Tornado and Flash Flood in California, January 17 to 22, 2010

Name: Tornado and Flash Flood in California, January 17 to 22, 2010
Start: 2010-01-17T22:00
End: 2010-01-22T16:00
Location: California

January 17 to 22, 2010 · NWS HNX · 21 events in 10 counties and zones

By January 13th, the medium-range forecast models were becoming consistent in predicting a major precipitation event that would affect interior central California beginning the 17th and continuing for several days. A series of Special Weather Statements were issued to prepare emergency officials and the public on the upcoming change in the weather, followed by Winter Storm Watches for the…

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: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $2.3 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 21

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.

Global composite satellite loops on January 17th showed a series of at least 5 distinct storms stretching roughly along the 40-degree latitude line from the California coast westward across the Pacific and into northeastern China. This line of storms had similarities to the storms of January-February 1998 that brought flooding to the central and southern San Joaquin Valley, but there were some significant differences.

While both events occurred during El Ninos, the 1998 event brought warm, subtropical moisture that eroded the mountain snowpack and appreciably added to the runoff. While the event of January 2010 was similarly moisture-laden, surges of cold air kept snow levels low, and snow even fell on the Southern Sierra Nevada foothills on January 21st-22nd. In addition, the spacing between the storms in the recent event allowed for several-hour breaks between the first few storms, enabling the ground to absorb some of the moisture before the runoff from the next storm hit. This is not to say that was not some flooding in the central and southern San Joaquin Valley, but most was either due to clogged storm drains or occurred in normally flood-prone areas.

The first storm moved rapidly through central California during the afternoon and evening of January 17th. Despite its fast movement, the storm dropped around a half inch of rain over much of the central and southern San Joaquin Valley.

A stronger storm followed the next day, bringing severe weather to the central California interior. Strong winds over the Tehachapi Mountains ahead of the storm caused the first of two storm-related fatalities during the week-long event. At about 9:30 AM, winds toppled at tree near Pine Mountain Club, west of Frazier Park. The tree fell onto a house, killing the occupant. Later that day, a brief EF0 tornado the first of the year for interior central California was reported on the west side of Fresno at 3:23 PM during the afternoon of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on the 18th. There was no damage reported with this tornado. The following write-up is from the tabular January climate summary for Bakersfield and Fresno.

The January 18th Fresno tornado: Thunderstorms over the central San Joaquin Valley during the mid afternoon of January 18th spawned a brief tornado 5 miles southwest of the city of Fresno. At 1523 pst, a weather spotter reported a tornado north of Highway 180. Video of the tornado showed a rain-wrapped funnel extending from a rotating supercell, and National Weather Service doppler radar indicated a velocity couplet near the time and location of the report. The tornado was rated EF0 on the enhanced fujita scale. This tornado was the first tornado in the central and southern San Joaquin Valley since the Atwater tornado of February 9th, 2009. The last tornado in Fresno county was on May 9th, 2005, near the city of Fowler.

The third storm reached interior central California on the 19th, and an upper-level disturbance rotating around the low moved into southern California, bringing snow to the Tehachapi Mountains. Snow levels with this storm were lower than expected-down to around 4000 feet. Runoff resulted in some road flooding, and creeks in rural areas ran high. The other storm-related fatality occurred that evening, when a man drove around barriers in an attempt to cross a flooded road near the Merced County-Stanislaus County line. The road had been flooded by the Orestimba Creek, and the driver was swept away by the fast current.

Storm number 4 reached central California around midday of January 20th, and pushed across the region during the afternoon and evening hours. This storm dropped snow on the Grapevine and triggered isolated early evening thunderstorms. Also, strong winds occurred in the central valley. Bakersfield reported a wind gust around noon of 46 mph; Merced had a 48 mph sustained wind with a 61 mph wind gust around 2:00 PM that afternoon. There were numerous reports of wind damage, including downed trees and broken roof shingles, throughout the valley that week, especially on the 20th.

The last storm of the series arrived on the 21st, bringing very cold air to the region. Snow levels dropped to around 2200 feet, with snow falling in the towns of Mariposa and Oakhurst. Both the Grapevine and Tehachapi Pass were closed for several hours by the snow, hindering travel between the San Joaquin Valley and southern California. This was a very deep low pressure system, and all-time low pressure records were set in both Bakersfield and Fresno; both reported 28.94 inches of mercury. This storm also brought very strong winds to the Kern County Mountains where 10 inch diameter tree branches were downed in the Grapevine area due to winds approaching 70 mph in gusts there.

