California, 2005

Heavy Rain in California, January 7 to 11, 2005

January 7 to 11, 2005 · NWS SGX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A storm lasting 5 days dropped heavy rain across all of southern California. Flash flooding and mudslides caused millions of dollars of damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, parks, roads and bridges.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
$130 million
Crop damage
$2.0 million
Events
4

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 SGX wrote it up.

A storm lasting 5 days dropped heavy rain across all of southern California. Flash flooding and mudslides caused millions of dollars of damage to homes, businesses, vehicles, parks, roads and bridges. Broken pipes and excessive runoff spilled millions of gallons of sewage into area lakes, rivers, and beaches. The strawberry crop sustained serious damaged and Inland Empire dairy farms were significantly impacted by the heavy rains as well. A state of emergency was declared for all 4 counties in the San Diego CWA following the storm. Storm total rainfall was 31.75 inches at Lake Arrowhead, 29.70 inches at Lytle Creek, 19.86 inches at Devore, and 15.09 inches at Palomar Mountain.

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.

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 6, 8:10 PM PST, 3 hours 50 minutes 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

4 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Orange

When
January 7, 12:00 AM PST to January 11, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Orange County, Fullerton
Property damage
$15 million
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
33.677, -117.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Riverside

When
January 7, 12:00 AM PST to January 11, 11:00 PM PST
Where
Riverside County, Corona
Property damage
$20 million
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
33.744, -115.994 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, San Bernardino

When
January 7, 12:00 AM PST to January 11, 11:00 PM PST
Where
San Bernardino County, Devore
Property damage
$70 million
Crop damage
$2.0 million
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
34.841, -116.178 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, San Diego

When
January 7, 12:00 AM PST to January 11, 11:00 PM PST
Where
San Diego County, Oceanside
Property damage
$25 million
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (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, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5436690, 5436691, 5436692, 5436693.