California winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 57 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 6,961 winter storm records in California from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 238 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 7, 1997 winter weather in San Diego County: 14 deaths. California ranks 20th of 51 states and territories by count and 39th of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in California, 1996 to 2026
Winter storm records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 6,9611996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 238average
- Deaths
- 76250 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $37Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2023522 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are winter storm records common in California?
California averages about 238 winter storm records a year since 2000, 20th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2023 (522). Per 10,000 square miles of land, California records 447 winter storm records since 1996, 39th of 50 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in California have the most winter storm records?
Per square mile, Alpine County leads California: 622 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 842.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Placer County has the most winter storm records (1,334 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is winter storm season in California?
43% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is February (1,565 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 1,440 · Feb 1,565 · Mar 1,270 · Apr 491 · May 119 · Jun 7 · Jul 1 · Aug 0 · Sep 13 · Oct 125 · Nov 642 · Dec 1,288 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in California?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-01-07 | Winter WeatherSan Diego County · forecast zone San Diego County Mountains Persistent northerly flow and low pressure aloft along the west coast, resulted in a prolonged period of cold and snow for the San Diego Mountains. Up to 18 inches of snow was reported over the higher elevations of the Laguna Mountains, with temperatures dipping into the upper teens and twenties at night. Undocumented ... | 14 | 0 | – | |
| 1999-04-01 | Heavy SnowSan Diego County · forecast zone San Diego County Mountains Snow began late in the morning and continued till around midnight. The heaviest snow fell between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. At the 3700 foot elevation, nine inches of snow fell in a six hour period. At the 5650 foot elevation, eighteen inches of new snow fell in a twelve hour period. In the Pine Creek Wilderness Area of the ... | 8 | 13 | – | |
| 2000-03-05 | Winter StormSan Diego County · forecast zone San Diego County Mountains A winter storm started out on the evening of Saturday, March 4 with heavy wet snow at the higher elevations and heavy rain and flooding at the lower elevations. Sustained 40 knot winds overnight caused heavy surf and several boats to lose their anchorage. On Sunday, March 5, strong winds continued to cause damage to ... | 3 | 13 | $86K | |
| 1997-11-26 | Winter WeatherLos Angeles County · forecast zone X Sw Los Angeles One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A strong Pacific storm brought heavy rain...thunderstorms and snow to Southern California. With this storm, snow levels dropped to around 5000 feet. Snow accumulations up to 6 inches were reported in the mountains. At lower elevations, heavy rain and small hail fell. Rainfall totals ranged from 0.50 to 1.50 inches ... | 3 | 2 | – | |
| 2006-03-11 | Winter WeatherMarin County and Sonoma County · forecast zone Coastal North Bay Including Point Reyes National Seashore A sudden, brief snow shower coated Highway 101 just north of the Golden Gate Bridge with ice and slushy snow. A chain reaction accident occurred, involving 28 vehicles creating a monstrous pileup - killing 2 people and injuring more than a dozen. The pileup scattered wreckage 350 to 400 feet along the road. | 2 | 15 | – | |
| 1996-12-20 | Heavy SnowAlpine County and 6 more · forecast zone West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. The heaviest snow in many years caused a number of problems in the Shasta-Cascades region and in the Sierra Nevada range. 8-foot snow accumulations at the higher elevations in a 36-hour timeframe came within half a foot of the record at Kirkwood Ski Resort (Amador/El Dorado counties). A storm total of 8 feet fell in ... | 2 | 2 | – | |
| 2008-10-10 | Winter WeatherAlpine County and 3 more · forecast zone Greater Lake Tahoe Area According to the Tahoe Daily Tribune, a couple from San Mateo, California were killed when their automobile slid across the centerline of Highway 89 near Sugar Pine State Park (on the west shore of Lake Tahoe) at around 11:20 am PDT on Friday, October 10th. The driver of the other vehicle was not injured. According to ... | 2 | 0 | $14K | |
| 1998-12-20 | Ice StormCentral Sjv · forecast zone Central Sjv In 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. Two fatalities occurred during the evening hours of the 20th in the city of Fresno due to black ice on roadways. In addition ... | 2 | 0 | $1.8M | |
| 1996-12-20 | Winter StormAlpine County and 3 more · forecast zone Greater Lake Tahoe Area A powerful winter storm ravaged the Greater Lake Tahoe area over a two and a half day period. The main portion of the storm dumped heavy snow over the region from late Friday night (20th) into early Sunday morning (22nd). The cold moist flow continued into early Monday morning, but snowfall amounts were not as ... | 2 | 0 | $141K | |
