Strong thunderstorms developed across the Antelope Valley. Some storms were strong enough to produce flash flooding across the community of Palmdale.
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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.
Strong thunderstorms developed across the Antelope Valley. Some storms were strong enough to produce flash flooding across the community of Palmdale. In addition, one thunderstorm generated nickel-size hail in Palmdale which was just below severe levels.
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 May 22, 12:15 PM PST, 3 hours 35 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 115 PM PDT THU MAY 22 2014 .SYNOPSIS... AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO PARTS OF THE AREA THROUGH THIS EVENING. AS THE UPPER LOW SLOWLY MOVES EAST AND HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS...A WARMING TREND IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEKEND FOR INLAND AREAS. THE WARMING TREND WILL COME TO AN END EARLY NEXT WEEK AS A WEAK TROUGH APPROACHES FROM THE NORTH. && .SHORT TERM (TODAY-SUN)...AN UPPER LOW DROPPING OVER THE AREA TODAY IS CAUSING ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS, MAINLY OVER VENTURA AND LA COUNTIES, THOUGH A FEW SPRINKLES OR LIGHT SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE AS FAR WEST AS THE SANTA YNEZ VALLEY. THUNDERSTORMS SO FAR HAVE BEEN CONFINED TO THE MTNS, THOUGH A 20-25KT NORTHERLY STEERING FLOW IS CAUSING THOSE TO DRIFT SOUTH TOWARDS THE VALLEYS AND COAST. THE STEERING FLOW IS MUCH WEAKER CLOSER TO THE LOW CENTER OVER LA COUNTY SO SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THERE ARE MUCH SLOWER MOVING AND WILL LIKELY GENERATE MORE RAINFALL OVER ONE SPOT THAN THE STORMS TO THE WEST. SO FAR RAIN AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH TOTAL, BUT A DECREASE IN MID/UPPER LEVEL CLOUD COVERAGE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS WELL AS FURTHER DESTABILIZATION OF THE AIR MASS SHOULD LEAD TO STRONGER STORMS AND HEAVIER RAIN AMOUNTS. SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DECREASE LATER IN THE EVENING AS WE LOSE THE HEATING AND THE UPPER LOW SHIFTS SOUTH AND EAST. WE SHOULD RETURN TO NORMAL CONDITIONS FRIDAY WITH A STANDARD MARINE LYR COVERAGE AND TEMPS NEAR NORMAL. MODELS DO SHOW SOME DECENT INSTABILITY OVER THE VENTURA/LA MTNS IN THE AFTERNOON BUT A SUBSTANTIAL DECREASE IN MOISTURE AND TEMPS ALOFT WARMING SHOULD PUT A DAMPER ON ANY TSTORM HOPES. WE LIKELY WILL SEE SOME AFTERNOON BUILDUPS OVER THE MTNS AND I DID BUMP POPS UP A FEW PERCENT BUT KEPT PRECIP OUT OF THE OFFICIAL FORECAST. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE AREA OVER THE WEEKEND LEADING TO A LOWERING, THOUGH STRENGTHENING MARINE INVERSION AND A WARMUP FOR AREAS AWAY FROM THE BEACHES. SHOULD SEE ABOUT A 3-5 DEGREE INCREASE IN HIGHS EACH DAY THIS WEEKEND, WITH VALLEYS IN THE MID 80S BY SUNDAY. LOW CLOUDS WILL REACH THE VALLEYS SATURDAY BUT PROBABLY NOT SUNDAY AS THE INVERSION LOWERS TO UNDER 1500 FT. A STRONG ONSHORE PUSH DURING THE AFTERNOON WILL LIKELY KEEP CLOUDS LINGERING NEAR THE BEACHES MOST OF THE DAY. .LONG TERM (MON-THU)...WARMEST DAY IN THIS STRETCH EXPECTED TO BE ON MEMORIAL DAY WITH VALLEYS CLOSE TO 90 AND HOPEFULLY EARLIER MARINE LYR BURNOFF FOR THE BEACHES. STILL A PRETTY STRONG ONSHORE FLOW SO AT LEAST SOME CLOUDS EXPECTED FOR COASTAL AREAS INTO THE AFTERNOON. THE RIDGE WILL START TO FLATTEN OUT TUE WITH WEAK TROFFING DEVELOPING ALONG THE COAST BY WED AND THU. THE ECMWF CONTINUES TO BE A LITTLE MORE AGRESSIVE WITH THE HEIGHT FALLS FOR MID WEEK BUT EITHER WAY WE'RE LOOKING AT A COOLING TREND STARTING TUESDAY WITH A SLOWLY DEEPENING MARINE LYR. && .AVIATION...22/1800Z. MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE CENTERED EAST OF THE AREA WILL CONTINUE MOVING EAST. UPPER LEVEL STRONG NORTH WINDS WILL PREVAIL WHILE MID LEVEL LIGHT TO MODERATE EAST NORTHEAST WINDS BECOME LIGHT TO MODERATE NORTH NORTHWEST AFTER 23/20Z. