Flash Flood, San Diego
- When
- February 21, 10:35 AM PST to 1:35 PM PST
- Where
- San Diego County, San Diego
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 32.750, -117.100
Mudslides and flooding reported.
Flash Flood in California, February 21, 2005
1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $20,000
- 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 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 San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 21, 9:45 AM PST, 50 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 21, 9:45 AM PST, 50 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 945 AM PST MON FEB 21 2005 .SYNOPSIS...A STRONG WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO BRING PERIODS OF RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES WITH STRONG THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE AND FLOODING LIKELY. DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED LATER THIS WEEK UNDER WEAK HIGH PRESSURE. && .DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE... SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES. AT 9 AM RADAR SHOWED 60-65DBZ CELLS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 KTS. THIS LINE OF STORMS WILL BRING MORE HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING AS IT MOVES INLAND THROUGH THE MORNING. 12Z SOUNDING SHOWED A FAVORABLE SHEAR ENVIRONMENT FOR WATERSPOUTS OR BRIEF TORNADOES. STRONG THUNDERSTORM WINDS ALSO POSSIBLE ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE LINE OF CONVECTION AS IT MOVES INLAND. PWS WERE NEAR AN INCH. THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WEST OF SFO THIS MORNING WILL SLOWLY MOVE SOUTHEAST AND SETTLE OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. ATMOSPHERE WILL REMAIN SATURATED THROUGH TUESDAY WITH EMBEDDED SHORTWAVES IN THE SOUTHWEST FLOW TRIGGERING PERIODS OF HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. MINIMAL DRYING TAKES PLACE WEDNESDAY SO THE SHOWER ACTIVITY WONT BE AS WIDESPREAD...BUT MOST AREAS WILL CONTINUE TO SEE SCATTERED SHOWERS. SNOW LEVELS WERE NEAR 6200 HUNDRED FEET AT 17Z AND WILL SLOWLY LOWER THROUGH TO BETWEEN 5000 AND 5500 FEET WEDNESDAY AS COLD AIR SPREADS IN FROM THE WEST. HIGH WATER CONTENT AND SYNOPTIC SCALE LIFT COMBINED WITH STRONG OROGRAPHICS IN THE STRONG SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL RESULT IN 1 TO 3 FEET OF SNOW ABOVE 7000 FEET. THE THREAT FOR SIGNIFICANT FLOODING AND MUDSLIDES WILL CONTINUE BELOW THE SNOW LEVEL. DRIER WEATHER THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WITH WEAK RIDGING OR ZONAL TYPE FLOW FOR THE END OF THE WEEK. && .SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 3 PM...SEE LAXSPSSGX. FLOOD WATCH FOR FLASH FLOODING FOR ALL OF SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA FROM UNTIL TUESDAY EVENING... SEE LAXFFASGX. WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM TUESDAY FOR THE SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS... SEE LAXWSWSGX. WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TONIGHT TO WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS... SEE LAXWSWSGX. HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK FOR ORANGE COUNTY AND SAN DIEGO COASTAL AREAS... SEE LAXSRFSGX. POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS AND WATERSPOUTS IN THE COASTAL WATERS THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT... SEE LAXMWSSGX. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT TODAY FOR COASTAL WATERS... SEE LAXCWFSGX. && MOEDE
Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 20, 6:48 PM PST, 15 hours 47 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 648 PM PST SUN FEB 20 2005 CAZ042-043-048-050-055-056-057-058-060-061-062-211400- ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS- SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS- SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE- SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS- SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS- RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS- SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS- APPLE AND LUCERNE VALLEYS- COACHELLA VALLEY- SAN DIEGO COUNTY DESERTS- 648 PM PST SUN FEB 20 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ALL OF EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE... TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT. A STRONG STORM WILL ARRIVE LATE TONIGHT AND BRING HEAVY RAIN... STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS. LOCAL PONDING OF WATER AND ROCK AND MUD SLIDES ARE POSSIBLE IN STEEP TERRAIN. WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM TUESDAY FOR THE SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS...AND A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING...SEE LAXWSWSGX. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 PM TUESDAY FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY AND SAN DIEGO COUNTY COAST...SAN DIEGO VALLEYS...AND THE INLAND EMPIRE. SOUTH WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20 TO 30 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH GUSTS 40 TO 50 MPH...SEE LAXNPWSGX FLOOD ADVISORY FOR URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 AM FOR SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS... INCLUDING THE INLAND EMPIRE...THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY DESERTS...SEE LAXFLSSGX. FLOOD WATCH FOR FLASH FLOODING THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING...SEE LAXFFASGX. MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT FOR THE COASTAL WATERS...SEE LAXMWSSGX. GALE WARNING FOR THE COASTAL WATERS LATE TONIGHT...SEE LAXCWFSGX. LOCAL DENSE FOG IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH VISIBILITY BELOW ONE QUARTER MILE AT TIMES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED BY 10 PM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. A STRONG STORM WILL ARRIVE EARLY MONDAY AND BRING HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS. THIS STORM WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY AND MOVE OUT OF THE REGION WEDNESDAY. LOCAL PONDING OF WATER AND ROCK AND MUD SLIDES ARE POSSIBLE IN STEEP TERRAIN. WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM TUESDAY FOR THE SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS...AND A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...SEE LAXWSWSGX. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 PM TUESDAY FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY AND SAN DIEGO COUNTY COAST...SAN DIEGO VALLEYS...AND THE INLAND EMPIRE. ON MONDAY...SOUTH WINDS WILL BE 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS 40 TO 50 MPH...DECREASING MONDAY AFTERNOON TO 15 TO 25 MPH...SEE LAXNPWSGX FLOOD ADVISORY FOR URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 AM FOR SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS... INCLUDING THE INLAND EMPIRE...THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY DESERTS...SEE LAXFLSSGX. FLOOD WATCH FOR FLASH FLOODING UNTIL TUESDAY EVENING...SEE LAXFFASGX. MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT FOR THE COASTAL WATERS...SEE LAXMWSSGX. A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTAL WATERS MONDAY...SEE LAXCWFSGX. STRONG RIP CURRENTS MONDAY AND TUESDAY...SEE LAXSRFSGX. LOCAL DENSE FOG IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH VISIBILITY BELOW ONE QUARTER MILE AT TIMES THROUGH TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED MONDAY. MM/SV/JAD
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Feb 21, 8:45 AM PST, 1 hour 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT 845 AM PST MON FEB 21 2005 CAZ042-043-048-050-055>058-212300- ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS- SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS- SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE- SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS- SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS- RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS- SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS- 845 AM PST MON FEB 21 2005 ...SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR MUCH OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TODAY... A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. THE WATCH COVERS SAN DIEGO AND ORANGE COUNTIES...WESTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY...SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY...AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. AN UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL PRODUCE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND HAIL. THE THREATS FOR SEVERE WEATHER INCLUDE THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MILES PER HOUR AND HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER. CONDITIONS ARE ALSO FAVORABLE FOR WATERSPOUTS AND SMALL TORNADOS. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. MOEDE
The radar
The San Diego radar (KNKX), 20 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:35 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flood and Hail in Georgia, February 21, 2005
- Flood in California, February 21, 2005
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Alabama, February 21, 2005
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Tennessee, February 21, 2005
- Tornado in California, February 21, 2005
- Flash Flood in California, February 21, 2005
- Debris Flows and Flooding in California, February 21 to 22, 2005
- Flash Flood in California, February 21, 2005
- Flash Flood in California, February 21, 2005
- Flash Flood in California, February 21, 2005
- Winter Weather in Vermont, February 21, 2005
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, February 21, 2005
More
Every storm in California in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5441769.