Two days of very heavy rainfall (compared to April normals) combined with snowmelt led to areal flooding in northeast California.
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 MFR wrote it up.
Two days of very heavy rainfall (compared to April normals) combined with snowmelt led to areal flooding in northeast California.
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 Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 9, 9:55 AM PST, 21 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Medford OR
1055 AM PDT Tue Apr 9 2019
Updated AVIATION Section
.DISCUSSION...09/12Z NAM in.
Scattered showers continue this morning across the Medford CWA,
but reported amounts over the past six hours are considerably
lighter than they were yesterday. The heaviest showers have been
over Douglas County.
1.37 inches of rain was recorded in Medford Saturday and Sunday.
This was the fourth highest two day total recorded in April.
Flood warnings continue for several rivers near the coast and for
the Lakeview area. See PDXFLSMFR for details.
The long wave trough that supported the wet front yesterday has
moved to the east of the the CWA, and northwest flow aloft has
developed over the area. However, short waves moving down the back
side of the trough is supporting continuing shower activity. These
showers are light for the most part, but some may contain some
moderate rain. They are moving along though, so rainfall amounts
over any given location will remain light. Snow levels will be
mostly 3500 to 4000 feet.
The ridge will build in a bit more strongly tonight, so showers
will end over most of the area, but some will persist in the
Umpqua Basin and along the north coast. Snow levels will fall to
around 3000 feet.
Another wave will move in Wednesday bringing showers mostly from
the Cascades west. Snow levels will rise to around 5000 feet. A
stronger wave will move in Wednesday night into Thursday, so
showers will become more widespread. Rainfall totals will still be
nothing like the Sunday totals, but it will be significant over
the northern Cascades, Umpqua Basin, and Coast Range, where some
locations may get around 0.50 inches of rain. Snow levels will be
mostly in the 4000 to 5000 foot range, so places like Crater Lake
could see 6 inches of snow.
The offshore ridge will build in more strongly Friday, forcing the
short wave activity and the associated showers to the east of the
CWA.
As far as temperatures go, they will warm steadily through the
week, peaking Friday or Saturday, depending on the timing of a
front due to move in Saturday.
Extended discussion from the early Tuesday morning
discussion...Saturday 13 Apr through Monday 15 Apr 2019.
The next system will arrive on Saturday,but some model
inconsistencies in timing exist. Some of the more progressive
models show the front coming in as early as early Saturday morning
with other models showing the front coming in later Saturday
evening. This system does not appear to be nearly as strong as
this past atmospheric river, and snow levels will still be around
5000 to 6000 feet, so snow is expected across the higher
mountains, which could help replenish a little bit of the snowpack
that was washed away with this past storm. The unsettled pattern
continues into next week with weak systems continuing to parade
across southern Oregon and northern California. -Schaaf
&&
.AVIATION...For the 09/18Z TAFS...Showers will continue the
rest of today, but shower coverage will gradually diminish through
this evening. Overall, expect a mix of MVFR/VFR with terrain
obscuration. MVFR will become more widespread this evening and
overnight since there'll be plenty of low-level moisture
due to recent rainfall. These ceilings will last through
Wednesday morning. Some IFR is also possible. -Spilde
&&
.MARINE...Updated 830 AM PDT Tuesday, 9 April 2019...Swell dominated
seas will remain steep through early this afternoon, with northwest
winds increasing slightly as high pressure approaches from the west.
High pressure will remain centered offshore near 140W and south of
40N through the week with a couple of weak frontal systems moving
through in northwest flow. Meanwhile, seas will remain below 10 feet
until the weekend, when increasing north winds and building wind-
driven seas are likely to produce small craft advisory conditions. A
stronger front is forecast to arrive Monday or Monday night early
next week with the potential for gales. -BPN/Spilde
&&
.MFR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OR...Flood Warning...Coquille River at Coquille...South Fork of
the Coquille River at Myrtle Point...Rogue River at
Agness...and the Lakeview area.
Flood Watch...Sprague River near Beatty.
CA...None.
Pacific Coastal Waters...Small Craft Advisory until 2 PM PDT this
afternoon for PZZ370-376.
15/02/18PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
516 AM PDT TUE APR 9 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0500 AM HEAVY RAIN GOLD BEACH 42.41N 124.42W
04/09/2019 M2.28 INCH CURRY OR TRAINED SPOTTER
24 HOUR TOTAL ENDING AT 5 AM.
&&
BSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
816 AM PDT TUE APR 9 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0815 AM HEAVY RAIN 2 N PROVOLT 42.32N 123.23W
04/09/2019 M0.91 INCH JOSEPHINE OR TRAINED SPOTTER
24 HOUR TOTAL ENDING AT 0700 PST. OVER 3
INCHES TOTAL OVER THE PAST 3 DAYS.
&&
JRSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
838 AM PDT TUE APR 9 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN 4 WSW KLAMATH FALLS 42.19N 121.84W
04/09/2019 M0.66 INCH KLAMATH OR TRAINED SPOTTER
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN 6 SE SELMA 42.23N 123.52W
04/09/2019 M1.65 INCH JOSEPHINE OR TRAINED SPOTTER
0800 AM HEAVY RAIN 10 NNW GOLD HILL 42.57N 123.09W
04/09/2019 M1.20 INCH JACKSON OR TRAINED SPOTTER
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A spotter 1WSW Alturas reported standing water on US395. The north fork of the Pit River was running high and the south fork was at bankfull. Water was everywhere. The emergency manager of Modoc county also reported widespread flooding.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in California, April 2019
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: 806681.