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN WITH TOPS 35-40KFT WILL MOVE SOUTH OR REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY. INCREASING STABILITY AND DECREASING MOISTURE AFTER 23/04Z. FREEZING LEVEL WAS APPROXIMATELY 9.5KFT THIS MORNING WILL DIFFER BY PLUS 2KFT AFTER 23/09Z. WEAK TO MODERATE ONSHORE PRESSURE GRADIENT THROUGH 23/06Z AND AFTER 23/20Z OTHERWISE WEAK GRADIENT. .KLAX...CHANCE CIGS 027 THROUGH 22/20Z THEN CHANCE CIGS 021 BETWEEN 23/09-23/20Z. .KBUR...CHANCE CIGS 023 THROUGH 22/20Z THEN CHANCE CIGS 035 BETWEEN 22/20-23/03Z. CHANCE CIGS 016 AFTER 23/10Z. VIRTUALLY CERTAIN - 95-100% VERY LIKELY - 80-95% LIKELY - 60-80% CHANCE - 30-60% VERY UNLIKELY - 20% OR LESS && .MARINE...22/100 PM. TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE NEAR SHORE WILL SHIFT INLAND THIS EVENING. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GUSTS TO 25 KT IN AN AREA SOUTH OF POINT CONCEPTION TO SANTA ROSA ISLAND FOR A FEW HOURS THIS EVENING AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC SHIFTS EAST OVER THE AREA. OTHERWISE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT NORTH OF POINT CONCEPTION AND SATURDAY NIGHT IN THE VICINITY OF THE NORTHERN CHANNEL ISLANDS. THE NORTHWEST WINDS WILLL LIKELY INCREASE AGAIN SUNDAY AFTERNOON. LOCALLY GENERATED SHORT PERIOD SEAS FROM THE NORTHWEST AND SMALL LONG PERIOD SWELL FROM THE SOUTH WILL PERSIST. && .LOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE && PUBLIC...MW AVIATION/MARINE...30 SYNOPSIS...SUKUP WWW.WEATHER.GOV/LOSANGELES
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 920 PM PDT WED MAY 21 2014 CAZ034>041-044>046-051>054-059-087-088-547-548-221300- 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- 920 PM PDT WED MAY 21 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A COLD UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA ON THURSDAY. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. GOMBERG
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OXNARD CA
414 PM PDT THU MAY 22 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0407 PM HEAVY RAIN 1 NNE PALMDALE 34.62N 118.08W
05/22/2014 M0.30 INCH LOS ANGELES CA ASOS
0.30 INCH OF RAIN IN SEVEN MINUTES.
&&
HALLPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OXNARD CA
428 PM PDT THU MAY 22 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0407 PM HAIL W LANCASTER 34.69N 118.18W
05/22/2014 M0.88 INCH LOS ANGELES CA TRAINED SPOTTER
NICKEL SIZE HAIL IN LANCASTER.
&&
HALLThe Edwards AFB radar (KEYX), 75 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:50 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A weather spotter in the Palmdale area reported a strong thunderstorm (with heavy rain) that produced flash flooding near the intersection of 47th Street East and East Avenue South. Elsewhere across the Antelope Valley, reports of flooding due to heavy rain were reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in California, May 2014
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: 513884.