A powerful early-season storm brought significant shower activity to Southern California. In some areas, these showers were intense enough to produce flash flooding and mud flows near some recent burn areas, including the Tea Fire and Barham Fire.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS LOX wrote it up.
A powerful early-season storm brought significant shower activity to Southern California. In some areas, these showers were intense enough to produce flash flooding and mud flows near some recent burn areas, including the Tea Fire and Barham Fire.
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 Los Angeles, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 26, 3:20 PM PST, 25 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 320 PM PST WED NOV 26 2008 UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY)...12Z MODELS ARE IN PRETTY GOOD SYNOPTIC AGREEMENT THROUGH THE PERIOD. THE UPPER LOW CURRENTLY SOUTHWEST OF POINT CONCEPTION WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EASTWARD TONIGHT AND THURSDAY...FINALLY MOVING EAST OF THE AREA BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. FOR THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...MODELS BUILD A UPPER RIDGE JUST OFF THE CALIFORNIA COAST. NEAR THE SURFACE...ONSHORE FLOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THANKSGIVING...THEN GRADUALLY TURN OFFSHORE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. FORECAST WISE...WITH THE UPPER LOW MOVING EAST ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT...SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO BE A THREAT. IN FACT...BOTH MODELS INDICATE SOME SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE LIFTED INDICES ACROSS VTU/LAX COUNTIES TONIGHT. SHOWERS WILL BE LIKELY MOST AREAS OVERNIGHT...WITH THE SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. BY LATE THURSDAY MORNING...THE SHOWER THREAT SHOULD BE LIMITED TO THE VTU/LAX MOUNTAINS WITH PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. WITH THE CONTINUED SHOWER THREAT...WILL KEEP THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR BURN AREAS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING. DEPENDING HOW THINGS DEVELOP... THE WATCH MAY HAVE TO BE EXTENDED INTO THURSDAY MORNING. HIGHS ON THURSDAY WILL REMAIN WELL BELOW NORMAL FOR ALL AREAS. FOR THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...DRY CONDITIONS WITH A WARMING TREND CAN BE EXPECTED AS THE UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE DEVELOPS AND THE OFFSHORE FLOW INCREASES. AT THIS TIME...THE UPPER SUPPORT FOR THE OFFSHORE WINDS IS ONLY MODERATE AT BEST. THEREFORE...WILL EXPECT WEAK NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS THROUGH/BELOW PASSES AND CANYONS THAT SHOULD REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS. .LONG TERM (SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY)...OVERALL...NOTHING TOO DRAMATIC IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST. FOR SUNDAY/MONDAY...UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE WILL MOVE OVER CALIFORNIA WITH CONTINUED OFFSHORE FLOW. AT THIS TIME...THE UPPER-LEVEL SUPPORT FOR THE OFFSHORE WINDS WILL PEAK ON SUNDAY. SO...THERE MAY BE ADVISORY LEVEL WINDS ACROSS THE MOUNTAIN AND FOOTHILL AREAS. WITH THE RIDGE OVERHEAD AND STRONGER OFFSHORE FLOW TEMPS SHOULD PEAK ON SUNDAY/MONDAY. AT THIS TIME...WILL GO WITH TEMPS IN THE 70S TO LOWER 80S WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS WHICH IS A FEW DEGREES ABOVE CURRENT MEX MOS NUMBERS. FOR TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY...THE UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE BREAKS DOWN AND WEAK ONSHORE FLOW BEGINS TO DEVELOP. SO...WILL EXPECT CONTINUED CLEAR SKIES ACROSS THE AREA WITH A FEW DEGREES OF COOLING ACROSS THE AREA. && .AVIATION...26/2320Z. MOST AIRPORTS WILL SEE MVFR/VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH TONIGHT...WITH BKN-OVC CIGS AND -SHRA. SHOWERS WILL BE PERIODIC AND WILL BECOME FOCUSED OVER LA/VTU/ AND SRN SBA COUNTIES. THE THREAT OF TSRA REMAINS THROUGH AT LEAST THIS EVENING...BUT MOSTLY TO THE SOUTH. THE HEAVIER SHOWERS AND/OR THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE