High Wind — Southern Sacramento Valley, California

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

Event narrative

Southerly gusts of 30 to 60 mph were observed from December 24th through 25th. McClellan Airfield Airport and Sacramento Mather Airport recorded southerly gusts to 58 mph. Sacramento International Airport measured a gust to 54 mph, with Sacramento Executive Airport measuring a gust to 56 mph. There were several reports of downed trees from 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 1307960. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.