California, 2026

Winter Storm in California, January 3 to 5, 2026

January 3 to 5, 2026 · NWS MFR · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

An occluded front and trailing surface trough arriving from the west-southwest brought moderate to heavy snow at elevations above 5000 feet in 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.

An occluded front and trailing surface trough arriving from the west-southwest brought moderate to heavy snow at elevations above 5000 feet in 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 3, 10:45 AM PST, 4 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 3, 10:45 AM 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

3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Western Siskiyou County

When
January 3, 3:00 PM PST to January 5, 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)

National Gridded Snowfall Analysis indicated storm totals of 6 to 18 inches at elevations above 5000 feet. Precipitation amounts in the zone included 0.59 inches at Big Rock, 1.80 inches at Scott Mountain near Callahan 6ESE, 2.47 inches at Dutch-Indy, and 1.20 inches at Sawyers Bar.

Winter Storm, South Central Siskiyou County

When
January 3, 3:00 PM PST to January 5, 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)

National Gridded Snowfall Analysis indicated storm totals of 7 to 21 inches at elevations above 5000 feet, including Mt. Shasta. Precipitation amounts in the zone included 1.86 inches at Mt. Shasta City, 4.96 inches at McCloud, and 2.69 inches at Ash Creek.

Winter Storm, North Central & Southeast Siskiyou County

When
January 3, 4:00 PM PST to January 5, 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)

National Gridded Snowfall Analysis indicated storm totals of 8 to 30 inches at elevations above 5000 feet. Precipitation amounts in the zone included 1.95 inches at Long Prairie, 2.11 inches at Tennant South, 0.55 inches at Tennant Road, and 2.25 inches at Medicine Lake near Tulelake 26SSW.

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 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2026

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: 1303470, 1303471, 1303472.