California, 2002

Flooding in California, December 16, 2002

December 16, 2002 · NWS EKA · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

High astronomic tides combined with large swell to cause minor coastal flooding.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 EKA wrote it up.

High astronomic tides combined with large swell to cause minor coastal flooding.

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 Eureka, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 16, 5:37 AM PST, 1 hour 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 16, 5:37 AM PST, 1 hour 23 minutes before
NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CA
400 AM PST MON DEC 16 2002

CORRECTED WARNING/ADVISORY SUMMARY BELOW

THIS IS LATE...AND WILL BE SHORT DUE TO MUCH GOING ON. STRONG COLD
FRONT MOVING ONSHORE...AND STRONG WIND GUSTS CONTINUING NEAR THE
COAST. GRADIENT SHOULD RELAX AS FRONT COMES THROUGH...SO HAVE GONE
WITH WIND ADVISORY SAME AREAS AS PREVIOUS HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THIS
MORNING. WITH PRECIPITATION REGIME TRANSITIONING TO SHOWERS BEHIND
THE FRONT...AND COLDER AIR MOVING IN...WILL ALSO ISSUE SNOW ADVISORY
TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY FOR UPPER TRINITY RIVER ABOVE 3000 FEET.
FOR NOW...HEAVY RAINS CONTINUING IN SOME AREAS...AND BASED ON A CALL
FROM TRINITY COUNTY ON STREAMS RUNNING HIGH...HAVE ALSO ISSUED FLOOD
ADVISORY FOR SMALL STREAMS THERE. NEW FLOOD WARNING OUT TOO...TO
INCLUDE EEL RIVER AT FERNBRIDGE.

POPS CEC +98 ACV/EKA +88 UKI +76

LORENS

.EKA...GALE WARNING PT ST GEORGE TO PT ARENA 0 TO 60 NM...
    ...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE EEL RIVER AT FERNBRIDGE TODAY...
    ...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE VAN DUEZEN RIVER AT GRIZZLY CREEK STATE
PARK TODAY...
    ...COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY CAZ001-002 TODAY...
    ...FLOOD WARNINGFOR THE NAVARRO RIVER AT NAVARRO TODAY...
    ...FLOOD ADVISORY FOR THE RUSSIAN RIVER AT HOPLAND TODAY...
    ...FLOOD ADVISORY FOR SMALL STREAMS CAZ004...
    ...WIND ADVISORY FOR CAZ001>003 THIS MORNING...
    ...SNOW ADVISORY CAZ004 TONIGHT...
Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 16, 5:00 AM PST, 2 hours before
CAZ001>004-076-171300-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CA
500 AM PST MON DEC 16 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE REDWOOD AND MENDOCINO
COASTS...AND THE NORTH COAST INTERIOR THIS MORNING. SEE SFONPWEKA
FOR DETAILS.

A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE REDWOOD COAST AND
MENDOCINO COAST AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS...SEE SFOMWSEKA FOR
DETAILS.

A SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE UPPER TRINITY RIVER
TONIGHT. SEE SFOWSWEKA FOR DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

.THE HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR THE REDWOOD AND MENDOCINO COASTS
CONTINUES IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY...AND THE SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE
UPPER TRINITY RIVER CONTINUES IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY. A SERIES OF
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST ACROSS THE
PACIFIC...ALONG A VERY STRONG WEST TO EAST JET STREAM. SNOW LEVELS
WILL GRADUALLY DROP TO AROUND 3000 FEET BY TUESDAY.

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

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Mendocino Coast

When
December 16, 7:00 AM PST to 11:00 AM PST
Where
Mendocino Coast forecast zone
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE

Flood, Redwood Coast

When
December 16, 7:00 AM PST to 11:00 AM PST
Where
Redwood Coast forecast zone
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC

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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2002

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: 5326882, 5326883.