Melting snow brought unusually strong currents and cold water to area waterways in the month of May.
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.
Melting snow brought unusually strong currents and cold water to area waterways in the month of May.
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 May 14, 1:25 PM PST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Sacramento CA 225 PM PDT Sun May 14 2023 .SYNOPSIS... Dry and warm conditions continue in the Valley today with isolated afternoon/evening mountain thunderstorm chances. Warm temperatures will continue through the week. A possible return of mountain showers and thunderstorms next weekend. && .DISCUSSION... Low pressure area currently centered over Nevada will continue to retrograde northwestward towards the northern California/Oregon border by early evening. The low will help to bring a cooling trend although temperatures will remain well above normal. The start of the day was warmer than yesterday but synoptic cooling and winds picking up should end up helping the cooling process. The low will also bring a chance for some afternoon and evening thunderstorms over parts of the region. Best chances are mainly above 3000 feet for the Sierra Nevada and over the southern Cascades. There is a boundary that is extending into the valley that showers and isolated thunderstorms will likely form along this afternoon before it dissipates as it moves north. Models are indicating an isolated storm possible over the coastal range near Alder Springs. Best timing will be through 9 pm. Profiles look like thunderstorms will produce hail and gusty winds but some brief heavy rain will also be possible. All models are keeping the north end of the valley dry today with less than 10 percent chances for that area. Models continue to favor the northern mountains for activity this evening as the center of the low drifts northwestward and drying out the Sierra early in the evening. As the low moves northward into Oregon for Monday the area will dry out and high pressure will build back over the area. Monday will be a transition day with highs slightly cooler than today's highs. Tuesday the valley temperatures warm back up into the 90s. High pressure will remain over the region on Wednesday with little change in high temperatures over Tuesday's highs. && .EXTENDED DISCUSSION (Thursday THROUGH Sunday)... High pressure will continue to be over the west coast through the extended forecast period. This is supported by cluster analyst as deterministic models differ with subtle features that far out. This will result in continued above normal high temperatures through Friday with upper 80s to mid 90s in the Central Valley. Some weakening of the high looks to occur next weekend that may help to bring temperatures back down to near seasonal normals. Slight chance of afternoon showers or thunderstorms over higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada Friday through Sunday. && .AVIATION... VFR conditions are generally forecast to prevail over the next 24 hours. Scattered mountain showers and isolated thunderstorms may result in localized areas of IFR conditions, as well as gusty/erratic winds through around 06Z. && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. &&
1 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
A 20-year-old man drowned in the North Fork of the American River on May 14th, with his body found downstream in Lake Clementine on June 10th. Warm weather was occurring with highs in the region in the mid to upper 80s, while area waterways were cold with strong currents from mountain snowmelt.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in California, May 2023
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: 1103566.