A cold front moved through Southern California and brought widespread rain, a few inches of snow, and frost to the region. Total rainfall amounts ranged from 1 to 2 inches, locally 4 inches in the San Diego County Mountains.
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.
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 SGX wrote it up.
A cold front moved through Southern California and brought widespread rain, a few inches of snow, and frost to the region. Total rainfall amounts ranged from 1 to 2 inches, locally 4 inches in the San Diego County Mountains. Hourly rainfall thresholds for the Holy burn scar were exceeded in a couple of canyons, with the highest threshold of 0.71 per hour in Horsethief Canyon. Widespread frost occurred on February 7th, and reached the coastal areas of San Diego and Orange Counties. Icy roads on I-8 resulted in traffic accidents and two fatalities.
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 San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 4, 9:49 AM PST, 3 hours 51 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Diego CA
949 AM PST Mon Feb 4 2019
.SYNOPSIS...
A low pressure system near the West Coast will maintain moist
onshore flow with periods of showers through Tuesday night with
lowering snow levels for tonight and Tuesday. There will also be
periods of strong gusty southwest to west winds in the mountains
and deserts. Frost is possible in the valleys on Tuesday night
with widespread frost and freeze conditions in the valleys for
Wednesday and Thursday nights. Dry with a slow warming trend for
Wednesday through Friday. Another low pressure system from the
northwest could bring more showers for late Friday night into
Saturday night and possibly into Sunday.
&&
.DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE...
SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTIES...
At 9 AM, water vapor satellite showed a deep upper-level low just
off the Oregon coast. Radar showed a cold front associated with
the low moving southeast across Ventura County, with light
scattered showers over and west of our mountains. Surface
observations showed the snow level was around 5300 ft. Isolated to
scattered showers will continue this morning, then become more
widespread as the front moves across the region this afternoon and
early evening.
The cold upper low to our north will move southeast into the
Great Basin through Wednesday. This will move some very cold air
into southern CA over the next few days. Cyclonic flow aloft with
sufficient lower-level moisture will continue periods of showers
across the region through Tuesday night. Current snow level
projections drop down to 2500 ft over the San Bernardino County
Mountains and down to 3000-3500 ft in the San Diego County
Mountains by late Tuesday night. Heavy snow is expected in the
mountains through the period. The Winter Storm Watch for the San
Diego County Mountains was upgraded to a warning, and is now in
effect from 4 PM this afternoon through 4 AM Wednesday. The Winter
Storm Warning for the San Bernardino and Riverside County
Mountains remain in effect through 4 AM Wednesday, as well.
Please see the WSW for details on snowfall amounts. Additional
rainfall through Tuesday night is expected to range from around 1
inch near the coast, to 2 to 3 inches in the mountains with local
amounts exceeding 4 inches along the lower coastal slopes of the
San Bernardino County mountains.
Some patchy frost is possible in portions of the inland valleys
for late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning with more
widespread frost conditions in the valleys for late Wednesday
night into early Thursday morning. Hard freeze conditions are
possible in portions of the high desert for late Wednesday night
into early Thursday. Low temperatures for Thursday night will be a
few degrees warmer with less widespread frost and freeze
conditions. Tuesday is expected to have the coolest weather with
high temperatures 15 to 25 degrees below seasonal normals in the
mountains and inland valleys and 10 to 15 degrees below normal.
High will rise a few degrees Thursday and Friday, but remain below
normal.
There will be periods of strong and gusty southwest to west winds
through Tuesday afternoon from the mountain ridgetops and desert
mountain slopes into adjacent desert areas. Those winds combined
with snow in the higher elevations of the mountains in San
Bernardino and Riverside County mountains could bring near
blizzard conditions at times. Highest gusts are expected to be
around 45 to 55 mph.
Wednesday through Friday will be dry, then another system may
generate light showers across the area late Friday night through
Saturday night with snow levels around 3500 ft.
&&
AVIATION...
041615Z...Coast/Valleys/Mountains...Scattered -SHRA will continue
into tonight. BKN/OVC Cigs at airports will be variable, ranging
from 2000 to 4000 feet MSL, but local cigs to 1000 feet MSL and vis
2-4SM are expected during showers. Southwest winds 25-45 kt will
occur in parts of the mountains, producing locally mdt up/downdrafts
over and east of the mtns.
Deserts...SCT-BKN clouds 4000-5000 feet MSL with unrestricted vis
will continue through tonight, with isolated -SHRA and local cigs
below 3000 feet MSL.
&&
.MARINE...
Southwest winds today gusting 20-25 kt. A small craft advisory is in
effect into this afternoon. Winds will decrease tonight, but
increase again Tuesday leading to possibly hazardous conditions
through Wednesday morning.
&&
.BEACHES...
A long-period west swell will continue to subside today. A High Surf
Advisory is in effect until 11 AM. Strong rip currents are likely.
&&
.SKYWARN...
Skywarn activation is not requested. However weather spotters are
encouraged to report significant weather conditions.
&&
.SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...Small Craft Advisory until 4 PM PST this afternoon for Orange
County Coastal Areas.
Winter Storm Warning from 4 PM this afternoon to 4 AM PST
Wednesday for San Diego County Mountains.
Winter Storm Warning until 4 AM PST Wednesday for Riverside
County Mountains-San Bernardino County Mountains.
High Surf Advisory until 11 AM PST this morning for Orange
County Coastal Areas-San Diego County Coastal Areas.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 4 PM PST this afternoon for Coastal
Waters from San Mateo Point to the Mexican Border and out
to 30 nm-Waters from San Mateo point to the Mexican Border
Extending 30 to 60 nm out including San Clemente Island.
&&
PUBLIC...JJT
AVIATION/MARINE/BEACHES...PGThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy rain, 1 flash flood, 1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Horsethief Canyon recorded a peak hourly rainfall rate of 0.71 per hour between 1340 and 1440 PST on February 4th. This exceeded established flash flooding hourly rainfall thresholds of 0.50 per hour.
Water overtopped at Trabuco Canyon Road according to Orange County Fire Authority. Trabuco Canyon gauge reported 0.90 inches in 3 hours.
Black ice following low elevation snowfall during the morning of February 6th occurred causing numerous accidents on Interstate 8 and 2 fatalities in separate accidents. One motorist slid off the interstate over a cliff and into a creek near Boulevard and another died trying to avoid additional spin outs and fell off Pine Valley creek bridge. Interstate 8 was closed during the morning hours and vehicles had to turn around at about 2500 feet elevation near Alpine.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Storm, San Diego County Mountains | 2019-02-06 | 32 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
| Winter Storm, San Diego County Mountains | 2019-02-06 | 31 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 806220, 806250, 810660.