3,441 first-hand accounts of flood events in California, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
A deep southerly fetch of rich moisture up from the Gulf of California led to scattered to widespread heavy rainfall in Imperial and eastern Riverside counties during the afternoon of the 1st.
Read the full account →A severe thunderstorm packing torrential rains and golf ball size hail pummelled the Mill Creek Basin and the Yucaipa Ridge, in the San Bernardino Mountains, sending flood waters rushing down Mill and Little San Gorgonio Creeks.
Read the full account →The environment across southeast California on August 25th was primed for strong to severe thunderstorms with very moist and unstable conditions in place.
Read the full account →A strong low pressure system moved through central California on January 9 and 10. This system picked up a deep moisture fetch of tropical origin while tracking rapidly eastward across the Pacific and produced widespread heavy precipitation across the area between the morning of…
Read the full account →A shortwave trough moving across the Desert Southwest combined with well-above normal moisture, with precipitable water values peak at 1.0-1.2, resulted in a large swath of rain with embedded thunderstorms moving across portions of southeast CA during the late morning and…
Read the full account →A strong low pressure system moved through central California on January 9 and 10. This system picked up a deep moisture fetch of tropical origin while tracking rapidly eastward across the Pacific and produced widespread heavy precipitation across the area between the morning of…
Read the full account →Additional heavy rain brought widespread flooding of small streams and rivers, with some flooding of main stem rivers. Wet conditions from previous storms brought saturated ground and elevated reservoirs, with flood control releases.
Read the full account →A major atmospheric river impacted Southern California February 13th through 15th bringing heavy rain and high winds. Over the course of 48 hours, many mountain locales recorded 8 to 10 inches of rain, with Palomar Mountain (San Diego County) recording over 10 inches of rain in…
Read the full account →A very strong area of low pressure, tapped into an atmospheric river driving up subtropical moisture, produced substantial rainfall across southern California.
Read the full account →September 12 flash flood and debris and surveyed areas. Debris flow Oak Glen Potato Canyon Birch creek (caught on video time lapse) which as 100,000 cubic yards of debris. Debris flow Valley of the Falls on Prospect street (death) up to 8 feet high with large boulders.
Read the full account →A very strong area of low pressure, tapped into an atmospheric river driving up subtropical moisture, produced substantial rainfall across southern California.
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 →A strong low pressure system moved through central California on January 9 and 10. This system picked up a deep moisture fetch of tropical origin while tracking rapidly eastward across the Pacific and produced widespread heavy precipitation across the area between the morning of…
Read the full account →A strong low pressure system moved through central California on January 9 and 10. This system picked up a deep moisture fetch of tropical origin while tracking rapidly eastward across the Pacific and produced widespread heavy precipitation across the area between the morning of…
Read the full account →Torrential rain from an atmospheric river with locally heavy convective showers brought flash flooding to portions of the northern Sierra and Motherlode foothills.
Read the full account →A major winter storm moved in from the south on February 4th, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, thunderstorms and heavy mountain snow through February 7th. Damaging winds brought down trees and caused widespread power outages.
Read the full account →A plume of moisture from the tropical Pacific brought an Atmospheric River to the Bay Area January 26th-29th. This system generated heavy rain rates causing flooding and debris flows over area burn scars as well as 15 to 20 inches of rain in the Santa Lucia Mountains.
Read the full account →A major atmospheric river impacted Southern California February 13th through 15th bringing heavy rain and high winds. Over the course of 48 hours, many mountain locales recorded 8 to 10 inches of rain, with Palomar Mountain (San Diego County) recording over 10 inches of rain in…
Read the full account →A plume of moisture from the tropical Pacific brought an Atmospheric River to the Bay Area January 26th-29th. This system generated heavy rain rates causing flooding and debris flows over area burn scars as well as 15 to 20 inches of rain in the Santa Lucia Mountains.
Read the full account →A plume of moisture from the tropical Pacific brought an Atmospheric River to the Bay Area January 26th-29th. This system generated heavy rain rates causing flooding and debris flows over area burn scars as well as 15 to 20 inches of rain in the Santa Lucia Mountains.
Read the full account →A strong low pressure system moved through central California on January 9 and 10. This system picked up a deep moisture fetch of tropical origin while tracking rapidly eastward across the Pacific and produced widespread heavy precipitation across the area between the morning of…
Read the full account →Localized heavy rain developed over the San Bernardino Mountains in association with a fast-moving cold front and sharp, low pressure trough aloft. Between 1.5 and 2.0 inches of rain fell on a recently burned area southwest of Running Springs.
Read the full account →A major atmospheric river impacted Southern California February 13th through 15th bringing heavy rain and high winds. Over the course of 48 hours, many mountain locales recorded 8 to 10 inches of rain, with Palomar Mountain (San Diego County) recording over 10 inches of rain in…
Read the full account →Historic flooding occurred on January 22nd. Heavy rainfall occurred between 8 am and noon across western San Diego county. The heaviest rainfall occurred between 9 am and 11 am in the east side of the city of San Diego in Encanto and Lemon Grove to Spring Valley.
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