Heavy Rain in California, July 5, 2001

Name: Heavy Rain in California, July 5, 2001
Start: 2001-07-05T14:30
End: 2001-07-05T14:30
Location: California

July 5, 2001 · NWS REV · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Mono County Sheriffs Office reported that very heavy rain caused a rock and mud slide that closed Highway 120 near Tioga Pass for approximately 2 1/2 hours. No injuries or damage were reported.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 REV wrote it up.

Mono County Sheriffs Office reported that very heavy rain caused a rock and mud slide that closed Highway 120 near Tioga Pass for approximately 2 1/2 hours. No injuries or damage were reported.

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 Reno, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 5, 2:00 PM PST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 5, 2:00 PM PST, 30 minutes before

WESTERN NEVADA AND EASTERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
300 PM PDT THU JUL 5 2001

WATER VAPOR SATELLITE PICS SHOW VORT MAX MOVING NE THROUGH NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHWEST OREGON. THIS FEATURE HAS BROUGHT A LITTLE
DRIER AND MORE STABLE SOUTHWEST FLOW TO NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA AND FAR
NORTHWEST NEVADA. FAIRLY ACTIVE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM INYO AND
MONO COUNTY NE THROUGH WESTERN NEVADA IN AREA OF CONVERGENCE AHEAD
OF WEAK SOUTHWEST FLOW. HOWEVER...DYNAMICS WITH THESE FEATURES WEAK
AND EXPECT STORMS WILL WEAKEN THIS EVENING WITH END OF DAYTIME
HEATING...MUCH LIKE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. QUESTION FOR FRIDAY IS HOW
LONG WILL NORTHERN ZONES REMAIN ON THE DRY AND STABLE SIDE AS WEAK
TROUGH OFF PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST MOVES INLAND TONIGHT AND FRIDAY.
12Z MODELS FORECAST RETURN TO MOIST AND UNSTABLE SOUTHERLY FLOW
TOMORROW ALL ZONES...WHILE NEW 18Z MESOETA KEEPS FLOW A LITTLE MORE
SOUTHWESTERLY FROM TAHOE-RENO NORTHWARD. FOR NOW WILL KEEP BEST
CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY AFTERNOON SOUTH OF RENO AND LAKE
TAHOE. FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MAY PROVE INTERESTING AS COPIOUS
MOISTURE NOW OVER SOUTHERN ARIZONA AND NORTHERN BAJA FORECAST TO
ADVECT NORTHWARD INTO THIS REGION WHILE UPPER LOW NOW OVER CENTRAL
BAJA ALSO MOVES NORTH. LIFTING ON NE SIDE OF UPPER LOW SHOULD
PRODUCE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AREA FRIDAY NIGHT AND
SATURDAY SOMEWHAT INDEPENDENT OF INSOLATION. WILL GO ABOVE MODEL
GUIDANCE FOR POPS. MAY GET A LITTLE DRYING ONCE AGAIN IN EXTENDED
PERIOD AS FLOW FORECAST TO BECOME A LITTLE MORE SOUTHWESTERLY. WILL
KEEP SOME MENTION OF THUNDERSTORMS MOST ZONES THROUGH MOST OF
EXTENDED PEQRIOD...BUT GUIDANCE POINTS TO BEST CHANCE FROM MONO
COUNTY NE THROUGH ZONE 4. LAMONI

.REV...NONE

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Mono

When: July 5, 2:30 PM PST
Where: Mono forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.939, -118.887 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in California, July 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: 5261888.