California Freeze

Losses, 2024 dollars

$4.9 billion

Losses at the time

$2.5 billion

Deaths

0

The losses and deaths are NCEI’s, counting everything the disaster did. The episodes below are only what the Weather Service filed in its Storm Events record, which counts damage differently and often not at all, so the two never add up and are shown apart.

• Winter Storm in Colorado, December 18, 19984 eventsWhiteout conditions occurred near the Wyoming border as gusty winds to 40 mph combined with heavy, relatively stationary, bands of snow. Portions of U.S. Highways 85 and 287 were closed due to the treacherous weather conditions.
• Cold in Colorado, December 18 to 24, 19983 deaths · 15 injured · 1 eventAn Arctic airmass settled in over northeastern Colorado dropping overnight temperatures well below zero for 6 consecutive days. Overnight temperatures bottomed out at 19 degrees below zero on the morning of the 22nd.
• Winter Storm in Nevada, December 19 to 20, 19981 death · 10 injured · $150,000 · 1 eventSnowfall combined with bitterly cold temperatures in Western Nevada, caused icy roadways that produced numerous automobile accidents. As many as 80-90 accidents were reported just in the Reno-Sparks urban area.
• Cold in California, December 19 to 29, 1998$2.4 million · 5 eventsThe third Arctic airmass of the month to spread into the Central California interior was the coldest of the three and produced large amounts of crop damage/loss.
• Winter Storm in Colorado, December 19 to 21, 199816 eventsAn upper trough and an Arctic air mass joined forces to produce heavy snow and blizzard-like conditions across most of western Colorado. The storm helped to break a dry period, especially in the mountains where the ski areas had been suffering from a lack of snow.
• Winter Storm in Washington, December 19, 19985 eventsAfter two to four inches of snow fell, there was significant disruption of traffic throughout the affected areas. People driving over the Hood Canal Bridge were stuck in traffic for about 3 hours.
• Winter Storm in Utah, December 19 to 21, 199810 injured · $100,000 · 32 eventsThe leading edge of an arctic airmass brought heavy snow to much of Northern Utah late on the 19th into the 20th, with the heavy snow pushing into Southern Utah on the 21st. For awhile on the 20th, I-70 from Salina to Green River was closed due to heavy snow.
• Winter Storm in Colorado, December 19 to 20, 19983 eventsAn upper level jet stream over northern Colorado produced bands of heavy snow. Snowfall totals included: 10 inches at Hohnholz Ranch, 9 inches, 9 miles west-southwest of Rustic, 8 inches at Rand and 7 miles east-northeast of Virginia Dale, 7 inches, 9 miles northwest of…
• Cold in Nebraska, December 20 to 23, 199824 eventsAfter weeks of unseasonably warm weather across south-central Nebraska, a strong arctic surge brought a quick end to the warmth. Temperatures steadily declined into the single digits by the evening of the 20th as arctic air sagged south across the area.
• Cold in Kansas, December 20 to 23, 19986 eventsAfter weeks of unseasonably warm weather across north-central Kansas, a strong arctic surge brought a quick end to the warmth. Temperatures steadily declined into the single digits by the evening of the 20th as arctic air sagged south across the area.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, December 20 to 21, 199834 eventsPeriods of light rain, freezing rain, freezing drizzle, and light snow caused numerous traffic accidents across west central, central, southwest, and south central Missouri.
• Winter Storm in Kansas, December 20 to 21, 19983 eventsPeriods of light rain, freezing rain, freezing drizzle, and light snow caused numerous traffic accidents in extreme southeast Kansas. There were no reports of any serious injuries. Precipitation amounts were light and no structural damage due to ice was reported.
