Flooding in California, January 9 to 11, 2005

Name: Flooding in California, January 9 to 11, 2005
Start: 2005-01-09T14:00
End: 2005-01-11T22:00
Location: California

January 9 to 11, 2005 · NWS HNX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $3.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
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 HNX wrote it up.

Substantial rain from the 7th through the 10th resulted in widespread sheet flow and ponding of water in the Kern County portion of the Mojave Desert. Up to 100 homes were damaged by water with roadways inundated in the Rosamond area. A little farther north the Redrock-Randsburg Road was washed out along with several other roadways damaged in the vicinity. In the Tehachapi Mountains Cummings Valley Road near Bear Valley Springs and the Lockwood Valley area experienced flooding over roadways due to the heavy rain. Rainfall totals in the Kern County Desert included a 24-hour rainfall total of 2.57" in Rosamond ending the morning of the 10th with 0.75" of that total coming in a 2-hour period from 0630 to 0830 PST. Highway 14 was closed between Rosamond and Mojave due to extensive water on the roadway. Ponded and water overflowing from Bear Creek in the Merced area from heavy rainfall damaged a handful of homes on the 11th.

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 Hanford, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 9, 10:00 AM PST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 9, 10:00 AM PST, 4 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED HEADLINES
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
1000 AM PST SUN JAN 9 2005

.SHORT TERM...FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR...BANDS OF HEAVY
RAIN CONTINUE TO MOVE INTO THE FORECAST AREA AND WARMER AIR HAS
DRIVEN SNOW LEVELS TO AROUND 8000 FEET IN KERN COUNTY, AND 7000 FEET
OR ABOVE IN THE SIERRA. SNOW-MELT AND RAIN CONCERNS ABOUND IN THE
KERN MOUNTAINS WHERE PREVIOUS HEAVY SNOWS SHOULD HAVE SIGNIFICANT
MELTING IN THE WARM AIRMASS. WITH RADARS SHOWING BANDS OF RAIN
MOVING INTO THE AREA, AND OFFICIALS REPORTING SOME FLOODING
ALREADY, FLOOD WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL MOUNTAINS BELOW
7000 FEET. IN ADDITION, WINTER STORM WARNING CONTINUES ABOVE 7000
FEET. WITH WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWING ANOTHER VORTICITY CENTER
RAPIDLY LIFTING NORTHEAST TOWARD POINT CONCEPTION, EXPECT THIS TO
INCREASE RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND RATES IN THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS
THIS AFTERNOON. YET ANOTHER VORTICITY CENTER IS NOTED OUT AROUND
30/137N AND THIS SHOULD MOVE INTO THE REGION TONIGHT. SNOW LEVELS
WILL CONTINUE TO STAY HIGH FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS, THUS FLOODING
POTENTIAL AND HIGH ELEVATION HEAVY SNOW DUMP SHOULD CONTINUE.
MODELS STILL TRY AND END THIS EVENT TUESDAY NIGHT. MORE TO FOLLOW
THIS AFTERNOON.

.LONG TERM...FOR TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...UPPER TROUGH EXITS
THE REGION TUESDAY NIGHT FOR DRYING CONDITIONS. KEPT ZERO POPS ALL
AREAS DURING THIS PERIOD FOR THE TIME BEING, BUT IF PROGS DELAY THE
EASTWARD PROGRESSION OF THE SYSTEM ANY MORE, SOME PRECIP CHANCES
WILL NEED TO BE EXTENDED INTO THE EVENING HOURS ON TUESDAY.
OTHERWISE,  STRONG SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES
WILL PROVIDE OFFSHORE FLOW BY THURSDAY, REACHING ITS MAXIMUM ON
FRIDAY. THIS WILL YIELD COLD OVERNIGHT LOWS FOR THE WESTERN MOJAVE
DESERT, BUT WARMING TEMPS ALOFT WILL ALSO RESULT IN WARMER AFTERNOON
READINGS FOR MOST AREAS. THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY WILL BE A NOTABLE
EXCEPTION, WHERE A STRENGTHENING INVERSION WILL RESULT IN MORE
EXTENSIVE NIGHT AND MORNING FOG DEVELOPMENT. CONSEQUENTLY, KEPT
TEMPERATURES RELATIVELY UNCHANGED THROUGH THE PERIOD FOR VALLEY
SECTIONS.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH
     MONDAY FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA FROM YOSEMITE PARK TO THE KERN
     COUNTY LINE ABOVE 7000 FEET...
     ...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS UNTIL 9 PM PST.
     ...FLOOD WARNING FOR THE TULARE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS BELOW
        7000 FEET UNTIL 9 PM PST.
       ...FLOOD WATCH FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA BELOW 7000 FEET
          FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON UNTIL 9 PM PST.
       ...FLOOD WATCH FOR THE MARIPOSA...MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY
          FOOTHILLS UNTIL 9 PM PST.

