A cold storm brought blizzard conditions in the mountains and severe thunderstorms with weak tornadoes, hail, flooding in the Central Valley. There was very heavy mountain snow, especially in the Sierra, with storm total snow accumulations to 6 to 8 feet.
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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.
A cold storm brought blizzard conditions in the mountains and severe thunderstorms with weak tornadoes, hail, flooding in the Central Valley. There was very heavy mountain snow, especially in the Sierra, with storm total snow accumulations to 6 to 8 feet. The heavy snow coupled with strong winds brought whiteout conditions and shut down major mountain roads such as I80. Snow accumulations with this cold storm extended down through the foothills, causing tens of thousands of homes to lose power and many schools to close.
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 Feb 2, 2:05 AM PST, 4 hours 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Sacramento CA 205 AM PST Sat Feb 2 2019 .SYNOPSIS... Series of Pacific storms will impact Northern California through Tuesday. Periods of moderate to heavy precipitation with gusty wind and isolated thunderstorms are expected. Drier weather returns by midweek. && .DISCUSSION... Vertically stacked extra-tropical cyclone centered about 230 nm west of KUKI this morning with deepening 981 mb surface low. Associated frontal system is pushing inland attm producing widespread precipitation. Strong southeasterly wind developed in the Central Valley overnight, ahead of the front, from about the Sacramento area south, with some stations reaching low end wind advisory criteria. Wind speeds expected to decrease with fropa by late morning. Higher resolution models indicating heaviest precip this morning as baroclinic zone moves through. Will need to monitor rain rates over recent burn scars for mud/debris flow potential. Snow levels are currently around 6000 to 6500 feet. Heavy snow is occurring in the Sierra Nevada attm where chain controls are in effect. Precip turns showery behind front by this afternoon. Model CAPE increases to about 500 J/kg in portions of the Central Valley and Motherlode this afternoon suggesting potential for thunderstorms. Snow levels lower to around 5000 to 5500 this afternoon. Decreasing showers tonight as low center tracks through Central CA and fills. Weak ridging follows Sunday morning with mountain showers continuing and snow levels around 4000 to 5000 feet. Scattered showers or isolated thunderstorms possible in the Central Valley Sunday with best chances during the afternoon when instability peaks. Snow increases in the Sierra Nevada Sunday night as moist 7h southwest flow increases to 65 kts ahead of next shortwave trough. System tracks through Sunday night with lower elevation showers and moderate to heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada. Additional shot of colder air drops snow levels down to 3000 to 4000 feet. Deep colder storm system from B.C. then digs along the West Coast Monday, moving inland over Central CA Tuesday. This will result in additional precipitation for CWA with heavy mountain snow. Snow levels will lower into the foothills Monday and possibly some rain/snow mix in portions of the Northern Sac Valley Tuesday morning. 5 to 10 feet of new snow is expected in the Sierra Nevada through Tuesday with local amounts up to 13 feet possible over the highest terrain. PCH && .EXTENDED DISCUSSION (Wednesday THROUGH Saturday) Amplified upper air pattern forecast to continue later next week. Dry weather behind the exiting early week system has the potential for bringing freezing temperatures to the Central Valley Wednesday and Thursday mornings with coldest portions of the valley dipping down into the mid to upper 20s. Another system is forecast to drop down from the north late in the week bringing another round of low elevation snow, but likely ending the freeze threat for the Central Valley. && .AVIATION... Widespread MVFR with local IFR next 24 hours. Southeasterly surface wind gusts 25-35 kts from KSMF southward in the Central Valley thru about 18Z, becoming southerly 10-20 kts. Lighter southerly winds north of KSMF. Southeasterly winds increasing again after 06Z Sunday from KSCK southward. && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Storm Warning until 4 PM PST Tuesday for Burney Basin / Eastern Shasta County-Motherlode-Mountains Southwestern Shasta County to Northern Lake County-Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley-Shasta Lake Area / Northern Shasta County-West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada-Western Plumas County/Lassen Park. Flash Flood Watch from 10 AM PST this morning through Monday afternoon for Central Sacramento Valley-Clear Lake/Southern Lake County-Mountains Southwestern Shasta County to Northern Lake County-Northeast Foothills/Sacramento Valley-Northern Sacramento Valley-Shasta Lake Area / Northern Shasta County-Western Plumas County/Lassen Park. Wind Advisory until 10 AM PST this morning for Carquinez Strait and Delta-Central Sacramento Valley-Northern San Joaquin Valley- Southern Sacramento Valley. &&
The Beale AFB radar (KBBX), 36 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:36 UTC.
