California, 2018

Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in California, March 13 to 16, 2018

March 13 to 16, 2018 · NWS EKA · 22 events in 5 counties and zones

A cold upper trough positioned over the region yielded mountain snow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 18 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
22

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.

A cold upper trough positioned over the region yielded mountain snow.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

20 winter weather, 2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Northwestern Mendocino Interior

When
March 13, 7:00 PM PST to March 14, 6:00 AM PST
Where
Northwestern Mendocino Interior forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
39.434, -123.432 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Spotter reported 4 inches of snow at an elevation of 3750 feet.

Winter Weather, Northwestern Mendocino Interior

When
March 14, 3:00 PM PST to March 15, 9:16 AM 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 4 inches of snow at an elevation of 3750 feet.

Heavy Snow, Northern Humboldt Interior

When
March 15, 1:00 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST
Where
Northern Humboldt Interior forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
40.705, -123.916 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Report of 8 inches of snow.

Winter Weather, Southern Humboldt Interior

When
March 15, 2:00 AM PST to 8:11 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 reported 1 inch of snow at an elevation of 2800 feet.

Winter Weather, Northwestern Mendocino Interior

When
March 15, 2:00 AM PST to 8:59 AM PST
Where
Northwestern Mendocino Interior forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
39.434, -123.432 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Spotter reported 2 inches of snow at an elevation of 2000 feet.

Winter Weather, Southern Humboldt Interior

When
March 15, 2:00 AM PST to 9:30 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 inches of snow at an elevation of 2400 feet.

Winter Weather, Northwestern Mendocino Interior

When
March 15, 3:00 AM PST to 7:00 AM 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 1 inch of snow at an elevation of 1750 feet.

Winter Weather, Northwestern Mendocino Interior

When
March 15, 3:00 AM PST to 10:04 AM 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 1.5 inches of snow at an elevation of 2000 feet.

Winter Weather, Northern Trinity

When
March 15, 3:00 AM PST to 10:00 AM PST
Where
Northern Trinity forecast zone
Reported by
Public

Public report of 0.3 inch of snow at an elevation of 1255 feet.

Winter Weather, Northern Trinity

When
March 15, 3:00 AM PST to 12:00 PM PST
Where
Northern Trinity forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter

Spotter report of 1 inch of snow at an elevation of 1950 feet.

Winter Weather, Southern Trinity

When
March 15, 3:00 AM PST to 11:16 AM PST
Where
Southern Trinity forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
40.651, -123.113 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two inches of snow reported. Single vehicle slid 30 feet of the road due to slick road conditions.

Winter Weather, Northwestern Mendocino Interior

When
March 15, 3:00 AM PST to 8:02 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 2 inches of snow at an elevation of 2500 feet.

Winter Weather, Southern Humboldt Interior

When
March 15, 3:00 AM PST to March 16, 8:00 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 4 inches of snow at an elevation of 2800 feet.

Winter Weather, Southern Trinity

When
March 15, 3:00 AM PST to 3:50 PM 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 5 inches of snow at an elevation of 3000 feet.

Winter Weather, Southern Trinity

When
March 15, 4:00 AM PST to 9:58 AM PST
Where
Southern Trinity forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
40.651, -123.113 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Public report of 2 inches of snow at an elevation of 3000 feet.

Heavy Snow, Northern Trinity

When
March 15, 4:00 AM PST to 9:30 AM PST
Where
Northern Trinity forecast zone
Reported by
Public

Public report of 6 inches of snow. Elevation was around 2700 feet.

Winter Weather, Southern Trinity

When
March 15, 4:00 AM PST to 2:00 PM PST
Where
Southern Trinity forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
40.651, -123.113 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Public report of 2 inches of snow.

Winter Weather, Northwestern Mendocino Interior

When
March 15, 4:00 AM PST to 10:25 AM 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 2 inches of snow at an elevation of 2900 feet.

Winter Weather, Northern Trinity

When
March 15, 4:00 AM PST to 1:00 PM PST
Where
Northern Trinity forecast zone
Reported by
Public

Public report of 6 inches of snow at an elevation of 3400 feet.

Winter Weather, Southern Humboldt Interior

When
March 15, 10:18 AM PST to 11:18 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 3 inches of snow. Snowfall rate reported to be 3 inches per hour. Elevation was 2500 feet.

Winter Weather, Southern Humboldt Interior

When
March 15, 8:00 PM PST to March 16, 10:13 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 4 inches of snow at an elevation of 2750 feet.

Winter Weather, Southern Trinity

When
March 15, 8:00 PM PST to March 16, 10:11 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 5 inches of snow at an elevation of 3000 feet.

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
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 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in California, March 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 739627, 739630, 739642, 739628, 739629, 739631, 739633, 739634, 739635, 739637, 739643, 739644, 739645, 741741, 739632, 739639, 739640, 741739, 741740, 739636, 739647, 741743.