3,441 first-hand accounts of flood events in California, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
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 →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 →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 moist (PWATs 2.0+ inches) and unstable (MLCAPE 2000-3000 J/KG) air mass led to a very conducive environment for vigorous thunderstorm activity across portions of southeast California.
Read the full account →A strong and very wet atmospheric storm brought extended periods of moderate to heavy rain and periods of strong winds to much of the region, along with heavy high-elevation snow.
Read the full account →A strong and very wet atmospheric storm brought extended periods of moderate to heavy rain and periods of strong winds to much of the region, along with heavy high-elevation snow.
Read the full account →Beginning mid-December, a series of storm systems impacted Northwest California with the first set of storms bringing particularly heavy rain from December 19th through December 21st.
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 →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 low pressure system moved over Southern California, bringing rain and high level mountain snow. Coast and valley areas received between 0.50 inch and 1 inch, with locally higher amounts up to 2 inches in the valleys.
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.
Read the full account →An upper level strong trough of low pressure moved down the California coast on May 6th, becoming an unseasonably deep (552 DM at 500 mb) closed low over Southern California on the 7th.
Read the full account →A wet system brought periods of heavy rain with flooding. There was 1 to 2 feet of snow accumulated above 6,500 feet, locally higher on some peaks.
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 →A strong and very wet atmospheric storm brought extended periods of moderate to heavy rain and periods of strong winds to much of the region, along with heavy high-elevation snow.
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 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 wet system brought periods of heavy rain with flooding. There was 1 to 2 feet of snow accumulated above 6,500 feet, locally higher on some peaks.
Read the full account →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 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 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 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 →Two significant waves of precipitation associated with an atmospheric river brought heavy rain and higher elevation (mainly above 6500 feet) snowfall to northeast California.
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