3,441 first-hand accounts of flood events in California, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
There was a break in the weather on December 23rd and 24th, as a weak upper-level ridge moved into California. Light winds and a stable airmass aloft allowed areas of dense fog to develop over parts of the central and southern San Joaquin Valley.
Read the full account →A winter storm brought heavy snow to the mountains with 10 to 14 inches falling at elevations above 6000 feet and 2 to 8 inches falling at elevations between 4000 and 6000 feet. Fog and snow reduced visibility to less than 100 feet in the Cajon Pass.
Read the full account →Flooding from late December 2005 continued into the beginning of 2006. Several small streams overflowed due to the heavy rains and poor drainage problems.
Read the full account →Low pressure moving southeastward into central CA from the Pacific Northwest allowed subtropical moisture stream to be pumped into the region bringing heavy rainfall to the San Joaquin Valley and foothill areas. Orographic lifting caused intensification of rains at times.
Read the full account →The month ended with one last major monsoon day. Convection developed rapidly and near the same time as an approaching short wave trough and daytime heating.
Read the full account →Thunderstorms developed across northwestern Riverside county, including Joshua Tree National Park, during the early afternoon hours on August 26th.
Read the full account →Considerable moisture from Hurricane Dolores to the south, along with monsoon moisture from the southeast resulted in widespread showers and thunderstorms over most of the HSA for the 17th-19th.
Read the full account →Considerable moisture from Hurricane Dolores to the south, along with monsoon moisture from the southeast resulted in widespread showers and thunderstorms over most of the HSA for the 17th-19th.
Read the full account →Considerable moisture from Hurricane Dolores to the south, along with monsoon moisture from the southeast resulted in widespread showers and thunderstorms over most of the HSA for the 17th-19th.
Read the full account →A very moist and unstable air mass was in place over far southeast California on the 13th, and a weather disturbance moving slowly through the area caused scattered to numerous thunderstorms to develop during the morning hours across Imperial county.
Read the full account →A Pacific storm brought moderate to heavy rain and flash flooding to the region from the 2nd through the 4th. Two-day rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches were recorded west of the mountains, while the southern slopes of the San Bernardino County mountains saw up to 5 inches of rain…
Read the full account →A dry storm system moved through the central California interior on February 18th, bringing a push of cold air that lowered temperatures briefly to near normal. Behind the cold front, gusty winds developed over the mountains and deserts on the 19th.
Read the full account →A large upper level ridge of warm air over the Great Basin brought persistent east to southeast flow over the region in late August. Strong flow and limited instability largely kept the convection below severe levels.
Read the full account →Officials were forced to release water from Lake Arrowhead after heavy rains filled the lake to capacity. The release sent water rushing into an already full Mojave River.
Read the full account →Heavy rain showers and thunderstorms brought record rainfall and flooding issues to portions of the Central Valley and foothills. There were 2 berm levees which failed in Tehama County, flooding over 200 homes and damaging farms and orchards.
Read the full account →A very strong cyclone slammed into the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Areas bringing flooding rains, high winds, record high surf and coastal flooding.
Read the full account →This was a two day storm event that began late in the day on January 10 with strong winds and contained several moderate to heavy rain bands. Wind blew two trees onto vehicles and ripped off a roof in the Apple Valley.
Read the full account →Flooding that began on December 31st continued into the New Year. Approximately 2 to 4 inches of rain fell in a 24 hour period, causing widespread flooding in San Leandro, Oakland, Alameda and Berkeley.
Read the full account →The second in a series of October storms brought with it heavy rain, thunderstorms, flash flooding, and funnel clouds. Very heavy rain upwards of 9 inches in the mountains caused serious flash flooding and debris flows in parts of the San Bernardino Mountains.
Read the full account →Thunderstorms moved over the same area that had experienced flash flooding the previous two days. Four creeks overflowed as the area received 1.8 inches of rain in 25 minutes. A 10 foot wall of mud and debris washed across roads.
Read the full account →An unseasonably cold early season storm moved south from western Canada, bringing significant weather to sections of Southern California between the 20th and 22nd.
Read the full account →Frequent lightning, heavy rain, and small hail were observed at many locations as a band of thunderstorms moved north and west across Southwest California. A roof collapsed from heavy rain in El Cajon.
Read the full account →An upper-level disturbance that moved across central California during the night of August 17th-18th brought enough instability to the monsoonal moisture aloft to trigger widespread light showers across the central California interior.
Read the full account →A strong upper-level low pressure system dug south along the West Coast, moving inland directly over southern California. A vorticity maximum rotating around the low, along with the setup of a California Bight Coastal Convergence Zone (between drainage winds off the land and…
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