Alert archive / California / Flash Flood Warnings in 2004

Flash Flood Warning 7, NWS Los Angeles, CA

February 26, 2004Ventura County, California

NWS Los Angeles, CA issued this flash flood warning at Feb 26, 2004, 12:30 AM PST for Ventura County, California. It was in force for 4 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Feb 26, 2004, 12:30 AM PST (08:30 UTC)
Expired: Feb 26, 2004, 4:00 AM PST
In force: 4 hr
Issued by: NWS Los Angeles, CA
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Ventura County, CA

The radar

The Los Angeles radar (KVTX), 26 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:32 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this flash flood warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WGUS56 KLOX 260829
FFWLOX
CAC111-261200-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
1230 AM PST THU FEB 26 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OXNARD HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING EXTENDED FOR...
  THE BURN AREAS OF VENTURA COUNTY NEAR FILLMORE...MOORPARK...AND
  SIMI VALLEY IN SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA

* UNTIL 400 AM PST

* AT 1220 AM PST...SULPHUR MOUNTAIN DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW
  HEAVY RAIN OVER AND TO THE SOUTH OF VENTURA COUNTY...MOVING 
  NORTHEAST. MUD AND DEBRIS FLOWS HAVE BEEN REPORTED EARLIER THIS 
  EVENING IN SIMI VALLEY...NORTH OF HIGHWAY 118 NEAR YOSEMITE AVENUE.
  MUD AND DEBRIS FLOWS HAVE ALSO BEEN REPORTED IN THE HAPPY CAMP AREA
  OF MOORPARK...AND ALONG GRIMES CANYON ROAD BETWEEN SIMI VALLEY AND
  FILLMORE. AS OF MIDNIGHT...TWO TO FOUR INCHES OF RAIN HAVE ALREADY 
  FALLEN ACROSS THE BURN AREA. WITH CURRENT HOURLY RAINFALL RATES OF 
  ONE THIRD TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH PER HOUR...ADDITIONAL FLASH
  FLOODING WILL BE LIKELY THROUGH 4 AM.

* LOCATIONS LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE FLASH FLOODING INCLUDE FILLMORE...  
  MOORPARK...PIRU...SANTA PAULA...AND SIMI VALLEY.

THE GROUND IS ALREADY AT OR NEAR SATURATION IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
MUDSLIDES COULD BECOME A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THIS STORM. PERSONS
LIVING IN OR ADJACENT TO STEEP TERRAIN SHOULD STAY ALERT FOR ANY LAND
MOVEMENT. 

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF CREEKS
AND STREAMS...ROADS AND ROADSIDE CULVERTS. THE HEAVY RAINS COULD ALSO
TRIGGER ROCK AND MUDSLIDES IN STEEP TERRAIN. 

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS 
IMMINENT. FOLLOW DIRECTIONS OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS OFFICIALS AND 
EVACUATE IF REQUESTED TO DO SO. PERSONS IN THE WARNING AREA SHOULD 
BE PREPARED TO MOVE IMMEDIATELY...WITHOUT WAITING FOR 
INSTRUCTIONS...IF HEAVY FLOWS OF WATER OR DEBRIS ARE OBSERVED IN 
THEIR AREA.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY 
RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN 
OXNARD.

LAT...LON 3459 11878 3427 11864 3424 11918 3454 11912

$$

GOMBERG/ASR

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 25, 5:38 PM PST, 6 hours 52 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
538 PM PST WED FEB 25 2004

CAZ034>041-044>047-051>054-059-087-088-261400-
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY CENTRAL COAST-
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY CENTRAL COAST-SANTA YNEZ VALLEY-
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY INTERIOR VALLEYS-CUYAMA VALLEY-
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SOUTH COAST-VENTURA COUNTY COAST-
LOS ANGELES COUNTY COAST INCLUDING DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES-
VENTURA COUNTY INTERIOR VALLEYS-VENTURA COUNTY COASTAL VALLEYS-
SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS RECREATIONAL AREA-
LOS ANGELES COUNTY VALLEYS-SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY MOUNTAINS-VENTURA COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
LOS ANGELES COUNTY MOUNTAINS EXCLUDING THE SANTA MONICA RANGE-
ANTELOPE VALLEY-CATALINA ISLAND-SANTA CLARITA VALLEY-
538 PM PST WED FEB 25 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA.

