A Flash Flood Warning was issued for the Beaver Creek basin in north central Siskiyou county at 1916 PDT on 7/24/04 and expired at 2155 PST on 07/24/04. The warning was based on radar estimated precipitation rates of 3-5 inches/hour from a slow moving thunderstorm that remained over a single drainage basin.
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The episode as NWS MFR wrote it up.
A Flash Flood Warning was issued for the Beaver Creek basin in north central Siskiyou county at 1916 PDT on 7/24/04 and expired at 2155 PST on 07/24/04. The warning was based on radar estimated precipitation rates of 3-5 inches/hour from a slow moving thunderstorm that remained over a single drainage basin. Although the estimate was likely polluted by hail, the threat of flash flooding was still considered to be significant enough to warrant a warning. No verifying ground-based observations were received, so this warning was not verified.
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 Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 24, 2:00 PM PST, 5 hours 8 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR 300 PM PDT SAT JUL 24 2004 .DISCUSSION...STEEP LAPSE RATES EVIDENT ACROSS SOUTHERN AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF OUR AREA THIS AFTERNOON. MOISTURE IS LIMITED THOUGH SO THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY HAS BEEN ISOLATED THUS FAR AND LOCATED ACROSS THE VERY SOUTHEAST PORTION OF OUR ZONES. HEATING IS JUST NOW BUILDING CUMULUS ALONG THE CASCADES EASTWARD AND OVER SISKIYOU COUNTY. WITH 3 MORE HOURS OF HEATING TO GO EXPECT THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY TO BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD AND ENCOMPASS PARTS OF KLAMATH...LAKE...SISKIYOU AND MODOC COUNTIES. ACTIVITY WILL END SHORTLY AFTER DARK. UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL MOVE FURTHER EAST SUNDAY WITH THE SURFACE THERMAL TROUGH MOVING EAST OF THE CASCADES. THIS WILL INCREASE THE LOW LEVEL ONSHORE FLOW WEST OF THE CASCADES RESULTING IN COOLER TEMPERATURES AND MORE STABLE CONDITIONS. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY SHOULD BREAK OUT AGAIN SUNDAY AFTERNOON BUT BE FURTHER TO THE EAST...AFFECTING THE EASTSIDE ZONES AND MODOC COUNTY AND JUST THE EASTERN PORTION OF SISKIYOU COUNTY. A WEAK TROUGH PASSAGE SUNDAY NIGHT SHOULD MARK AN END TO THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. THE FLOW ALOFT WILL TURN LIGHT NORTHWEST RETURNING OUR AREA TO NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH MOST OF NEXT WEEK. && .MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CAPE BLANCO TO CALIFORNIA BORDER 20-60 NM. CA...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CALIFORNIA BORDER TO PT ST GEORGE 20-60 NM. && GETTMAN
The Medford radar (KMAX), 56 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:07 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
WSR-88D recorded precipitation rates of 3-5 inches/hour over the warning area. This value was likely polluted by hail, but it was thought that the precipitation rates were still signficant. The storm was slow moving and remained over the Beaver Creek basin for a long time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in California, July 2004
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: 5413220.