• Cold in California, December 20 to 27, 1998$596 million · 2 eventsOn December 19th an arctic airmass began moving over Central California. The resulting cold air pool from advection and radiational cooling in the lowest levels of the atmosphere led to a devastating freeze to crops, especially citrus, in the Central and Southern San Joaquin…
• Winter Storm in Colorado, December 20 to 21, 19981 eventMore heavy snow occurred in portions of the northern mountains. Snowfall totals ranged from 8 to 12 inches at Bear Lake, Joe Wright, Lake Irene and Willow Creek Pass.
• Ice Storm in Kansas, December 20 to 21, 199810 eventsA wintry mix of light snow, freezing drizzle and some freezing rain spread over the listed counties from the morning of the 20th through the early morning of the 21st. Roads became slick and icy as a result and many accidents occurred.
• Ice Storm in Kansas, December 20, 19984 deaths · 3 eventsFreezing drizzle and snow caused icy road conditions and resulted in 4 fatal accidents which killed 4 people. A two vehicle accident occurred on Highway 10 near Eudora. and killed a woman.
• Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in California, December 20 to 21, 19982 deaths · $1.0 million · 2 eventsIn conjunction with the freeze event affecting area agriculture, the combination of moisture and unusally cold air led to the development of black ice on Central San Joaquin Valley roadways.
• Ice Storm in Oklahoma, December 20 to 21, 199848 eventsA prolonged period of light freezing drizzle or light freezing rain plagued all of western and central Oklahoma on the 20th and 21st of December producing a thin layer of ice on most roads.
• Winter Storm in Colorado, December 20 to 21, 19986 eventsA very cold arctic airmass invaded the eastern plains early Saturday morning, the 19th. A prolonged period of light snow occurred through the afternoon of the 20th. Snow amounts east of the mountains ranged from 1 to 5 inches.
• Winter Storm in Missouri, December 21 to 22, 199831 eventsWinter came in with a vengeance, appropriately enough, on the 1st day of winter across Missouri. A strong cold front brought the first blast of Arctic air to the state.
• Winter Storm in Illinois, December 21 to 22, 199817 eventsWinter came in with a vengeance, appropriately enough, on the 1st day of winter across west and southwest Illinois. A strong cold front brought the first blast of Arctic air to the state.
• Ice Storm in Texas, December 21, 19988 eventsA prolonged period of light freezing drizzle affected western portions of North Texas on the 21st, producing a thin layer of ice on most roads.
• Cold in Utah, December 21 to 24, 1998$20,000 · 27 eventsBitterly cold arctic air swept over the state, bringing sub-zero readings to most areas. The extreme cold caused quite a few problems with frozen pipes.
• Cold in Oregon, December 21, 19981 eventAn usually cold weather pattern developed over Southern Oregon beginning on 12/19. A Freeze warning was issued for Oregon zones 003, 007, 008 on 12/20 for forecast low temperatures more than 10 degrees below normal in zones 007, 008, and below freezing in 003.
• Ice Storm in Texas, December 22 to 24, 19986 deaths · 48 eventsA strong arctic cold front moved through North Texas on the 21st, bringing freezing temperatures to all of North Texas by the morning of the 22nd. Southwest winds aloft produced overrunning conditions, resulting in cloudy skies and a mixture of freezing rain, sleet, and snow.
• Frost and Freeze in California, December 21 to 24, 1998$83 million · 4 eventsAn unseasonably cold airmass produced a three-night period of sub-freezing temperatures across Central and Southern California. Agricultural interests suffered heavy crop losses.
• Ice Storm in Tennessee, December 22 to 24, 199840 eventsThe ice storm left minor accumulations of ice in valley locations due to warm ground temperatures. Most of the ice was on trees and bridges. Most roads were only wet. In higher elevations, the ice was much heavier. Around 5,000 customers lost power in McMinn and Meigs counties.
• Ice Storm in Virginia, December 22 to 24, 19985 eventsOnly light accumulations of ice were reported, mainly in higher mountain elevations. In the valleys, mainly rain was reported, with only a few slick spots on bridges.
