California, 2001

Flooding in California, January 10 to 11, 2001

January 10 to 11, 2001 · NWS HNX · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

Substantial rainfall on the 10th of the month (with snow in the mountains) led to stream runoff and water ponding problems in a variety of locations in Interior Central California. Yosemite dispatch reported some minor flooding on Yosemite Valley floor.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.

Substantial rainfall on the 10th of the month (with snow in the mountains) led to stream runoff and water ponding problems in a variety of locations in Interior Central California. Yosemite dispatch reported some minor flooding on Yosemite Valley floor. Sequoia National Park likewise reported minor flooding problems and a few mudslides accompanying heavy rain. On the South San Joaquin Valley floor some mud was spread over State Highway 99 at Pixley and State Highway 166 west of Mettler typically had flooding over the roadway.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Hanford, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 10, 9:30 PM PST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 10, 9:30 PM PST, 30 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
930 PM PST WED JAN 10 2001

POTENT WINTER STORM ONGOING...FRONTAL BAND IS MAKING SLOWER BUT
STEADY PROGRESS THRU INTERIOR CNTRL CA THIS EVENING UNDER A REGION
OF STRONG UPPER DIFFLUENCE AND UVV AS INDICATED BY ETA. AT 05Z BAND
OF HEAVIEST RAFL CONTINUES TO MOVE ACROSS SIERRA FOOTHILLS AND HIER
ELEVATIONS. RECENT RADAR INDICATES A BACK EDGE TO BROAD BAND OF MDT
TO LCL HVY RAFL APPROACHING OAKHURST...FRESNO...HANFORD. EXPECT
HEAVIEST ACTIVITY TO GRDLY WIND DOWN IN SAN JOAQUIN VLLY DURING REST
OF THIS EVENING AS THIS BAND SHIFTS FURTHER INTO MTNS. PRES GRADS
HAVE TRENDED DOWN AND WINDS HAVE GENERALLY DECREASED SINCE LATE AFTN
THUS ALLOWING WIND ADVISORY FOR CNTRL VLLY ZN89-90 TO EXPIRE ON
SCHED. RAINFALL REPORTS IN FOOTHILLS OF 1-2 INCHES HAVE RAISED
ENOUGH CONCERN TO HOIST SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY FOR REST OF
TONIGHT WITH ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN...ESPECIALLY THRU MIDNITE OR SO.
OTHERWISE CURRENT ZN PACKAGE IN EXCELLENT SHAPE. WSW ON TRACK WITH
VERY IMPRESSIVE SNOW AMOUNTS OF 1-2 FEET OR HIER EXPECTED FOR HIER
ELEVATIONS ABV 5K AND INFLUENCE OF EXCELLENT UPSLOPE FACTORS.

.HNX...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY FOR THE
       SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA AND TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS.
    ...SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY TONIGHT FOR THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS
       FROM MARIPOSA COUNTY SOUTH TO THE KERN COUNTY LINE.

LAVIS

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Mariposa

When
January 10, 10:00 PM PST to January 11, 7:00 AM PST
Where
Mariposa County, Yosemite Natl Park
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates
37.582, -119.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Tulare

When
January 11, 12:00 AM PST to 9:00 AM PST
Where
Tulare County, Sequoia National Par
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates
36.220, -118.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Kern

When
January 11, 1:55 AM PST to 10:00 AM PST
Where
Kern County, 14 mi W of Mettler
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
35.343, -118.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Tulare

When
January 11, 1:55 AM PST to 10:00 AM PST
Where
Tulare County, Pixley
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
36.220, -118.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5230131, 5230132, 5230133, 5230134.