California, 2005

Heavy Rain in California, December 17 to 22, 2005

December 17 to 22, 2005 · NWS STO · 22 events in 22 counties and zones

A series of powerful but warm winter storms brought heavy rainfall to Northern California during a five day period. 31".

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 22 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
22

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 STO wrote it up.

A series of powerful but warm winter storms brought heavy rainfall to Northern California during a five day period. Five day rainfall totals in the Northern Mountains included: Girard 12.65", Hillcrest 9.94", Lakeshore 8.76", and Shasta Dam 7.31". In the Northern Sierra Nevada Mountains, totals included: Bucks Lake 16.68", La Porte 15.22", Gold Lake 14.68", Brush Creek 13.02", and Blue Canyon 10.57". In the Sierra Nevada Foothills: Pike Lookout 12.04", Cohasset 9.59", Paradise 7.97", and Grass Valley 6.27". In the Coastal Mountains: Soda Creek 9.81", Whispering Pines 9.24", Alder Springs 7.82", and Upper Lake 5.92". In the Sacramento and Northern San Joaquin Valleys: Vacaville 6.35", Redding 4.95", Fairfield 4.67", Oroville 4.65", Lincoln 3.68", Red Bluff 3.65", Folsom 3.50", Roseville 2.99", Sacramento 2.89", Stockton 2.11", and Modesto 1.08".

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 Sacramento, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 17, 4:00 PM PST, 5 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 17, 4:00 PM PST, 5 hours before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 17, 7:00 AM PST, 14 hours before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

22 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Colusa

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Colusa County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.178, -122.237 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Sutter

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Sutter County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.035, -121.695 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Yuba

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Yuba County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.269, -121.351 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Sacramento

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Sacramento County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.449, -121.344 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Lake

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Lake County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.100, -122.753 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Solano

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Solano County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.267, -121.940 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Yolo

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Yolo County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.687, -121.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, San Joaquin

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
San Joaquin County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
37.935, -121.271 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Stanislaus

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Stanislaus County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
37.559, -120.998 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Plumas

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Plumas County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
40.005, -120.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Sierra

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Sierra County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.580, -120.516 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Nevada

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Nevada County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.301, -120.769 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Placer

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Placer County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.063, -120.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, El Dorado

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
El Dorado County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.779, -120.525 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Alpine

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Alpine County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.597, -119.821 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Amador

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Amador County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.446, -120.651 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Calaveras

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Calaveras County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.205, -120.554 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Tuolumne

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Tuolumne County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.028, -119.955 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Shasta

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Shasta County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
40.764, -122.040 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Tehama

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Tehama County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
40.126, -122.234 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Glenn

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Glenn County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.598, -122.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Butte

When
December 17, 9:00 PM PST to December 22, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Butte County, Countywide
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.667, -121.601 (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

More

Every storm in California in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 2005

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5488427, 5488428, 5488429, 5488430, 5488483, 5488484, 5488485, 5488486, 5488487, 5488488, 5488489, 5488490, 5488491, 5488492, 5488493, 5488494, 5488495, 5488496, 5489103, 5489104, 5489105, 5489106.