• Ice Storm in North Carolina, December 22 to 24, 19982 eventsOnly light accumulations of ice were reported, mainly in higher mountain elevations. In the valleys, precipitation was mostly in the form of rain, with only a few icy spots on bridges.
• Cold in California, December 21 to 22, 19985 eventsMinimum temperatures dropped below zero in many interior valleys and into the teens on the coast. Many record minimum temperatures were set. Minimal agricultural damage but many buildings suffered water damage from broken pipes.
• Cold in California, December 22, 1998$75,000 · 1 eventUnusually cold temperatures caused water pipes to freeze and break in several Bishop homes. The fire department responded to several calls and used vacuums and hoses to pump water from residences and Bishop's Union High School.
• Cold in Nevada, December 22, 19981 eventThe official low temperature in Las Vegas dropped to the 20 degree mark for the first time in eight years. Many locations throughout the the Las Vegas Valley experienced temperatures in the teens for a few hours before sunrise.
• Winter Storm in Texas, December 22 to 23, 1998$60,000 · 4 eventsFreezing drizzle/rain with a few reports of snow and sleet. Icing on area roads caused a significant number of automobile accidents.
• Ice Storm in Louisiana, December 22 to 24, 19981 death · $1.0 million · 17 eventsA shallow dome of artic air spread across northern Louisiana while low pressure formed in the northern Gulf of Mexico pulling warm moist air northward over the top of the cold air. The result was widespread freezing rain, sleet and freezing drizzle.
• Ice Storm in Louisiana, December 22 to 24, 1998$4.1 million · 7 events
• Ice Storm in Arkansas, December 22 to 24, 1998$450,000 · 9 eventsA shallow arctic air mass spread southward across all of southwest Arkansas while low pressure formed in the Gulf of Mexico spreading warm moist air northward over the top of the artic air mass. This resulted in widespread freezing rain, freezing drizzle, and sleet.
• Ice Storm in Texas, December 22 to 24, 199821 eventsA shallow artic air mass spread across northeast and east Texas while low pressure formed in the Gulf of Mexico. This allowed overrunning of warm moist air over the cold dome producing widespread freezing rain and sleet. Overall ice accumulations were less than one inch.
• Ice Storm in Oklahoma, December 22 to 24, 19981 eventA shallow arctic air mass spread southward across all of southwest Arkansas while low pressure formed in the Gulf of Mexico spreading warm moist air northward over the top of the artic air mass. This resulted in widespread freezing rain, freezing drizzle, and sleet.
• Cold in Maine, December 22 to 23, 199810 eventsWind chill temperatures dropped to 30 to 45 degrees below zero across northern Maine and the Maine mountains as strong northwesterly winds of 20 to 30 mph brought in cold air from Canada.
• Cold in New Hampshire, December 22 to 23, 19982 eventsWind chill temperatures dropped to 25 to 30 degrees below zero across northern New Hampshire as strong northwesterly winds of 20 to 30 mph brought in cold air from Canada.
• Ice Storm in Arkansas, December 22 to 24, 19981 death · 36 eventsA major ice storm affected about the southern three-quarters of Arkansas as Christmas Day approached. Freezing rain and sleet developed across southern Arkansas during the evening of the 22nd...and spread north.
• Ice Storm in Mississippi, December 22 to 25, 1998$17 million · 31 eventsA crippling ice storm struck the three state region of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi at one of the worst times, just before Christmas. Much of the fall and early winter season of late 1998 had been very mild for southerners.
• Ice Storm in Mississippi, December 22 to 23, 1998$99,000 · 22 eventsMuch of north Mississippi was hit with an ice storm. Most counties reported between 1/4 to 1/2 inch of ice on their roads with some locations in the southern part of the region reporting as much as 3 inches of ice.
• Ice Storm in Arkansas, December 22 to 24, 1998$1.8 million · 2 events
• Ice Storm in Oklahoma, December 23, 19984 eventsSummary of events for December 23 1998:A series of upper level disturbances moving across a shallow arctic air mass caused freezing rain to break out across far southern Oklahoma on the day before Christmas Eve.