SOME IFR CONDITIONS WITH CIGS NEAR 015 AND VIS UNDER 3SM...BUT WILL BE BRIEF. THINGS SHOULD IMPROVE THU MORNING...BUT LOW CONFIDENCE ON EXACT TIMING. KLAX...VFR CATS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF TONIGHT...BUT WITH CIGS ABOVE 040 AND VIS NEAR 6SM. RAIN WILL ALSO CONTINUE AS PERIODIC SHOWERS WITH THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE. MVFR CATS ARE EXPECTED UNDER SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS...WITH BRIEF IFR POSSIBLE. WINDS WILL BECOME EAST OVERNIGHT...BUT NOT EXPECTED TO BE ABOVE 10 KT FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. KBUR...MVFR CATS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF TONIGHT. RAIN WILL ALSO CONTINUE AS PERIODIC SHOWERS WITH THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE. IFR CATS ARE EXPECTED UNDER HEAVIER SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS. && .LOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLOOD WATCH (SEE LAXFFALOX). MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT (SEE LAXMWSLOX). && PUBLIC...THOMPSON AVIATION...KITTELL WWW.WEATHER.GOV/LOSANGELES
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 600 AM PST WED NOV 26 2008 CAZ034>041-044>046-051>054-059-087-088-547-548-271400- SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY CENTRAL COAST- SANTA BARBARA COUNTY CENTRAL COAST-SANTA YNEZ VALLEY- SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY INTERIOR VALLEYS-CUYAMA VALLEY- SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SOUTH COAST-VENTURA COUNTY COAST- LOS ANGELES COUNTY COAST INCLUDING DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES- VENTURA COUNTY INTERIOR VALLEYS-VENTURA COUNTY COASTAL VALLEYS- SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS RECREATIONAL AREA- SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY MOUNTAINS- SANTA BARBARA COUNTY MOUNTAINS-VENTURA COUNTY MOUNTAINS- LOS ANGELES COUNTY MOUNTAINS EXCLUDING THE SANTA MONICA RANGE- ANTELOPE VALLEY-CATALINA ISLAND-SANTA CLARITA VALLEY- LOS ANGELES COUNTY SAN FERNANDO VALLEY- LOS ANGELES COUNTY SAN GABRIEL VALLEY- 600 AM PST WED NOV 26 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE... TODAY PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN WILL BRING HAZARDOUS WET ROADWAY CONDITIONS TO THE AREA AND ALSO CREATE THE POTENTIAL FOR DEBRIS FLOWS IN THE BURN AREAS. THESE STORM CONDITIONS WILL POSE HAZARDS TO BOATERS AS WELL. PERIODS OF RAIN AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA TODAY BRINGING THE POTENTIAL FOR FLASH FLOODS ACROSS THE RECENT BURN AREAS THROUGH THIS EVENING. * FLOOD WATCH................SEE WGUS66 KLOX - FFALOX FOR DETAILS * * MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT...SEE FZUS76 KLOX - MWSLOX FOR DETAILS * .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SOME LINGERING SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA EARLY THANKSGIVING MORNING...ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS. GUSTY OFFSHORE WINDS WILL INCREASE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY ACROSS THE USUAL WIND PRONE LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA COUNTY MOUNTAIN AND VALLEY PASSES AND CANYONS. AT THIS TIME NOT EXPECTING A SIGNIFICANT SANTA ANA EVENT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. KAPLAN
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OXNARD CA
1047 AM PST WED NOV 26 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1027 PM FLASH FLOOD 3 NE SANTA BARBARA 34.46N 119.68W
11/25/2008 SANTA BARBARA CA COUNTY OFFICIAL
LARGE ROCKS AND MUD ON PARTS OF HIGHWAY 192 AND MOUNTAIN
DRIVE FROM THE TEA BURN AREA IN THE VICINITY OF WESTMONT
COLLEGE
&&
MJThe Santa Ana Mts radar (KSOX), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:46 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain showers, in excess of one half inch per hour, fell across the Barham Fire burn area. The heavy showers produced flash flooding and mud flows along Forest Lawn Drive where over 1 foot of water and mud was reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in California, November 2008
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: 141559.