Remembering the 1959 Mt. Shasta Storm that Brought 16 Feet of Snow in 6 Days
In February 1959, Mount Shasta became the center of one of the most extreme winter storms ever recorded in North America. Over a six day stretch from February 13 to February 19, an astonishing 189 inches of snow fell on the upper slopes of the mountain. That totals nearly 16 feet of snow in less than a week.
The snowfall was measured at the Mount Shasta Ski Bowl and remains the official record for the greatest snowfall from a single continuous storm, a mark still recognized by Guinness World Records. The event was fueled by a powerful and persistent flow of Pacific moisture colliding with cold mountain air, creating nonstop snowfall that buried lifts, buildings, and access roads.
While the snow piled higher than rooftops in alpine areas, the nearby town of Mount Shasta avoided the worst impacts. Most of the record breaking accumulation occurred at higher elevations where few people lived year round, though travel through the region was severely disrupted.
More than six decades later, the 1959 snowstorm is still talked about among weather historians, skiers, and longtime locals. It stands as a reminder of how intense Northern California winters can be and why Mount Shasta holds legendary status not just for its size, but for the extreme weather it can produce.