.DAY ONE... TONIGHT

A POWERFUL WINTER STORM WILL BRING HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG WINDS TO
SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS TODAY AND
TONIGHT. FLOOD WATCHES ARE IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHWESTERN
CALIFORNIA INCLUDING THE BURN AREAS. A HIGH WIND WARNING AND WIND
ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE AREA NORTH OF SANTA BARBARA
AS STRONG SOUTH WINDS CONTINUE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. A WINTER
STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE MOUNTAINS WHERE HEAVY SNOW IS
EXPECTED AT THE HIGH ELEVATIONS TONIGHT. VERY LARGE WESTERLY SWELL
WILL SPREAD INTO THE COASTAL WATERS TONIGHT...THEREFORE COASTAL
FLOOD WATCHES AND HIGH SURF ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT.

* WINTER STORM WARNING.......SEE WWUS46 KLOX - WSWLOX FOR DETAILS *

* HIGH WIND WARNING..........SEE WWUS76 KLOX - NPWLOX FOR DETAILS *

* FLOOD WATCH................SEE WGUS66 KLOX - FFALOX FOR DETAILS *

* COASTAL FLOOD WATCH........SEE WHUS46 KLOX - CFWLOX FOR DETAILS *

* WIND ADVISORY..............SEE WWUS76 KLOX - NPWLOX FOR DETAILS *

* GALE WARNING...............SEE FZUS56 KLOX - CWFLOX FOR DETAILS *

* HIGH SURF ADVISORY.........SEE FZUS76 KLOX - MWSLOX FOR DETAILS *

* HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK......SEE FZUS56 KLOX - SRFLOX FOR DETAILS *

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THE WINTER STORM WILL GRADUALLY EXIT THE REGION ON THURSDAY AND
FRIDAY. HEAVY SNOW AT TIMES IN THE MOUNTAINS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
FRIDAY. HEAVY RAIN OR LINGERING FLOOD WATER WILL CONTINUE THURSDAY
MORNING FOR NORTHERN AREAS AND INTO THE AFTERNOON THURSDAY FOR
SOUTHERN AREAS. LARGE SWELLS WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE COASTAL
WATERS AND BEACH AREAS WITH THE THREAT OF HIGH SURF AND POSSIBLE
COASTAL FLOODING. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE ACROSS THE REGION BY LATE
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.

* WINTER STORM WARNING.......SEE WWUS46 KLOX - WSWLOX FOR DETAILS *

* FLOOD WATCH................SEE WGUS66 KLOX - FFALOX FOR DETAILS *

* COASTAL FLOOD WATCH........SEE WHUS46 KLOX - CFWLOX FOR DETAILS *

* HIGH SURF ADVISORY.........SEE FZUS76 KLOX - MWSLOX FOR DETAILS *

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

MOYER

In the hours before

Local storm report, Feb 25, 7:34 PM PST, 4 hours 56 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
734 PM PST WED FEB 25 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0620 PM     FLASH FLOOD      4 S FILLMORE            34.34N 118.92W
02/25/2004                   VENTURA            CA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            MUDSLIDE SIMI VALLEY BURN AREA. CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL
            REPORTS MUDSLIDE COVERING BOTH LANES OF GRIMES CANYON
            HIGHWAY BETWEEN FILLMORE AND SIMI VALLEY.

&&

DANIELSON

The office that day

Everything else NWS Los Angeles, CA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Feb 25, 4:05 PM PST	Flash Flood Warning	LOX	Ventura	115 min
Feb 25, 6:00 PM PST	Flash Flood Warning	LOX	Ventura	3 hr
Feb 25, 9:00 PM PST	Flash Flood Warning	LOX	Ventura	4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in California, 2004 Every flash flood warning in 2004

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.