&&

DUDLEY/BURGER

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 9, 11:25 AM PST, 2 hours 35 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
1125 AM PST SUN JAN 9 2005

CAZ093-094-096-097-101300-
MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS-TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
1125 AM PST SUN JAN 9 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SIERRA NEVADA FROM
YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON...THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND
ADJACENT FOOTHILLS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY.

A FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS OF
TULARE COUNTY BELOW 7000 FEET UNTIL 900 PM THIS EVENING. PLEASE SEE
THE LATEST FLOOD WARNING /WGUS46 KHNX/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

THERE IS ALSO A FLOOD WATCH FOR THE SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO
KINGS CANYON AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS BELOW 7000 FEET. PLEASE SEE THE
LATEST FLOOD WATCH STATEMENT /WGUS66 KHNX/ FOR FURTTHER DETAILS.

IN ADDITION A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SIERRA
NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON AND THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS
THROUGH 9 PM THIS EVENING ABOVE 7000 FEET. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST
WINTER STORM WARNING /WWUS46 KHNX/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THE WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM MONDAY. FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS
TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

CAZ095-101300-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
1125 AM PST SUN JAN 9 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER STATEMENT IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY.

A FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUTAINS THROUGH 9
PM THIS EVENING. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST FLOOD WARNING STATEMENT
/WGUS46 KHNX/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

CAZ098-099-101300-
INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
1125 AM PST SUN JAN 9 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER STATEMENT IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY DESERTS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

CAZ089>092-101300-
WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
1125 AM PST SUN JAN 9 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS THE THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN
JOAQUIN VALLEY.

.DAY ONE...TODAY.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

PJ

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 9, 10:56 AM PST, 3 hours 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CA
1056 AM PST SUN JAN 09 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1045 AM     HEAVY SNOW       GRAVEYARD MEADOW SNOTEL 37.47N 119.29W
01/09/2005  24.00 INCH       MADERA             CA   OTHER FEDERAL

            24 HOUR TOTAL ESTIMATED BY SNOTEL

1045 AM     HEAVY SNOW       TENAYA LAKE SNOTEL      37.84N 119.45W
01/09/2005  24.00 INCH       MARIPOSA           CA   OTHER FEDERAL

            24 HOUR TOTAL ESTIMATED BY SNOTEL

1045 AM     HEAVY SNOW       OSTRANDER LAKE SNOTEL   37.64N 119.55W
01/09/2005  31.00 INCH       MARIPOSA           CA   OTHER FEDERAL

            24 HOUR TOTAL ESTIMATED BY SNOTEL

1045 AM     HEAVY SNOW       KAISER POINT SNOTEL     37.30N 119.10W
01/09/2005  25.00 INCH       FRESNO             CA   OTHER FEDERAL

            24 HOUR TOTAL ESTIMATED BY SNOTEL

1045 AM     HEAVY SNOW       TUOLUMNE MEADOWS        37.87N 119.36W
01/09/2005  11.00 INCH       TUOLUMNE           CA   PARK/FOREST SRVC

            24 HOUR MEASURED TOTAL ENDING AT 7 AM.

1045 AM     HEAVY SNOW       QUAKING ASPEN SNOTEL    36.12N 118.54W
01/09/2005  30.00 INCH       TULARE             CA   OTHER FEDERAL

            24 HOUR TOTAL ESTIMATED BY SNOTEL

1045 AM     HEAVY SNOW       WET MEADOWS SNOTEL      36.35N 118.57W
01/09/2005  48.00 INCH       TULARE             CA   OTHER FEDERAL

            24 HOUR TOTAL ESTIMATED BY SNOTEL AT 8900 FEET.

&&

DUDLEY

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Se Kern Cty Desert

When: January 9, 2:00 PM PST to January 10, 3:00 PM PST
Where: Se Kern Cty Desert forecast zone
Property damage: $2.0 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.583, -121.167

Flood, Indian Wells Vly

When: January 10, 9:00 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST
Where: Indian Wells Vly forecast zone
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Flood, Kern Cty Mtns

When: January 10, 9:57 AM PST to 3:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.350, -121.950

Flood, E Central S.J. Valley

When: January 10, 3:00 PM PST to January 11, 10:00 PM PST
Where: E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

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

Every storm in California in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5438324, 5438325, 5438326, 5438327.