Two cold troughs brought rain and thunderstorms to Southern California May 16th through 18th. 50 inch and some mountain areas received an inch of rainfall.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
Two cold troughs brought rain and thunderstorms to Southern California May 16th through 18th. Coastal areas received up to 0.25 inch, valley areas received up to 0.50 inch and some mountain areas received an inch of rainfall. The deserts were windy with the passage of the first trough on May 16th. Gusts to 30 mph were observed in Desert Hot Springs where power poles were knocked over.
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 May 16, 2:57 AM PST, 3 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Diego CA
357 AM PDT Thu May 16 2019
.SYNOPSIS...
A seasonally strong low pressure system moving inland through
California will bring cooling, periods of precipitation, and
stronger and gusty winds into Friday morning with much of the
precipitation falling from this morning into the afternoon. Drier
with warming for late Friday into Saturday. The next low pressure
system will bring more cooling, gusty winds, and precipitation for
Sunday into early Monday with drying and warming for late Monday
into Tuesday. Low pressure centered in the vicinity of the
southwest states for the middle part of next week will bring more
cooling, gusty winds, and additional chances of precipitation.
&&
.DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING
ORANGE...SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN
BERNARDINO COUNTIES...
.SHORT TERM (Today through Saturday)...
The upper level center of a strong low pressure system for May is
nearing the northern California coast early this morning with the
wind shift of the trailing cold front just east of Point
Conception. The frontal band precipitation in southern California
is mostly ahead of the surface wind shift. The surface wind shift
is expected to reach northwest Orange County around 9 AM,
northwestern San Diego County around 11 AM, and downtown San Diego
around noon.
Light precipitation will begin developing along the south slopes
of the San Bernardino County mountains and northwestern Orange
County after 4 AM, then spread south and eastward during the
morning with much of the precipitation occurring in the few hours
ahead of the surface wind shift with the cold front. Occasional
showers will linger near the mountains into the evening and for
areas of San Diego County from the coast to the mountains for
tonight into Friday morning.
For Orange, southwestern San Bernardino, and western Riverside
Counties, rainfall is expected to range from around one quarter
inch near the coast, to one half to one inch on the coastal
mountain slopes with local amounts to around 1.5 inch. For San
Diego County, rainfall is expected to range from one tenth to one
quarter inch near the coast to one to two thirds of an inch in the
mountains with local amounts to around one inch. Rainfall in the
deserts will be mostly less than one tenth inch. Snow levels will
be above 7500 to 8000 feet this morning, then fall to around 7000
feet this afternoon, and 6000 to 6500 feet late tonight. A few
inches of snowfall is possible, mostly above 7000 to 7500 feet.
The low pressure system will maintain strong onshore flow into
Friday morning with south to southwest winds this morning in the
mountains and deserts, becoming southwest to west for this
afternoon into Friday. The strongest winds for the mountains and
deserts are expected for this afternoon and evening with strongest
gusts to around 60 mph. Near the coast, south to southeast winds
will strengthen this morning ahead of the cold front with gusts to
around 30 mph, then shift to the southwest to west after the cold
frontal passage with gusts to around 30 mph during the afternoon
and early evening.
Drying will develop on Friday and continue into Saturday under
weak high pressure. High temperatures in most areas will be cooler
today with warming for Friday and Saturday.
&&
.LONG TERM (Sunday through Wednesday)...
The next low pressure system is expected to arrive on Sunday
bringing another round of cooling, precipitation, and gusty winds
for Sunday and early Monday. For late Monday into Tuesday, it will
be drier and a little warmer under weak high pressure. For
Wednesday and Thursday, the mean trough of low pressure will be
centered in the vicinity of the southwest states with below
average temperatures, gusty winds in the mountains and deserts,
and additional chances of precipitation.
&&
.AVIATION...
160900Z...Coast/Valleys/Coastal Mountain Slopes: Scattered to broken
clouds between 2500-3500 feet MSL will continue early this morning.
A band of rain and lower clouds will push through the region from
west to east from 14-21Z. Clouds as low as 1500 feet MSL with vis
reduced to 3-5SM in heavier rain band. Higher terrain also obscured
during this time. Scatter out from from coast to mountains after the
rain band, roughly 19-23Z. Some valley clouds redeveloping in
southern IE and in San Diego County overnight around 2500 feet.
Desert Slopes of Mountains and Deserts: Thickening clouds with bases
down to 10000 feet MSL through 22Z with light rain near higher
terrain. Clear afterwards. West wind gusts achieving 45-50 kts,
strongest after 23Z. MOD-SVR up/down drafts probable.
&&
.MARINE...
A cold front will move through the coastal waters this morning.
Strong westerly winds will follow this afternoon through Friday
evening with gusts 25-30 kts. A small craft advisory is in effect.
Brisk winds Saturday afternoon will gust over 20 kts, but winds will
increase more on Sunday through Monday with hazardous boating
conditions possible again.
&&
.SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...Wind Advisory until 11 AM PDT Friday for Apple and Lucerne
Valleys-Coachella Valley-Riverside County Mountains-San
Bernardino County Mountains-San Diego County Deserts-San
Diego County Mountains-San Gorgonio Pass Near Banning.
PZ...Small Craft Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 11 PM PDT Friday
for Coastal Waters from San Mateo Point to the Mexican
Border and out to 30 nm-Waters from San Mateo point to the
Mexican Border Extending 30 to 60 nm out including San
Clemente Island.
&&
PUBLIC...17
AVIATION/MARINE...MMThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Power poles reported down in Desert Hot Springs. Wind gusts in nearby Sky Valley had peak gusts of 26 knots on May 16th.
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, May 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: 830669.