California, 2023

Winter Weather in California, May 3 to 4, 2023

May 3 to 4, 2023 · NWS SGX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A relatively cold upper level storm system caused snow to fall at several mountain communities on May 3rd and 4th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
2

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 SGX wrote it up.

A relatively cold upper level storm system caused snow to fall at several mountain communities on May 3rd and 4th.

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 San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 3, 12:45 PM PST, 4 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 3, 12:45 PM PST, 4 hours 15 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

2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, San Bernardino County Mountains

When
May 3, 5:00 PM PST to May 4, 5:00 PM PST
Where
San Bernardino County Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snow fell at several communities in the San Bernardino County Mountains from the evening on May 3rd through the afternoon on the 4th. Communities at higher elevations near Mount Baldy and Running Springs received total snowfall of 7-8 inches. Numerous other communities including Big Bear Lake, Lake Arrowhead, and Forest Falls received anywhere from 1-5 inches of snow.

Winter Weather, Riverside County Mountains

When
May 3, 5:00 PM PST to May 4, 5:00 PM PST
Where
Riverside County Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
33.744, -115.994 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snow fell at some communities in the Riverside County Mountains from the evening on May 3rd through the afternoon on the 4th. A trained spotter near Idyllwild measured storm total snowfall of 1 inch.

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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, May 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1099936, 1099937.