High Wind — Northern Sacramento Valley, California

2025-12-24 to 2025-12-25 · Northern Sacramento Valley, California

Event narrative

Southerly wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph were observed in the northern Sacramento Valley on December 24th and 25th. Redding Municipal Airport recorded a max southerly gust of 59 mph. Red Bluff Municipal Airport measured a southerly gust of 51 mph. Numerous downed trees, branches and powerlines were reported by California Highway Patrol.

Wider weather episode

A prolonged period of wet weather brought heavy snowfall and strong winds to the Sierra Nevada. Heaviest snowfall was observed from 12/24-12/26 when snow levels came down below the mountain passes. Snowfall measurements over the 12/24-12/26 timeframe were around 2-5 ft per Caltrans, Ski resorts, and UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab. Southerly wind gusts of 50-80 mph were observed as well across the Valley, foothills and mountains that resulted in numerous downed trees and thousands of power outages. There were also numerous reports of flooding in the lower elevations from heavy rain, including two fatalities and 3 injuries from vehicles that hydroplaned and crashed.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1307951. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.