• Ice Storm in Arkansas, December 23, 19981 eventSummary of events for December 23 1998:A series of upper level disturbances moving across a shallow arctic air mass caused freezing rain to break out across central and southern Arkansas on the day before Christmas Eve.
• Ice Storm in Alabama, December 23 to 25, 19981 death · $14 million · 15 eventsA winter storm brought a mixture of freezing rain...sleet...and rain to the northern half of Alabama. The northwestern quarter of Alabama was especially hard hit.
• Winter Storm in Texas, December 23 to 24, 199812 eventsTemperatures in the 70s on the afternoon of December 21st plunged into the 20s by evening as an arctic cold front crossed through South Central Texas on its way to the Gulf of Mexico. North winds gusting to 30 and 35 mph brought chill indices near the zero-mark.
• Ice Storm in Georgia, December 23, 199820 eventsFreezing rain deposited around a quarter inch of ice across northwest Georgia. By afternoon, falling temperatures in northeast Georgia caused the precipitation to begin freezing in counties in that part of the state also.
• Ice Storm in Alabama, December 23 to 24, 1998$126,000 · 16 eventsA winter storm brought a mixture of freezing rain, sleet, and rain to the northern half of Alabama. The precipitation began in the morning of the 23rd and lasted until afternoon on the 24th .
• Ice Storm in Oklahoma, December 23 to 24, 199824 eventsAn extended period of light freezing drizzle or light freezing rain mixed with periods of light snow and light sleet affected portions of central and southern Oklahoma on most of the 23rd and early on the 24th.
• Ice Storm in Texas, December 23 to 24, 19988 eventsAn extended period of light freezing drizzle or light freezing rain mixed with light snow and light sleet fell across western portions of North Texas on the 23rd and early on the 24th, producing a thin glaze of ice on most area roads.
• Ice Storm in Virginia, December 23 to 24, 199827 eventsSleet and freezing rain developed during the morning hours on the 23rd and continued into late afternoon hours. Freezing rain redeveloped overnight and continued into the late morning and early afternoon hours on the 24th.
• Ice Storm in North Carolina, December 23 to 24, 19989 eventsSleet and freezing rain developed during the morning hours on the 23rd and continued into late afternoon hours. Freezing rain redeveloped overnight and continued into the late morning and early afternoon hours on the 24th.
• Ice Storm in West Virginia, December 23 to 24, 19984 eventsSleet and freezing rain developed during the morning hours on the 23rd and continued into late afternoon hours. Freezing rain redeveloped overnight and continued into the late morning hours on the 24th. Ice accumulated from 1/4 to 1/2 inch on exposed objects in most areas.
• Winter Storm in Tennessee, December 23 to 24, 199811 injured · $1.5 million · 40 eventsNewspaper accounts reported trecherous driving conditions across Franklin county. 1/2 to 3/4 inch of ice was observed at 105 PM on December 24 and there was one injury. In Fentress county, 40 percent of the county was without power and numerous trees were down.
• Winter Storm in Kentucky, December 23, 199815 eventsLow pressure moving across the Tennesee Valley combined with cold air at the surface across southern Kentucky brought a mixture of freezing rain and sleet to much of southern and eastern Kentucky.
• Ice Storm in Tennessee, December 23 to 24, 1998$11,000 · 11 eventsAn ice storm moved into west Tennessee. Many counties in West Tennessee saw ice accumulation of between 1/4" and 1/2" with up to 2 inches of ice accumulation reported in Fayette county. A few trees were knocked down because of the ice.
• Ice Storm in Arkansas, December 23 to 24, 1998$11,000 · 11 eventsAn ice storm moved through eastern Arkansas. Most areas saw between 1/4" and 1/2" of ice accumulation. A few trees were knocked down because of the ice.