| 2019-12-04 | Winter WeatherRiverside County and San Bernardino County · forecast zone San Bernardino County Mountains Broadcast media reported a missing hiker on Mount Baldy on December 8th, with treacherous winter weather conditions on the mountain. A search and rescue worker died on December 14th after falling down an icy ravine while searching for the hiker. All search and rescue operations were halted after the worker death. The ... | 2 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest winter storm records in California
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-01-09 | Winter StormFresno County · forecast zone Fresno - Clovis One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $14M | |
| 2011-03-22 | Winter StormFresno County and 3 more · forecast zone S Sierra Mtns One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places, 2011-03-22 to 2011-03-23; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $3.9M | |
| 2010-01-20 | Heavy SnowSiskiyou County · forecast zone South Central Siskiyou County | 1 | 11 | $2.7M | |
| 2019-11-27 | Heavy SnowRiverside County and San Bernardino County · forecast zone San Bernardino County Mountains | 0 | 0 | $2.3M | |
| 1998-12-20 | Ice StormCentral Sjv · forecast zone Central Sjv | 2 | 0 | $1.8M | |
| 2019-02-04 | Heavy SnowAmador County and 6 more · forecast zone Motherlode/Camptonville To Groveland | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 2023-03-01 | Winter StormRiverside County and San Bernardino County · forecast zone San Bernardino County Mountains One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 1 | $872K | |
| 2002-04-15 | Heavy SnowAlpine County and 3 more · forecast zone Greater Lake Tahoe Area | 0 | 4 | $820K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are winter storm records becoming more frequent in California?
California's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | California | United States | California's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 716 | 32,893 | 2.2% |
| 2000s | 2,012 | 88,805 | 2.3% |
| 2010s | 1,935 | 103,626 | 1.9% |
| 2020-26 | 2,298 | 62,015 | 3.7% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in California
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-21 | Heavy SnowCalaveras County and 2 more · forecast zone Sierra Nevada Of Calaveras-Tuolumne-Southern Alpine Counties Above 5000 Ft | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | Heavy SnowEl Dorado County and 2 more · forecast zone Sierra Nevada Of El Dorado-Amador-Northern Alpine Counties Above 5000 Ft Including Highway 50 | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | Heavy SnowSierra County and 2 more · forecast zone Sierra Nevada Of Sierra-Nevada-Placer Counties Above 5000 Ft Including Interstate 80 | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | Heavy SnowTehama County and 2 more · forecast zone Sierra Nevada Of Tehama-Butte-Plumas Counties Above 3000 Ft | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | Heavy SnowLassen County and 3 more · forecast zone Lassen Volcanic National Park | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | Heavy SnowMono County · forecast zone Mono | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | Winter WeatherAlpine County and 3 more · forecast zone Greater Lake Tahoe Area | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-11 | Winter WeatherLassen County and 2 more · forecast zone Lassen/Eastern Plumas/Eastern Sierra | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-11 | Heavy SnowAlpine County and 3 more · forecast zone Greater Lake Tahoe Area | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-11 | Heavy SnowMono County · forecast zone Mono | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-10 | Heavy SnowButte County and 4 more · forecast zone Mt Shasta/Western Plumas County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-10 | Heavy SnowAlpine County and 8 more · forecast zone West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for winter storm records in California
FEMA has declared 21 disasters in California for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 19 were major disasters, the latest on April 19, 2024.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-04-19 | DR-4773 | Severe Winter Storm | 1 |
| 2024-04-13 | DR-4769 | Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 9 |
| 2023-05-18 | DR-4713 | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding | 1 |
| 2023-04-25 | DR-4707 | Severe Winter Storms and Mudslides | 1 |
| 2023-04-03 | DR-4699 | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 46 |
| 2023-03-10 | EM-3592 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 43 |
| 2023-01-14 | DR-4683 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 44 |
| 2023-01-09 | EM-3591 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides | 41 |
| 2019-05-17 | DR-4434 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 18 |
| 2019-05-01 | DR-4431 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 11 |
| 2017-04-01 | DR-4308 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides | 44 |
| 2017-03-16 | DR-4305 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides | 22 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Alpine County: the county's whole recordThe California county with the most winter storm records per square mile
- Winter storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in CaliforniaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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- Heat in California2,691 records