The cold pool of air moved over the area on the afternoon of January 22nd, triggering strong convective showers, one of which blanketed parts of the city of Clovis with about 2-3 inches deep of pea-size hail on the ground; a funnel cloud was reported near Clovis Ave and State Route 168 in Clovis.

By the time the last storm moved east of the region, the total rainfall amounts in the central and southern San Joaquin Valley mostly were between 1.5 and 2.5 inches, with a few locations around 3 inches. Snowfall amounts in the Southern Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountains were measured in feet, with the heaviest snowfalls reaching around 10 feet of new snow.

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 17, 8:00 PM PST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 17, 8:00 PM PST, 2 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
800 PM PST SUN JAN 17 2010

.SYNOPSIS...
A WET PATTERN IS SETTING UP THAT WILL BRING SIGNIFICANT RAIN TO THE
VALLEY AND FOOTHILLS AS WELL AS SEVERAL FEET OF SNOW TO THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS OF THE SIERRA NEVADA.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
THE FIRST STORM MOVED QUICKLY THROUGH CALIFORNIA THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
AND THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS GENERALLY WERE BETWEEN 0.33 AND 0.50 INCH.
THE RAIN HAS BEGUN TAPERING OFF FROM THE WEST AS THE COLD FRONT
MOVES THROUGH THE REGION...AND AN ADDITIONAL 0.10-0.15 INCH OF RAIN
IS LIKELY THIS EVENING. IN THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...SNOW FELL AS
LOW AS 5000 FEET AT HUME LAKE.

SATELLITE LOOPS SHOW THE NEXT STORM TO BE SPINNING UP NEAR
41N/140W...WITH THE THIRD STORM NEAR 40N/160W. STORM NUMBER 2 IS
FORECAST TO REACH CENTRAL CALIFORNIA MONDAY AFTERNOON..FOLLOWED BY
STORM NUMBER 3 ABOUT 24 HOURS LATER. THE 18Z GFS FORECASTED A STORM
QPF FOR FRESNO OF 0.90 INCH FROM THE SECOND STORM...AND 0.58 INCH
FROM THE THIRD STORM. THE 00Z NAM ONLY FORECASTS A QPF OF 0.61 INCH
FOR FRESNO FROM THE SECOND STORM...AND 0.30 INCH FOR STORM NUMBER 3.
THE NAM QPF IS A BIT SURPRISING...AS IT HAD BEEN THE WETTER OF THE
TWO MODELS IN PREVIOUS RUNS. THE 21Z RFC QPF IS MORE IN LINE WITH
THE NAM...ALTHOUGH THE 16/21Z RFC GUIDANCE MORE FAVORED THE 16/18Z
GFS.

THE CURRENT STORM NUMBER 4 IS NEAR 40N/160E...ALTHOUGH THERE IS A
WAVE NEAR 42/176E THAT COULD BECOME THE ACTUAL FOURTH STORM.

THE FRIDAY STORM CONTINUES TO LOOK THE COLDEST IN THE SERIES. THE
18Z GFS DROPS THE 500-MB 5400-METER HEIGHT LINE DOWN INTO NORTHERN
BAJA CALIFORNIA...AND THE WET-BULB ZERO LINE CONTINUES TO BE
FORECAST TO DROP BELOW 900 MB FRIDAY. THIS WOULD RESULT IN LOW SNOW
LEVELS...AROUND 3500 FEET...WITH SNOW IN THE UPPER SIERRA FOOTHILLS
AND ON THE PASSES THROUGH THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS.

WILL UPDATE THE FORECAST AS SOME LOWS HAVE ALREADY BEEN REACHED.
WILL LOWER SNOW LEVELS TONIGHT AS WELL.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 343 PM PST SUN JAN 17 2010/