• Winter Storm in Kentucky, December 23 to 24, 199823 eventsA winter storm affected eastern Kentucky from late morning on December 23 into the early morning of December 24. Arctic air in place at the surface with warm air moving in aloft created a wintery mixture of freezing rain and sleet.
• Cold in Arkansas, December 23, 19981 death · 1 eventIn addition to a major ice storm, much of Arkansas was affected by sub-freezing temperatures during the latter part of December. The cold weather apparently claimed the life of a man in Jefferson County who was found near some railroad tracks 3 miles east of Pine Bluff.
• Ice Storm in West Virginia, December 23 to 24, 19984 eventsA quarter to a third of an inch of ice was common from freezing rain. The water equivalent of the precipitation was 0.20 to 0.40 inches. Power outages occurred in the community of War. Small branches were broken off trees.
• Ice Storm in Virginia, December 23 to 24, 19982 eventsA quarter to a half inch of ice was deposited by freezing rain. The water equivalent of the precipitation was 0.20 to 0.50 inches. Small branches were broken off. Some power outages were reported in Dickenson County.
• Ice Storm in Virginia, December 23 to 25, 1998$20 million · 40 eventsA major ice storm affected central and eastern Virginia from Wednesday, December 23rd into Friday, December 25th. A prolonged period of freezing rain and some sleet resulted in ice accumulations of one half inch /0.50/ to one inch /1.00/ in many locations.
• Ice Storm in Maryland, December 23 to 25, 1998$5.0 million · 5 eventsA major ice storm affected the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore from Wednesday, December 23rd into Friday, December 25th. A prolonged period of freezing rain and sleet resulted in ice accumulations of one quarter inch /0.25/ to three quarters inch /0.75/ in many locations.
• Ice Storm in North Carolina, December 23 to 25, 1998$500,000 · 4 eventsA major ice storm affected portions of northeast North Carolina from Wednesday, December 23rd into Friday, December 25th. A prolonged period of freezing rain and sleet resulted in ice accumulations of one quarter inch /0.25/ to one half inch / 0.50/ in some locations.
• Ice Storm in North Carolina, December 23 to 25, 199831 eventsAn ice storm began during the afternoon of 12/23/98 and continued through the early morning hours on 12/25/98.
• Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Delaware, December 23 to 24, 19984 eventsA series of weak low pressure systems moving northeast along a slow moving cold front over the western Atlantic Ocean brought the Delmarva Peninsula its first wintry precipitation of the season. Precipitation started as snow around 5 p.m.
• Ice Storm in Texas, December 23 to 24, 19986 eventsAn arctic cold front combined with an upper level storm system to bring the second bout of winter weather this month to the area.
• Winter Storm in Texas, December 23, 1998$75,000 · 5 eventsFreezing rain/drizzle with a few reports of snow and sleet. Icy roads caused a significant amount of automobile accidents.
• Ice Storm in Georgia, December 23 to 24, 1998$10,000 · 3 eventsAnother area of freezing rain moved across the extreme northwest Georgia counties later in the night. Ice was heavy enough to knock down some trees and power lines. The Park Ranger at Cloudland Canyon in Dade county reported power outages at the campground.
• Ice Storm in North Carolina, December 24, 19988 eventsFreezing rain accumulated to damaging levels around midnight and by morning there were numerous power outages reported due to downed trees and power lines. Road problems were mostly limited to bridges and overpasses.
• Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in Oregon, December 23 to 24, 199850 kt wind · 6 eventsA Pacific storm on Christmas Eve produced sustained 44 mph winds with gusts to 57 mph at Newport, and sustained winds of 52 mph at Siuslaw, 44 mph at Sea Lion Caves, and 40 mph at Tillamook. The storm also dumped snow on much of Northwest Oregon.
• Winter Storm in Washington, December 24, 19984 eventsA Christmas Eve storm brought a half inch to two inches of snow to the lowest elevations and up to three inches of snow to the mountains. Temperatures were in the upper teens to lower 20s.
