3,441 first-hand accounts of flood events in California, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
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 →The last in a series of strong, early season storms brought record heavy rain to the coast and valleys, and dumped two feet of snow at the mountain resorts.
Read the full account →The last in a series of strong, early season storms brought record heavy rain to the coast and valleys, and dumped two feet of snow at the mountain resorts.
Read the full account →Severe thunderstorms fired along the Elsinore Convergence Zone for the third time in two weeks. Thunderstorms erupted early in the afternoon near San Jacinto and rapidly went severe.
Read the full account →August 9th marked the 21st consecutive day with thunderstorms in the San Diego forecast area. A large MCS moved southwest out of Nevada during the morning hours and swept across the San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego County deserts that afternoon.
Read the full account →Monsoon flow resulted in severe thunderstorms and flash flooding for a second straight day. Thunderstorms along the Elsinore Convergence Zone produced a severe microburst which resulted in damage to roofs, trees, and other property in the Lake Elsinore area.
Read the full account →The remnants of Hurricane Dean brought numerous thunderstorms to many areas of Southern California. Thunderstorms erupted in northern San Diego County shortly before sunrise near Escondido.
Read the full account →By January 13th, the medium-range forecast models were becoming consistent in predicting a major precipitation event that would affect interior central California beginning the 17th and continuing for several days.
Read the full account →The third in a series of significant storms brought strong winds and heavy rain to the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas. This storm, the strongest of the week, developed over the Pacific Ocean with a strong parent low pressure based in the Gulf of Alaska.
Read the full account →An upper trough moved eastward across central California on March 4 and March 5. This system produced snow at elevations down to 2000 feet with some higher elevation SNOTELS north of Kings Canyon picking up between a foot and 2 feet of new snowfall.
Read the full account →A series of significant winter storms impacted the district during late November and early December 2012. The first storm arrived November 28 and then was followed by three more winter storms.
Read the full account →A series of significant winter storms impacted the district during late November and early December 2012. The first storm arrived November 28 and then was followed by three more winter storms.
Read the full account →A late-season, storm brought significant rainfall to the area along with strong thunderstorms. Rainfall totals across the area ranged from 0.50 to 1.50 inches across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties to 1 to 2 inches across Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
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 →High pressure ridging became the dominant weather feature during March 8th-10th and brought warm, dry conditions to the area; temperatures were at least several degrees above the seasonal average during much of this period.||The ridge somewhat weakened on March 11th through the…
Read the full account →During the third week of January, a 180 to 210 kt jet stretched across the Pacific and into Southern California, bringing a series of powerful winter storms to the region. The first storm made its way through the region on January 18th.
Read the full account →A cyclone bombed very close to the central California coast developing widespread damaging wind gusts across Mendocino and Lake counties. Heavy rain also was observed with some of the highest flows on creeks in Lake County in the last several years.
Read the full account →A cyclone bombed very close to the central California coast developing widespread damaging wind gusts across Mendocino and Lake counties. Heavy rain also was observed with some of the highest flows on creeks in Lake County in the last several years.
Read the full account →A cyclone bombed very close to the central California coast developing widespread damaging wind gusts across Mendocino and Lake counties. Heavy rain also was observed with some of the highest flows on creeks in Lake County in the last several years.
Read the full account →A cyclone bombed very close to the central California coast developing widespread damaging wind gusts across Mendocino and Lake counties. Heavy rain also was observed with some of the highest flows on creeks in Lake County in the last several years.
Read the full account →A cyclone bombed very close to the central California coast developing widespread damaging wind gusts across Mendocino and Lake counties. Heavy rain also was observed with some of the highest flows on creeks in Lake County in the last several years.
Read the full account →An upper-level low dropped down the coast on the 21st, and moved inland over Southern California the next day. This low triggered another thunderstorm outbreak, with hail up to 0.88 inch in diameter falling in eastern Kings County during the afternoon of September 22nd, and…
Read the full account →A line of strong thunderstorms formed along the Santa Ana Mountains and produced intense rainfall over the Santiago Burn area. Doppler radar estimated 1.00-1.25 inches of rainfall between 11:30 AM and Noon.
Read the full account →Continued rain, locally heavy, led to numerous urban ponding incidences within the city of Visalia. Additionally, a canal bank breached near Orosi with the excess water and runoff. Poor drainage resulted in substantial damage to homes in Visalia from flooding.
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