Ice Storm in California
Every ice storm event the National Weather Service has filed in California, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.
The most significant on the map
The most significant ice storm episodes in California.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 7
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- $1.1 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in California, December 20 to 21, 1998In 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 and Flood in California, January 7, 2017An atmospheric river made landfall in California, while cold and dry air remained trapped in the Owens Valley. This resulted in the first known freezing rain event in the WFO Las Vegas CWA since record keeping began.
- Ice Storm and High Wind in California, December 31, 2020A low pressure system dropped southward just east of the Sierra Nevada during the morning of December 31.
- Ice Storm in California, January 25, 2005Due to a strong inversion across the eastern Sierra and western Nevada, freezing rain fell on the morning of January 25th. Slick roads caused school closures in Lassen County, California. Semi-trucks were also stuck on U.S. Hwy. 395 near Janesville in Lassen County.
- Ice Storm in California, January 5 to 6, 2016Snow, ice, and freezing rain fell across northern California on these days.
- Ice Storm in California, December 8, 2016A warm front brought precipitation to northern California, where sub-freezing air was trapped in some of the valleys. This combination caused freezing precipitation over parts of the area.
More
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 2026-09-24.