1Maximum snowfall or ice accretion

The January 2008 Western North American super storm was a powerful Pacific Ocean coastal storm that affected a large area in Western North America stretching from western British Columbia to near the Tijuana, Mexico area starting on January 3, 2008. The system was accountable for flooding rains across many areas in California along with very strong winds lcoally exceeding hurricane force strength as well as heavy mountain snows across the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain chains as well as those in Idaho, Utah and Colorado. The storms were accountable for the death of at least 12 people across three states and extensive damage to utility services as well as to some structures.

Meteorological synopsis

The strong low pressure system accountable for much of the extreme weather (this was actually a series of three storms) traversed much of the Pacific Ocean before the first main wave arrived late on January 3, with the final major band of snow and rain affected much of the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to northern Mexico with precipitation continuing well into January 4 before weakening east of the Rockies. Heavy rain downpours, heavy snow and fierce winds lashed the west coast of most of California, beginning January 4, 2008. For January 4 and 5, general rainfall was around 2 inches (51 mm) of rain in Oregon and Utah, while nearly 4 inches (100 mm) fell over parts of Nevada and as much as 10 inches (250 mm) in parts of California. Snowfall amounts for those two days reached as much as 70 inches (1,800 mm) in Blackcap Basin in California while many mountain regions of California, Nevada and Idaho received between 1 and 5 feet (1.5 m) of snow. On the afternoon of January 6, Kirkwood Ski Resort reported 10 feet (3.0 m) of snow in 48 hours with a storm total of 11 feet. Widespread hurricane-force wind gusts were reported across most western states with winds reaching speeds of 100 mph (160 km/h) or more. The highest reported wind gusts were 165 mph (260 kph) in Tahoe City, California. Waves were reported as high as 37.7 feet (11.5 m) offshore from Washington State, and pressure fell to 28.30"Hg (mb) - the pressure equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane.

Effects

Satellite image of the system as it arrived near the coast (Courtesy of NWS Hanvard, CA)

Flights departing from San Francisco were grounded, while over 100 miles (160 km) of Interstate 80 was shut down in eastern California and western Nevada due to poor visibility and a 17-vehicle pile-up. Bay Area Rapid Transit was also disrupted with significant delays to service and was even interrupted between San Francisco and Daly City briefly due to fallen trees on the network's tracks. Strong winds pulled power lines down causing power outages for 1.2 million Californians while several outages were reported in Washington and Oregon. Utility officials in California mentionned that about 500 miles (800 km) of power lines were damaged by the storm.

The storm has resulted in the closing of ski resorts, toppling of trees and mudslides. Highways from Sacramento to San Francisco were closed until debris blocking the way was cleared and the storm weakened. Meteorologists predicted about 10 feet (3.0 m) of snow by the end of the storms giving hope to Californians for more water for the year of 2008 following a dryer than average 2007 and expected water shortage in 2008. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in Orange County in Southern California.. On January 5 a canal levee ruptured near Reno, Nevada, and flooded some 800 residences. At least 3000 people had to be rescued via helicopters from rooftops of flooded homes while cold temperatures hindered the rescue efforts.

Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons had declared a state of emergency for Lyon County and the Federal Emergency Management Agency was called in for emergency assistance and distribution of food and water. Bank firm Wells Fargo also opened a bank account to collect funds for the residents of Fernley. Residences were gradually returning home on January 7. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also declared a state of emergency for three counties while Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski declared a state of emergency for Umatilla County due to wind damage. At least 12 people were killed including two in California, eight in Utah and two in Oregon due to falling branches or trees, traffic accidents and flooding. Eight of the fatalities were caused by the rollover of a charter bus in southeastern Utah. 7 people in a same home in California were hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning from a lantern that was used to warm up the home that was without power. Several other people, including snowmobilers and skiers, were missing in the mountain regions of Colorado. The six snowmobilers were later found alive after calling for emergency services from a train station. A further hiker went also missing in the San Bernardino Mountains.