Flash Flood in California, May 6 to 8, 2005

Name: Flash Flood in California, May 6 to 8, 2005
Start: 2005-05-06T15:11
End: 2005-05-08T13:20
Location: California

May 6 to 8, 2005 · NWS MFR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Based on the above report, a small stream flood advisory was issued at 06/1535 PDT, effective until 07/0900 PDT. However, the advisory was cancelled at 07/0435 PDT.

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: None recorded
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 happened

The episode as NWS MFR wrote it up.

Based on the above report, a small stream flood advisory was issued at 06/1535 PDT, effective until 07/0900 PDT. However, the advisory was cancelled at 07/0435 PDT. It was reissued at 07/1135 PDT, effective until 08/0500 PDT, when county officials indicated the problem was ongoing. This advisory was extended to 08/1200 PDT at 08/0200 PDT, and extended again to 09/1200 PDT at 08/1015 PDT. It was cancelled at 08/1320 PDT when county officials indicated that flood waters had subsided. However, main stem flooding later occurred on the Pit River, into which these two creeks drain.

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 Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 6, 12:30 PM PST, 2 hours 41 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 12:30 PM PST, 2 hours 41 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
130 PM PDT FRI MAY 6 2005

.DISCUSSION...12Z NGM/NAM/GFS IN.

STILL SOME LIGHT SHOWERS OUT THERE...WITH REPORTED PRECIPITATION
RATES 0.02 INCHES/HOUR OR LESS.  A SHORT WAVE RIDGE NOW BUILDING OVER
THE AREA WILL SUPPRESS ANY WIDESPREAD OUTBREAKS HOWEVER.

THE RIDGE WILL MOVE INLAND TONIGHT AND FLOW ALOFT WILL BECOME
SOUTHWESTERLY AS A LOW MOVES TO NEAR 47N 135W.  AS THIS LOW MOVES
INTO PLACE IT WILL FORM THE SOUTHERN END OF A REX BLOCK WITH THE
HIGH OVER ALASKA.  THE LOW WILL PUSH A FRONT ONSHORE SATURDAY NIGHT
WHICH WILL STALL OVER THE MEDFORD CWA AS THE BLOCK DEVELOPS.

THE PATTERN WILL STAGNATE SUNDAY DUE TO THE BLOCK AND THE FRONT WILL
BE SLOW TO EXIT THE AREA.  THE NEW MODEL RUNS ARE A MORE PROGRESSIVE
WITH THE LOW THAN BEFORE...THINK THAT THEY MAY BE A BIT TOO QUICK
IN MOVING THE LOW OUT.  THEREFORE FAVOR THE LEAST PROGRESSIVE
MODEL TODAY...WHICH IS THE GFS.  EVEN IF THE NAM VERIFIES THE LOW
WILL BE EITHER OFFSHORE OR OVER THE MEDFORD CWA THROUGH MONDAY...
AND THE GFS KEEPS IT AROUND THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT.  SO EXPECT
UNSETTLED WEATHER SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT.

AT THIS POINT IT APPEARS THAT THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION WILL OCCUR
SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY ALONG THE COAST DUE TO THE FRONT AND
POST-FRONTAL SHOWERS...AND SUNDAY OVER SISKIYOU COUNTY AS MODERATE
SOUTHERLY LOW-LEVEL FLOW DEVELOPS OVER THE AREA.

.EXTENDED...UPPER LOW WILL GRADUALLY MOVE EAST INTO THE GREAT BASIN
TUESDAY. WEAK RIDGING DEVELOPS OVER THE AREA WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY
FOR TEMPORARY DRYING. ON FRIDAY THE RIDGE BEGINS TO SHIFT EAST.
CLOUDS WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE AS SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT DEVELOPS
ACROSS THE REGION.

STOCKTON/HOLTZ

&&

.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...NONE.
CA...NONE.

&&

ALSO VISIT THE NWS ON THE WEB AT WEATHER.GOV/MEDFORD

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 6, 2:15 PM PST, 56 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
315 PM PDT FRI MAY 06 2005

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

0311 PM     FLASH FLOOD      17 NE ALTURAS           41.67N 120.31W
05/06/2005                   MODOC              CA   NWS EMPLOYEE

            9 HOUSES FLOODED ON THOMS CREEK.

&&

GERIG

The radar

The Medford radar (KMAX), 193 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:13 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Modoc

When: May 6, 3:11 PM PST to May 8, 1:20 PM PST
Where: Modoc County, Alturas
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 41.483, -120.533

County officials reported that flash flooding was occurring along Thom's Creek and Joseph Creek on the west slopes of the Warner Mountains just below Cedar Pass. As best as can be determined, heavy showers dropped about 2 inches of rain over the Warners in the preceding few days, and this combined with snow melt due to high freezing levels led to high flows on these creeks. Nine homes were isolated by the flood waters, but no damage, deaths, or injuries were reported.

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

Every storm in California in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in California, May 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: 5446644.