• Winter Storm in Oregon, December 24, 19983 eventsA Christmas Eve storm brought snow, freezing rain, and cold temperatures to northeast Oregon. Icy roads were to blame for a vehicle roll over on Interstate 84 in Pendleton. Up to six inches of snow fell in the mountains and up to an inch of snow fell at the lowest elevations.
• Ice Storm in South Carolina, December 24, 19983 eventsFreezing rain built a glaze to damaging levels by sunrise on Christmas Eve and many power outages continued to occur until late morning. Power was not restored to some places until the next morning.
• Ice Storm in North Carolina, December 24, 19982 eventsFreezing rain built a glaze to damaging levels by sunrise and many power outages continued to occur until late morning. Power was not restored to some places until the next morning.
• Ice Storm in Georgia, December 24 to 25, 19984 eventsEmergency dispatchers and the Greenville WSO reported bridges, overpasses, and trees coated with a glaze of ice around a quarter of an inch thick.
• Ice Storm in South Carolina, December 25, 1998$47,000 · 1 eventLight rain froze on roads in the western part of the county, causing three car accidents. One accident occurred on US15 , 9 miles west of Bennettsville, and the other two happened on SC9 in Wallace.
• Winter Storm in Washington, December 25, 19986 eventsA Christmas Day storm brought a combination of snow and freezing rain to Central and Southeast Washington. Up to four inches of snow fell in the higher elevations of Yakima and Kittitas counties and thirteen inches fell in the mountains of southeast Washington.
• Winter Storm in Oregon, December 25, 19982 eventsSix to sixteen inches of snow fell on Christmas day in the mountains of northeast Oregon.
• Ice Storm and High Wind in Washington, December 25, 19983 eventsA Christmas Day Pacific storm brought high winds to the coast and Kelso/Longview area, freezing rain to the Columbia River Gorge, and heavy rain to Southwest Washington, which contributed to a major flood episode a few days later.
• Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in Oregon, December 25 to 26, 199863 kt wind · 4 eventsA Christmas Day Pacific storm brought high winds to the coast, freezing rain to the Columbia River Gorge, heavy snow to the Cascades, and heavy rain to Northwest Oregon, which contributed to a major flood episode a few days later.
• Winter Storm in Montana, December 25 to 26, 19981 eventMARIAS PASS TO EAST GLACIER 6 TO 12 INCHES
• Cold in Alaska, December 27 to 28, 19982 eventsBrisk northeast wind combined with very cold air to produce wind chills from 40 to locally 70 below across the area.
• Winter Storm in Wyoming, December 27 to 28, 19984 eventsAround one foot of new snow in the valleys, up to 3 feet in the mountains. Considerable blowing and drifting snow caused occasional whiteout conditions in the Star Valley. Beginning and ending times are estimates.
• Winter Storm in Montana, December 27 to 28, 19981 eventST MARY 10 INCHES...EAST GLACIER 6 INCHES.
• Winter Storm in New Jersey, December 29, 19981 eventA weak low pressure system over the south Atlantic States the morning of the 29th moved northeast along the Atlantic seaboard and reached the Gulf of Maine the morning of the 30th.
• Winter Storm in Massachusetts, December 29 to 30, 19981 eventA series of low pressure systems moved along a frontal boundary along the eastern seaboard to produce snow in Northwestern Massachusetts. The snow started on the morning of December 29 and ended early on December 30.
• Ice Storm in Montana, December 29 to 30, 199811 eventsA widespread area of rain spread eastward over a shallow Arctic airmass at the lower levels of the atmosphere. As a result the rain froze as it came into contact with the surface. In the Billings area alone there were 31 automobile accidents as a result of the freezing rain.

Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 1998Tornadoes in 1998

NOAA NCEI, U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2025), https://doi.org/10.25921/stkw-7w73, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.