Winter Storm — Nw & Nc Shasta, California

1998-01-03 to 1998-01-04 · Nw & Nc Shasta, California

Wider weather episode

A Pacific winter storm brought more than 2 feet of snow to higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada. Snow fell as low as 1500 feet in the Sierra Nevada and Shasta-Cascades Ranges. Winds in higher elevations created zero-visibility conditions. CALTRANS officials closed Interstate 80 over Donner Summit four 4 hours, stranding motorists. U.S. Route 50 was closed 3 hours for avalanche control with the heavy snows and high winds. Beginning as rain in the lower elevations, the storm caused a mudslide on southbound Interstate 5 at 0130 PST on the 4th in the Shasta Lake region, shutting down traffic for 12 hours. Many ski resorts had to close some higher elevation ski lifts due to the windy conditions. 14,000 customers lost power for 4 to 8 hours in San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Eldorado, Amador, Calaveras, and Tuolumne Counties when three 115,000 volt transmission lines shorted out in the snow and high winds. Power outages were also recorded in Shasta County.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5632670. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.