DISCUSSION...RAIN BAND THAT WAS OFF THE CENTRAL CA COAST EARLIER
TODAY HAS MOVED INTO MUCH OF THE CENTRAL CA INTERIOR. SNOW HAS
BEEN REPORTED AT AN ELEVATION OF AROUND 5800 FEET IN YOSEMITE
NATIONAL PARK THIS AFTERNOON. EXPECT THIS BAND OF PRECIPITATION
TO CONTINUE OVER THE CENTRAL CA INTERIOR THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE
NEXT SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE AREA WITH MORE PRECIPITATION
DURING THE DAY MONDAY. BEHIND THIS NEXT SYSTEM H5 TEMPS ARE
EXPECTED TO FALL INTO THE MID -20S DEG CELSIUS OVER THE AREA ON
MON AFTN/EVE...THIS MEANS AN UNSTABLE AND CONVECTIVE PATTERN THAT
WILL BRING AT LEAST SOME ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE
AREA...INCLUDING THE SJ VLY. SOME COOL AIR BEHIND THE MON EVENING
SYSTEM IS LIKELY TO BRING THE SNOW LEVELS DOWN FURTHER...FROM 4000
FEET IN THE NORTHERN CWA TO AROUND 4500 FEET TOWARD THE SOUTHERN
PORTIONS. TUE COULD BE THE DRIEST DAY THIS WEEK OVER THE LOWER
ELEVATIONS...ALTHOUGH A WESTERLY FLOW IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE
BRINGING RESIDUAL MOISTURE FROM THE PREVIOUS SYSTEM OVER THE
SIERRA NEVADA.

DURING WED INTO FRI EXPECT A COUPLE OF COLDER SYSTEMS TO IMPACT
THE AREA. TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY TO COOL AT LEAST SEVERAL
DEGREES WITH SNOW LEVELS DOWN TO AROUND 4000 FEET EVEN THROUGHOUT
THE SOUTHERN CWA...THIS WOULD IMPACT THE MAJOR MOUNTAIN PASSES.

WET WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE REST OF THIS WEEK
AND INTO NEXT WEEKEND WITH BRIEF BREAKS BETWEEN EACH SUCCESSIVE
STORM SYSTEM...INCLUDING THE LAST COUPLE WHICH ARE CURRENTLY OVER
THE WESTERN PACIFIC...MOVE OVER OUR AREA.

&&

.AVIATION...
MVFR WITH LCL IFR CONDITIONS IN HEAVIER RAIN WITH CONTINUE THIS
EVENING UNTIL NEAR 06Z MONDAY. AFTERWARD...MAINLY MVFR CONDITIONS
WILL PREVAIL UNTIL THE NEXT STORM ENTERS CENTRAL CALIFORNIA MONDAY
MORNING. STRONG GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP MONDAY MORNING
ESPECIALLY OVER THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND WEST SIDE OF THE
VALLEY ALONG THE DIABLO MOUNTAINS.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
NONE.

&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST TUESDAY FOR THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS
CANYON /CAZ096-097/.

HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 6 AM TO 4 PM PST MONDAY FOR THE KERN COUNTY
MOUNTAINS /CAZ095/.

WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 4 PM MONDAY TO 4 AM PST TUESDAY FOR
THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS /CAZ095/.

WIND ADVISORY FROM 6 AM TO 4 PM PST MONDAY FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN
KERN COUNTY DESERT AND THE WEST SIDE OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
/CAZ089-091-099/.

&&

PUBLIC...SANGER
AVN/FW...MOLINA
SYNOPSIS...WP
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...PUBLIC...BSO
                      AVN/FW...MV
WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 17, 4:10 PM PST, 5 hours 50 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
410 PM PST SUN JAN 17 2010

CAZ096-097-190015-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
410 PM PST SUN JAN 17 2010

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF
THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS N EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 4
AM PST TUESDAY. SEE SFOWSWHNX...WMO HEADER WWUS46 KHNX FOR
DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING
TO 4 AM PST TUESDAY. SEE SFOWSWHNX...WMO HEADER WWUS46 KHNX FOR
DETAILS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR
UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

CAZ095-190015-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
410 PM PST SUN JAN 17 2010

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

A A HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS IS IN EFFECT
FROM 6 AM TO 4 PM PST MONDAY. SEE SFONWHNX...WMO HEADER WWUS76
KHNX FOR DETAILS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR
UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

CAZ089>091-190015-
WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
410 PM PST SUN JAN 17 2010

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

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE SOUTHWESTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT AND THE
WEST SIDE OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM
TO 4 PM PST MONDAY. SEE SFONWHNX...WMO HEADER WWUS76 KHNX FOR
DETAILS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR
UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

WP

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

The radar

The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 111 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:55 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 strong wind, 5 flood, 4 high wind, 3 winter storm, 1 tornado, 1 flash flood, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, S Sierra Mtns

When: January 17, 10:00 PM PST to January 22, 4:00 PM PST
Where: S Sierra Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet

