California, 2023

Winter Storm in California, January 13 to 14, 2023

January 13 to 14, 2023 · NWS MFR · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A strong, slow moving front brought heavy snow to northern California.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
3

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 MFR wrote it up.

A strong, slow moving front brought heavy snow to northern California.

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 Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 13, 9:04 AM PST, 3 hours 56 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 13, 9:04 AM PST, 3 hours 56 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 13, 8:14 AM PST, 4 hours 46 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 13, 8:47 AM PST, 4 hours 13 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

3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Western Siskiyou County

When
January 13, 1:00 PM PST to January 14, 4:00 PM PST
Where
Western Siskiyou County forecast zone
Reported by
Official NWS Observations
Coordinates
41.593, -122.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

NOHRSC analysis of 8 to 16 inches of snow in the zone at elevations above 4000 feet. Scott Mountain Pass on Rt. 3 was closed during the event.

Winter Storm, South Central Siskiyou County

When
January 13, 1:00 PM PST to January 14, 4:00 PM PST
Where
South Central Siskiyou County forecast zone
Reported by
Official NWS Observations
Coordinates
41.593, -122.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Sand Flat SNOTEL reported 19 inches of new snow with NOHRSC analysis of 16 to 32 inches of snow in the zone at elevations above 4000 feet.

Winter Storm, North Central & Southeast Siskiyou County

When
January 13, 1:00 PM PST to January 14, 4:00 PM PST
Where
North Central & Southeast Siskiyou County forecast zone
Reported by
Official NWS Observations
Coordinates
41.593, -122.540 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

NOHRSC analysis of 8 to 18 inches of snow in the zone.

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2023

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: 1080907, 1080908, 1080909.