From October 12th through October 14th, the first significant storm of the season moved through Southern California. The storm brought heavy rainfall and very gusty southerly winds to the area.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
From October 12th through October 14th, the first significant storm of the season moved through Southern California. The storm brought heavy rainfall and very gusty southerly winds to the area. Rainfall totals were very impressive, generally ranging between 1 and 3 inches over coastal areas to between 4 and 10 inches in the mountains. Some isolated areas received rainfall amounts over 10 inches over San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. This storm brought very strong and gusty southerly winds to the area with warning-level winds reported in many areas.
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 Oct 13, 4:30 AM PST, 8 hours 21 minutes earlier.
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</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 600 AM PDT TUE OCT 13 2009 CAZ034>041-044>046-051>054-059-087-088-547-548-141300- 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 PDT TUE OCT 13 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE... TODAY A LARGE STORM SYSTEM WILL AFFECT MUCH OF CALIFORNIA TODAY AND TONIGHT...BRINGING SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS TO ALL OF SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. THIS STORM IS EXPECTED TO TAP INTO SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE...GIVING IT THE POTENTIAL TO BRING MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN. THE BEST CHANCE FOR HEAVY RAIN WILL BE ACROSS VENTURA...SANTA BARBARA AND SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTIES...BUT MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN IS LIKELY ACROSS LOS ANGELES COUNTY AS WELL. THIS HEAVY RAINFALL MAY CREATE SIGNIFICANT HAZARDS IN AND AROUND RECENT BURN AREAS...WITH A THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING AND DEBRIS FLOWS OVER THE BURN AREAS OF SANTA BARBARA...VENTURA AND LOS ANGELES COUNTIES. RESIDENTS OF SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA...ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH PROPERTY OR INTERESTS IN AND AROUND THE RECENT BURN AREAS SHOULD STAY TUNED TO LATER FORECASTS AND EXPECTED IMPACTS FROM THIS STORM SYSTEM. STRONG SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY AND MUCH OF SANTA BARBARA COUNTY THIS MORNING...AND CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. DAMAGING WINDS GUSTS TO 60 MPH ARE LIKELY IN THERE AREAS. IN THE MOUNTAINS OF VENTURA AND LOS ANGELES COUNTIES AND THE ANTELOPE VALLEY...STRONG SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE LATE TONIGHT...WITH DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH LIKELY. ON THE SOUTH COAST OF SANTA BARBARA COUNTY...GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS NORTHWEST AND WEST OF SANTA CRUZ ISLAND...SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH WINDS OF 25 TO 35 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO 45 KNOTS ARE EXPECTED TODAY INTO TONIGHT. * HIGH WIND WARNING..........SEE WWUS76 KLOX - NPWLOX FOR DETAILS * * FLOOD WATCH................SEE WGUS66 KLOX - FFALOX FOR DETAILS * * WIND ADVISORY..............SEE WWUS76 KLOX - NPWLOX FOR DETAILS * * GALE WARNING...............SEE WHUS76 KLOX - MWWLOX FOR DETAILS * * SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT..SEE WWUS86 KLOX - SPSLOX FOR DETAILS * .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY RAIN...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL SUBSIDE STARTING IN SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY IN THE EARLY MORNING AND THEN MOVING TO L.A. COUNTY BY LATE MORNING. THE RAIN COULD REACH INTENSITIES HIGH ENOUGH TO CAUSE MUD AND DEBRIS FLOWS OVER THE RECENT BURN AREAS. * FLOOD WATCH................SEE WGUS66 KLOX - FFALOX FOR DETAILS * * SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT..SEE WWUS86 KLOX - SPSLOX FOR DETAILS * .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. KAPLAN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
An automated sensor at Vandenberg Air Force Base reported a southerly wind gust of 58 mph.
The Twisselman RAWS sensor reported southeasterly winds, gusting to 78 mph.
Strong and gusty southeast winds were reported across the mountains of Los Angeles county. The Camp Nine RAWS sensor reported a wind gust of 69 mph while the Grass Mountain RAWS sensor reported wind gusts to 67 mph.
An automated sensor near the Grapevine area (northern Ventura county) reported southerly winds gusting to 64 mph.
A CWOP station in the western section of the Cuyama Valley reported south winds sustained at 42 MPH.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in California, October 2009
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: 193879, 193880, 193877, 193874, 195617.