Winter Storm, Tulare Cty Mtns

When: January 17, 10:00 PM PST to January 22, 4:00 PM PST
Where: Tulare Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet

High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns

When: January 18, 7:13 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Measured: 83 kt (96 mph) measured gust
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Strong Wind, W Central S.J. Valley

When: January 18, 10:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where: W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 43 kt (49 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Strong Wind, Sw S.J. Valley

When: January 18, 10:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where: Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 43 kt (49 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Strong Wind, E Central S.J. Valley

When: January 18, 10:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where: E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 43 kt (49 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Strong Wind, Se S.J. Valley

When: January 18, 10:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where: Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 43 kt (49 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Flood, Kern

When: January 18, 1:55 PM PST to 4:55 PM PST
Where: Kern County, (Bfl)meadows Field Ap to Stevens
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 35.430, -119.050

At 1355 PST law enforcement officials reported flooding on Union Ave at 17th St. At 1438 PST law enforcement reported flooding on Edison Highway just east of Fairfax Rd. At 1557 PST law enforcement reported 1 lane of Redrock-Randsburg Rd blocked by mud.

Tornado, Fresno

When: January 18, 3:24 PM PST to 3:30 PM PST
Where: Fresno County, 2.22 mi W of (Fch) Chandler Af to 1.14 mi W of (Fch) Chandler Af
Rating: EF0
Path length: 0.53 mi
Path width: 15 yd
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.730, -119.860

A brief EF0 tornado the first of the year for interior central California was reported on the west side of Fresno at 3:23 PM during the afternoon of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on the 18th. There was no damage reported with this tornado. The following write-up is from the tabular January climate summary for Bakersfield and Fresno.

Flash Flood, Kern

When: January 18, 3:57 PM PST to 5:57 PM PST
Where: Kern County, 0.56 mi W of Randsburg to 2 mi SE of Randsburg
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 35.370, -117.660

Red Rock Randsburg Road closed due to a heavy mudflow.

Strong Wind, E Central S.J. Valley

When: January 19, 10:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where: E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 43 kt (49 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Flood, Fresno

When: January 19, 11:03 AM PST to 8:00 PM PST
Where: Fresno County, 0.89 mi SE of Coalinga to 1.69 mi SW of Ora
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 36.140, -120.360

Law enforcement reported flooding at Highway 33 and Merced Avenue.

Winter Weather, Kern Cty Mtns

When: January 19, 12:00 PM PST to 9:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Flood, Kings

When: January 19, 2:00 PM PST to 8:00 PM PST
Where: Kings County, 5 mi SW of (Nlc)nas Lemoore to 25 mi NW of (Nlc)nas Lemoore
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 36.279, -119.993

Local highway officials reported flooding of the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 from|Hwy 269 to the Fresno County line.

Flood, Kern

When: January 19, 5:00 PM PST to 8:00 PM PST
Where: Kern County, Taft to Maricopa
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $35,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 35.130, -119.480

CHP reported flooding of Herring Rd exit on Hwy 99 and flooding of Hwy 33 From Hwy 46 to Lerdo Hwy.

Winter Storm, Kern Cty Mtns

When: January 20, 4:00 AM PST to January 22, 12:00 PM PST
Where: Kern Cty Mtns forecast zone
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter

High Wind, Sw S.J. Valley

When: January 20, 7:30 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where: Sw S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement

High Wind, E Central S.J. Valley

When: January 20, 9:30 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where: E Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $750,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement

High Wind, W Central S.J. Valley

When: January 20, 10:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where: W Central S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Strong Wind, Se S.J. Valley

When: January 20, 10:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST
Where: Se S.J. Valley forecast zone
Measured: 45 kt (52 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement

Flood, Fresno

When: January 20, 3:00 PM PST to January 21, 3:00 PM PST
Where: Fresno County, 3 mi E of Coalinga to 6 mi N of Huron
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 36.150, -120.316

Local highway officials reported flooding on Hwy 198 at Hwy 269.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
High Wind, Kern Cty Mtns	2010-01-18	21	Male	Permanent Home	Direct

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
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.
Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in California in 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history The tornado archive for California, 2010 Warnings in California, January 2010

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: 213851, 213852, 213853, 269994, 269995, 269996, 269997, 269998, 270002, 275831, 270004, 270005, 270003, 275832, 275833, 275830, 275827, 275828, 275826, 275829, 275834.