California, 2023Flood in California, February 27 to 28, 2023
February 27 to 28, 2023 · NWS VEF · 1 event in 1 county or zone
Melting snow from the storm three days before led to minor flooding in the Owens Valley.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
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- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
Melting snow from the storm three days before led to minor flooding in the Owens Valley.
What forecasters said that day
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 Las Vegas, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 27, 1:55 PM PST, 10 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 27, 1:55 PM PST, 10 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Las Vegas NV
155 PM PST Mon Feb 27 2023
.SYNOPSIS...Active weather pattern will continue as a series of
storm systems move through the area through midweek. Gusty winds
can be expected each day through Wednesday before a cold storm
system arrives Wednesday with rain and low elevation snow
chances. Cold air will linger through the end of the week with
temperatures slowly moderating by the weekend.
&&
.SHORT TERM...through Wednesday night.
This afternoons satellite imagery depicts a deep closed system
encompassing much of the West Coast spreading rain and mountain
snow across much of coastal California and ongoing heavy snow in
the Sierra. Most of the moisture with this storm system is being
intercepted by the Sierra with fairly limited precipitation
spilling over the terrain. However, fairly strong southwesterly
flow aloft acting on some limited moisture across the deserts
will allow for some upslope enhanced precipitation across the
Spring Mountains and Sheep Range through this evening. In fact,
webcams from Lee Canyon do indicate some light snow showers
ongoing at this hour, with heavier snowfall rates expected later
this evening as primary moisture band moves through.
Aside from precipitation chances, the more widespread risk through
the rest of the day will be gusty winds which continues to ramp
up as pressure gradients tighten over the region. Thus far, wind
gusts exceeding 40 mph have been fairly limited, but suspect they
will increase in coverage through the evening as suggested by high
resolution guidance.
Winds will relax a bit overnight and into Tuesday morning but will
redevelop by Tuesday afternoon as the trough over the PacNW
reloads and begins to sag southward into the Great Basin. With a
100+ knot mid level jet taking aim at the Western Mojave Desert on
the backside of the approaching low. Latest guidance continues to
trend stronger with surface winds across the Western Deserts near
Barstow and Twentynine Palms, and have gone ahead and issued a
High Wind Warning for those areas tomorrow afternoon through
Wednesday evening in coordination with the Phoenix and San Diego
offices.
Finally, with the low dropping southward, it will close off as a
~534dm closed contour dragging across the Colorado River Valley.
This is quite a cold airmass for the first day of meteorological
Spring, and will be accompanied by the potential for low elevation
snow and more cold weather. Snow levels are projected to be in the
2500-3500 foot range for most of the precipitation activity, so
winter weather impacts remain a concern for travel corridors in
the region including I-40 near Mountain Pass and I-40 from Kingman
and points eastward. Meanwhile, mountain locations such as the
Spring Mountains remain on track to pick up significant additional
snowfall adding to their already impressive snowpack. The current
winter weather headlines remain in place and decisions on upgrades
or expansions of the current winter headlines will take place
tonight on the midnight shift.
The low will track eastward Wednesday night into Thursday morning,
with shower activity decreasing from west to east.
.LONG TERM...Thursday through Monday.
Dry but cool conditions will prevail through the remainder of the
week with temperatures only slowly moderating. Greater warming is
expected over the weekend as the flow becomes more west or
southwesterly. However, snow will be creeping back into the Sierra
as yet another atmospheric river takes aim at northern and
central California.
&&
.AVIATION...For Harry Reid...Gusty south-southwest winds today and
tonight, with gusts up to 35 knots. Some uncertainty in the strength
of winds after sunset, but expected to remain from the south-
southwest at 12+ knots. Around midnight, greater confidence in wind
speeds coming down to 10-12 knots from the southwest. Breezy
conditions continue into tomorrow afternoon. FEW-SCT clouds aoa 6kft
throughout the TAF period.
For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast
California...For all the TAF sites except KBIH, south-southwest
winds will prevail today and tonight. Strongest gusts expected at
KDAG and the Las Vegas Valley sites, where gusts up to 35 knots are
possible. In the Colorado River Valley, gusts are forecast to be
around 20 knots. FEW-SCT mid-level clouds linger through the
forecast period, with cloud bases between 6-10kft. For KBIH, off-and-
on light snow will be possible this afternoon and evening as
spillover tries to reach the valley floor. Highest confidence during
the evening hours (00z-04z). CIGs around 3-5kft through midnight
tonight, lowering to 2-3kft during precipitation. Breezy south-
southeast winds expected, with gusts up to 25 knots possible this
afternoon. Sky conditions improve in the early morning hours
tomorrow.&&
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report
any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating
procedures.
&&
DISCUSSION...Outler
AVIATION...Woods
For more forecast information...see us on our webpage:
https://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Flood, Inyo
- When
- February 27, 2:05 PM PST to February 28, 6:00 PM PST
- Where
- Inyo County, 2.66 mi NNW of Loco Station to 6.4 mi SSW of Cartago
- Cause
- Heavy Rain / Snow Melt
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
- Coordinates
- 36.234, -117.992
Melting snow from the storm on the 24th and 25th led to minor flooding of Highways 395 and 190. One vehicle rolled over on the wet road.
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Missouri, February 27, 2023$1.2 million · EF1 · 48 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Ohio, February 27, 2023$931,000 · EF1 · 15 events
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Indiana, February 27, 2023$360,000 · EF1 · 9 events
- High Wind in North Carolina, February 27 to 28, 2023$60,000 · 63 kt wind · 2 events
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Kentucky, February 27, 2023$22,000 · 53 kt wind · 22 events
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Ohio, February 27, 2023$51,000 · EF0 · 4 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Indiana, February 27, 2023$35,000 · 1 in hail · 8 events
- Strong Wind in Illinois, February 27, 2023$19,000 · 19 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Wisconsin, February 27, 20233 injured · 7 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Indiana, February 27, 2023$30,000 · 1.75 in hail · 5 events
- Tornado and Winter Storm in California, February 27 to 28, 202325 events
- Flood and Heavy Snow in California, February 27 to 28, 202322 events
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: 1084292.