3,441 first-hand accounts of flood events in California, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
A long north to south oriented line of thunderstorms developed during the early afternoon hours on September 8th; it ran from the Baja spine northward through central Imperial County and into eastern Riverside County.
Read the full account →The month picked up where August left off, with an active monsoon pattern bringing periods of showers and thunderstorms to the mountains and deserts.
Read the full account →An atmospheric river (300-400 IVT) brought widespread heavy rain to Southern California on April 6th. A few showers lingered into April 7th, but it was low impact.
Read the full account →Storms brought a range of significant weather impacts to northern interior California. The first storm was very wet and warm, the second not quite as wet but cooler with lower snow levels. Both storms brought strong, damaging winds.
Read the full account →The following river stages were observed on the upper Sacramento River:Location: Period(s) above flood stage: Max Crest/Date OccurredRed Bluff briefly on the 3rd 1.9 feet above flood stage/3rdTehama Bridge 3rd -- 27th 8.2 feet above flood stage/3rdWoodson…
Read the full account →A high impact mini atmospheric river impacted Southern California January 14th and 15th which brought heavy rain and snow to the region. Seal Beach reported 2 inches of rain in 2 hours, which caused extensive flash flooding.
Read the full account →A strong and very moist upper low pressure system approached the central California coast on March 5. This system pulled up a deep fetch of moisture of sub-tropical origin which pushed into the area during the evening of March 5 then stalled over the southern portion of central…
Read the full account →A cold unstable upper level low pressure system from the northwest brought widespread heavy rain, thunderstorms and mountain snow to southern California over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Read the full account →A winter storm that took two days to cross Southwest California created near blizzard conditions in the mountains, forcing the closure of all roads. In San Bernardino County, the Wrightwood received between 27 and 60 inches of snow.
Read the full account →Major flooding continued into the early hours of January 1st, before the Napa River finally fell below flood stage and the water receeded. Flooding was severe in Downtown Napa from the Napa Creek and the City and Parks Department was hit with $6 million in damage alone.
Read the full account →A slow moving low pressure center off the coast, spawned late night showers and thunderstorms. The showers continuously developed off the coast, and moved inland over central portions of Orange County, starting before daybreak on the sixth, and lasting until the early morning…
Read the full account →Scattered thunderstorms developed across far eastern Riverside County during the morning hours on September 9th; some of the strongest storms focused along the lower Colorado River valley and they produced locally heavy rains with peak rain rates in excess of one inch per hour.
Read the full account →The fourth, and strongest, in a series of winter storms pounded the region on the 21st and 22nd, bringing another round of gusty winds, heavy rain, thunderstorms, several feet of snow in the mountains, and flooding throughout the CWA.
Read the full account →A warm wet storm dropped 5 to 10 inches of rain over the mountains and 2 to 4 inches across the valleys and coast over a three day period. Parts of Interstate 215 near Devore, and Interstate 15 in Fontana were flooded.
Read the full account →Three waves of Pacific atmospheric-river-type storms brought significant wet weather to California. The first wave (late Feb 5 through Feb 6) brought 1-1.5 of liquid equivalent for the Sierra, which equated to several inches of fresh snow.
Read the full account →Rock and mudslides closed Highways 18, 330, 138, and 173. Huge sinkholes opened up on Highway 330. Flash Flooding undermined portions of Highway 18. Flooding made Highway 138 impassible. Huge boulders littered many stretches of all major mountain highways.
Read the full account →A series of storm systems, part of a large Atmospheric River type of pattern, impacted the area during late December 2012. From the 21st through 26th of December, heavy rain, gusty winds, flooding, and mudslides occurred across the Bay Area in these consecutive events.
Read the full account →A large Pacific plume of moisture ahead of an advancing trough of low pressure brought heavy rain and periods of serious flooding for nearly a week. The plume of moisture responsible was a form of an Atmospheric River.
Read the full account →Monsoonal moisture surged northward into Northern California and a persistent low offshore brought the threat for thunderstorms the first several days of August. The 2nd of August was the peak for the thunder.
Read the full account →A moisture plume with a weak atmospheric river arrived on December 5th and brought rain to the region. On December 6th, a strong closed upper level low pressure brought an unstable air mass into Southern California with showers and thunderstorms, especially Orange and San Diego…
Read the full account →A strong upper level low pressure system moved into far southeast California during the early morning hours on October 13th and triggered the development of widespread showers and thunderstorms.
Read the full account →A moderate strength trough of low pressure swept through the SoCal Bight with gusty winds, mountain snow and heavy rainfall. Rainfall totals of 1-2 inches occurred over the coast and valleys, with isolated amounts of 6-8 inches along favored coastal slopes.
Read the full account →An Atmospheric River event brought heavy rain and gusty winds with a strong winter storm that impacted the Bay Area for several days in mid-December. Cyclogenesis occurred with a 979 mb low forming off the Northern California coast.
Read the full account →A strong trough and associated Pacific cold front swept into Southern California from the west, bringing strong winds, heavy snow and rain. The storm was noteworthy for the strong prefrontal southerly winds that produced significant tree damage over the coast and valleys.
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