5 heavy snow, 4 flood, 2 tornado, 1 hail, 1 funnel cloud, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Accumulating snow fell, causing slippery mountain roads. A COOP observer in Chester reported 5 inches of snowfall in 24 hours and a storm total of 15 inches (elevation 4530 feet). Quincy reported a storm total of 10.
Accumulating snow fell, causing slippery mountain roads. A spotter reported 8 inches of snow in Fall River Mills (elevation 3300 feet).
Very heavy snow fell, bringing whiteout conditions and extremely slippery conditions. I-80 was shut down for 24 hours, from 9 am on Monday the 4th to 9 am on Tuesday the 5th, causing major travel and commerce disruptions.
Here are some of the higher reported storm totals: 92 at Castle Peak (Donner Pass), 92 at Kirkwood Ski Resort, 84 at Squaw Valley Ski Resort, 83 at Bear Valley Ski Resort, and 80 at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort.
On February 2, 2019 there was a brief tornado touchdown at the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge north of Colusa. A weather spotter took a video of the touchdown, which occurred in a wetlands area. No damage was reported.
Half dollar hail reported north of Colusa.
A trained spotter reported a well defined wall cloud with a funnel cloud north of Colusa.
Tuolumne County Sheriffs Office reports there are road closures along Red Hills Road in Chinese Camp, Sims Road in Jamestown, and Bell Mooney Road in Jamestown.
Wind caused tree and fence damage near Carlson Road and Hutchinson Road in Yuba City.
National Weather Service meteorologists confirmed an EF0 tornado touched down at approximately 5:50 pm pst on Saturday, February 2nd, just south of Yuba City, CA. This tornado touch down was very brief as it tracked to the north northwest. Radar data and the damage pattern were used to confirm the touchdown. Several trees were knocked down and there was minor roof damage to a home. Leaves and branches were completely stripped off one side of a tree.
A social media user reported flooding on Highway 99, north of Chico. Cars were seen driving through water.
Accumulating heavy, wet snow fell into the Motherlode foothills, causing major winter weather impacts. The biggest impacts were south of Highway 50. A CoCoRaHS observer at Tuolumne City reporting 7 inches of snow, unusual for the area. The heavy snow brought down many hundreds of trees & limbs, blocking roads at times and bringing down numerous power lines. Nearly 40,000 PG&E customers were reported without power in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties. Some power outages lasted several days before crews could reach and repair the lines. More than 40 schools closed down in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, as well as most county offices and many businesses. Even snow plows got stuck on Highway 49 due to the heavy snow. Snow reached down to to as low as 750 feet elevation briefly. A CoCoRaHS observer 2.5 miles E of Shingletown had 7 of snow, a spotter reported 6.25 inches of snow in Placerville (elevation 2250 feet), and the Grass Valley COOP reported 2.4.
Accumulating snow fell into the northeast foothills, with a CoCoRaHS observer 2.5 miles east of Shingletown reporting 6.4 inches of new snow in 24 hours. This caused travel significant delays on area roads.
Caltrans District 3 reported that flooding has closed Highway 162 between 1st Street and County Rd P east of Willows in Glenn County.
Caltrans reported a flooded roadway in northern Willows.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for California, 2019Warnings in California, February 2019
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: 808454, 809410, 809326, 808421, 808428, 808429, 808430, 808431, 808422, 808432, 808609, 809419, 808434, 808435.