Southerly flow from low pressure off the California coast brought subtropical moisture into the area, generating mountain thunderstorms. Strong winds brought trees down in Plumas County, while heavy rains brought local flooding.
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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 STO wrote it up.
Southerly flow from low pressure off the California coast brought subtropical moisture into the area, generating mountain thunderstorms. Strong winds brought trees down in Plumas County, while heavy rains brought local flooding.
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 Sacramento, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 3, 1:39 PM PST, 21 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 239 PM PDT FRI JUL 3 2015 .SYNOPSIS... NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ALONG WITH DAILY AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION... NORTHERN CALIFORNIA REMAINS UNDER SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW ALOFT, BETWEEN A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE GREAT BASIN AND AN UPPER LOW WELL OFF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST. A FAIR AMOUNT OF MOISTURE CONTINUES TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION, WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH INTERIOR NORCAL. MOST OF THE CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON HAS BEEN ALONG A LINE JUST EAST OF THE SIERRA CREST FROM INTERSTATE 80 NORTHWEST TOWARD LASSEN PARK. TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA ARE GENERALLY A FEW DEGREES COOLER THAN YESTERDAY. THE BEST CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN OUR FORECAST DOMAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL BE FROM LASSEN PARK NORTHWESTWARD INTO SHASTA COUNTY. UPPER LEVEL STEERING FLOW HAS VEERED JUST ENOUGH TO FAVOR CONVECTION EAST OF THE CREST. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO VERY GRADUALLY COOL DOWN OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS THE AFOREMENTIONED UPPER LOW SLOWLY APPROACHES THE COAST. MOUNTAIN THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. FOR THE WEEKEND...THE BEST INSTABILITY WILL REMAIN ALONG AND EAST OF THE SIERRA CREST, BUT WE COULD SEE A FEW SHOWERS ENCROACH WEST OF THE CREST. DANG && .EXTENDED DISCUSSION (TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY) BOTH THE EC AND GFS SHOW THE EASTERN PACIFIC UPPER LOW INSIDE 130W, NEARING THE NORCAL COASTLINE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. MOISTURE WRAPPING AROUND THE LOW WILL BRING SLIGHT CHANCE TO CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS, MAINLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS. BY THURSDAY, THE GFS AND EC MOVE THE LOW EASTWARD ACROSS NORCAL UNTIL IT WEAKENS AND LIFTS NORTHEASTWARD ON FRIDAY. THE EC IS A TAD SLOWER THAN THE GFS, BUT THAT HAS FLIPPED OVER THE PAST FEW RUNS. IT'S TOUGH TO FIGURE OUT THE EXACT TRACK OF THESE UPPER LOWS THIS FAR OUT. HAVE KEPT THE MOUNTAIN THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THURSDAY AND DRIED THE AREA OUT FOR FRIDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR TO BELOW NORMAL. JCLAPP && .AVIATION... PREDOMINANTLY VFR CONDITIONS TODAY, EXCEPT FOR MVFR WITH HEAVY RAIN IN MOUNTAIN THUNDERSTORMS. STORM MOTIONS LESS THAN 10 KTS. DELTA BREEZE WINDS RE- STRENGTHEN AGAIN AFTER 00Z THIS AFTERNOON. JCLAPP && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
The Beale AFB radar (KBBX), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:58 UTC.
3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 heavy rain, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind brought a tree and power lines down near the intersection of Almanor Drive and Pole Line Road.
There was 1.43 inches of rainfall that fell over an hour..
Road washout reported on Peninsula Drive on the north shore of Lake Almanor.
Wind damage was focused on Lake Almanor Peninsula and Lake Almanor West with reports of trees into 3 homes, downed power lines, a propane release and other damages. Major damage was done to one home, minor damage to 2 other homes on the Peninsula. Three vehicles were damaged including a Sheriff Deputy patrol car. Many residents suffered mud and debris problems in yards and driveways. Highway 32 was closed near the causeway due to a debris flow across the roadway.
Heavy rain was reported by a weather spotter.
Hail as large as dimes fell for about 5 minutes.
Penny sized hail fell, along with wind gusts estimated at 40-50 mph. About an inch of rain fell in 20 minutes.
Hail as large as nickels fell.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in California, July 2015
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: 596740, 596739, 596735, 596789, 596741, 596736, 596737, 596738.