Heavy Snow — West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada, California

2025-02-06 to 2025-02-07 · West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada, California

Event narrative

Caltrans District 3 measured 1 to 5 inches of snow above 5000 feet along Interstate 80 from February 6th through February 7th. The National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center estimated 4 to 10 inches above 5000 feet with 12 to 18 inches up at the higher peaks. UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab measured 6.5 inches of snow. Ski resorts in the area measured 5 to 14 inches over the same timeframe.

Wider weather episode

A cold winter storm system brought another round of heavy snow, rain, rock slides and gusty winds from February 6th through February 7th. Generally 4 to 12 inches were observed above 3000 feet in Shasta County and the Coast Range and above 5000 feet in the Sierra and Southern Cascades, with up to 18 inches at the higher peaks. Interstate 5 closed for about 4 hours at Pollard Flat due to heavy snow. Traffic cameras showed light snowfall reported down to 800 feet in Shasta County as well. State Route 70 closed from Jarbo Gap to Greenville Wye due to a significant rock slide. California Highway Patrol reported multiple cars stuck in snow in the mountains and a few downed trees in the Valley and foothills. There were multiple reports of roadway flooding in the Valley and foothills, including the closure of Highway 99 between Garner Lane and Keefer Road due to floodwaters covering the roadway. The Sacramento River experienced flooding due to heavy rain and high flows that led to the flooding of two RV Parks within the levee along the river in Colusa and Sutter Counties.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1237901. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.