PST
Where
Northern Humboldt Interior forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
40.705, -123.916 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Public report of 1.0 inch of snow over a 24 hour period at an elevation of 700 feet.

Winter Weather, Southern Humboldt Interior

When
February 21, 12:30 PM PST to February 22, 12:30 PM PST
Where
Southern Humboldt Interior forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
40.705, -123.916 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Public report of 2.0 inches of snow at an approximate elevation of 1000 feet.

Winter Weather, Northern Trinity

When
February 21, 12:34 PM PST to February 22, 12:34 PM PST
Where
Northern Trinity forecast zone
Reported by
Public

Public report of 3.0 inches at an elevation of 1500 feet.

Winter Weather, Northern Humboldt Coast

When
February 21, 8:00 PM PST to February 22, 7:58 AM PST
Where
Northern Humboldt Coast forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
40.705, -123.916 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Spotter report of 0.5 inch of snow at an elevation of 500 feet.

Winter Weather, Southern Humboldt Interior

When
February 21, 8:00 PM PST to February 22, 8:10 AM PST
Where
Southern Humboldt Interior forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
40.705, -123.916 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Spotter report of 3.0 inches of snow at an elevation of 2800 feet.

Winter Weather, Southern Trinity

When
February 21, 8:00 PM PST to February 22, 8:50 AM PST
Where
Southern Trinity forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
40.651, -123.113 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Spotter report of 1.0 inch of snow at an elevation of 3000 feet.

Winter Weather, Northwestern Mendocino Interior

When
February 22, 12:00 AM PST to 12:00 PM PST
Where
Northwestern Mendocino Interior forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
39.434, -123.432 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Public report of 0.1 inch of snow at an elevation of 2000 feet.

Winter Weather, Coastal Del Norte

When
February 22, 3:50 AM PST to 4:30 AM PST
Where
Coastal Del Norte forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
41.745, -123.958 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Public report of 1.0 inch of snow over a 40 minute period at an elevation of 73 feet.

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
Astronomical Low Tide
Unusually low water from tides and offshore wind that caused impacts.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 2018

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 732972, 732976, 732977, 732978, 732980, 733057, 733058, 732979, 733059, 733056, 732973, 732974, 732975, 732981, 732982.