Strong high pressure aloft was centered over the four corners area of the southwest, which resulted in monsoonal flow into the region from the 4th through the 8th. Precipitable water values around two inches supported heavy rainfall from thunderstorms in the mountains and deserts.
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 SGX wrote it up.
Strong high pressure aloft was centered over the four corners area of the southwest, which resulted in monsoonal flow into the region from the 4th through the 8th. Precipitable water values around two inches supported heavy rainfall from thunderstorms in the mountains and deserts. The most intense thunderstorms occurred on the 6th, when a few severe storms roamed the Inland Empire with strong winds and hail. Flash flooding was observed near Wrightwood and Phelan, while the Whitewater River north of Whitewater experienced a rapid rise in flow.
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 San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 5, 8:05 AM PST, 3 hours 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 905 AM PDT TUE JUL 5 2011 .SYNOPSIS... TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY...PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY AT TIMES AND HUMID...WITH TEMPERATURES NEAR SEASONAL AVERAGES IN THE DESERTS AND ABOVE SEASONAL AVERAGES IN MOST OTHER AREAS. THERE WILL ALSO BE A CHANCE OF AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS...ALTHOUGH A FEW SHOWERS COULD DRIFT WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS. A COOLING TREND BEGINS ON FRIDAY AND CONTINUES INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH A RETURN OF MARINE LAYER CLOUDS TO THE COASTAL AREAS DURING THE NIGHTS AND MORNINGS. && .DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE... SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES... THE MORNING SOUNDING FROM NKX SHOWS A VERY MOIST ATMOSPHERE UP TO 400 MB WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER OF ABOUT 2 INCHES. SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS THE MARINE LAYER CLOUDS OFF THE COAST BYOND 30 MILES. IT ALSO SHOWS EXTENSIVE CLOUDS AT ALL LEVELS MOVING NORTHWARD OVER SOCAL FROM THE SUB-TROPICS. WITH THIS MUCH AVAILABLE MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY...WE CAN EXPECT SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY TSTMS THIS AFTERNOON IN THE MTNS AND DESERTS. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT CONVECTION CAN DEVELOP ALONG LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE ZONES WEST OF THE MTNS AS THE SEA BREEZE PUSHES INLAND IN THE AFTERNOON. THE PRESENCE OF SO MUCH MID AND HIGH CLOUDS THIS MORNING COULD DELAY THE HEATING OVER THE MTNS AND THE ONSET OF THERMALLY DRIVEN CONVECTION. THE UPPER LEVEL HIGH OVER THE FOUR CORNERS REGION WILL CONTINUE TO BRING SUB-TROPICAL MOISTURE TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS FOR A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS IN THE AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS. ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP COULD PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND HEAVY RAIN. ISOLATED FLASH FLOODING IS ALSO A POSSIBILITY AND THE BEST CHANCE OF LOCAL FLOODING ASSOCIATED WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DURING THIS PERIOD WILL BE TODAY...MAINLY OVER THE MTNS AND DESERTS...DUE TO THE HIGH MOISTURE LEVELS THROUGHOUT A DEEP LAYER. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AFTERNOONS OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS...ALTHOUGH MODELS INDICATE THAT THEY WILL LIKELY PRODUCE LESS PRECIP BUT STRONGER WIND GUSTS AS MOISTURE DECREASES IN THE LOWER LEVELS. OTHERWISE...CONTINUED WARM WEATHER WITH PERIODS OF MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS. THE MARINE LAYER WILL REMAIN SHALLOW WITH PATCHY NIGHT AND MORNING LOW CLOUDS AND FOG CONFINED TO THE IMMEDIATE COAST. THE PATTERN CHANGES ON FRIDAY AS A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE BEGINS TO DEEPEN ALONG THE WEST COAST. THE TROUGH WILL REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH AT LEAST EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL PUSH THE MONSOON MOISTURE OFF TO THE EAST AND BRING DRIER AND COOLER WEATHER TO THE AREA AS THE FLOW ALOFT BECOMES SOUTH WESTERLY. THE TROUGH WILL ALSO HELP DEEPEN THE MARINE LAYER WITH NIGHT AND MORNING LOW CLOUDS AND FOG EXTENDING INTO THE WESTERN VALLEYS. && .AVIATION... 051500Z...EXISTING STRATUS CLEARING AT THE COAST...SCT-BKN RETURNING NEAR THE COAST TONIGHT...WITH LOCAL VSBY 3-5SM WITH ISOLATED 1-2SM OR LOWER POSSIBLE EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. ANY STRATUS EXPECTED TO CLEAR BY AROUND 15Z WEDNESDAY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED MAINLY IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS TODAY IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. BASES ABOUT 8 KFT AND TOPS TO AROUND 30 KFT. && .SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && PUBLIC...PG AVIATION/MARINE...TS NWS ON THE WEB AT WEATHER.GOV/SANDIEGO
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 350 AM PDT TUE JUL 5 2011 CAZ042-043-048-050-055>058-060>062-PZZ750-775-052300- ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS- SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE- SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS-SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS- RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS- SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-APPLE AND LUCERNE VALLEYS- COACHELLA VALLEY-SAN DIEGO COUNTY DESERTS- COASTAL WATERS FROM SAN MATEO POINT TO THE MEXICAN BORDER AND OUT 30 NM- WATERS FROM SAN MATEO POINT TO THE MEXICAN BORDER EXTENDING 30 TO 60 NM OUT INCLUDING SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND- 350 AM PDT TUE JUL 5 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY...MAINLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THE FLASH FLOOD POTENTIAL INDEX IS MODERATE...ISOLATED FLASH FLOODING MAY BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS...MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THE FLASH FLOOD POTENTIAL INDEX IS LOW...AND THE RISK OF FLASH FLOODING IS MINIMAL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN WEATHER ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED FOR THIS AREA... HOWEVER WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS. SS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 heavy rain, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 flood, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Street flooding in numerous locations within Apple Valley due to heavy rain. Pea sized hail also reported.
Spotter SBD286 reported a very heavy downpour in the area of North Shore Drive and Greenway Drive in Big Bear City from approximately 1340-1355 PST. During this time, his rain gage showed just over a half inch of rain.
Spotter SBD320 reported Phelan Road West closed at Beekley Road due to flooding from heavy rain of 0.26 inches of rain in one hour in Phelan. Highway 138 is also closed betweek Beekley Road and Green Road due to mud, water and debris on the roadway.|Another spotter reported 1.5 feet of water on the road at the intersection of Highway 18 and Sheep Creek Road, with cars stranded on the side of the road.
Two trees in a backyard on Beekley in the Pinon Hills area, foothills below Wrightwood, lost limbs. The limbs that came down were the size of small trees. The wind also picked up their pool cover and threw it in to the pool.
San Diego County Flood Control reported 0.80 inches of rain over 15 minutes and an additional 0.10 inches over the next 5 minutes, resulting in 0.90 inches of rain over 20 minutes.
Three houses in Nuevo had minor flooding in the 500 block of West 10th, 28600 block of Central and the 28700 block of Reservoir. No one was forced out of their homes.
Power lines down due to wind in the vicinity of Perris and Romoland. Locations include Ethanac Road at Evans Road west of Romoland, South D and East 7th Streets in Perris, and the 27900 block of Washington Street. All lines reported down around 1400 PST on the 6th.
The Whitewater River gage at Windy Point rose 1000 cfs in 30 minutes from 1830 TO 1900 PST. The source of the heavy rainfall was in the San Gorgonio Wilderness.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in California, July 2011
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: 331500, 331501, 331503, 331691, 331502, 331518, 331514, 336378.