California, 2024

Cold in California, May 12, 2024

May 12, 2024 · NWS STO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

On May 12th just after noon, a swimmer was pulled from the confluence of the American River near Auburn after emergency personnel responded for reports of a drowning. The woman who was missing in the water was found and responders attempted medical aid but she succumbed to her injuries.

The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS STO wrote it up.

On May 12th just after noon, a swimmer was pulled from the confluence of the American River near Auburn after emergency personnel responded for reports of a drowning. The woman who was missing in the water was found and responders attempted medical aid but she succumbed to her injuries.

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 Sacramento, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 12, 1:30 AM PST, 10 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 12, 1:30 AM PST, 10 hours before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Sacramento CA
230 AM PDT Sun May 12 2024

.SYNOPSIS...
Warm weather will result in areas of moderate heat most of the
week ahead. Dry and occasionally breezy conditions look to
accompany this warm stretch as well.

&&

.DISCUSSION(Through Tuesday)...
Skies are clear early this morning. IR difference imagery shows
stratus has returned to the entire coast, but profiler data
indicate the depth of the marine layer is only around 1.5k ft.
Nevertheless, it's enough to allow a Delta Breeze to develop as
surface pressure gradients trend toward onshore. The valley may
see minor cooling of a few degrees the next couple of days as a
weak trough passes.

Beginning Tuesday, warming returns as ridging from the eastern
Pacific builds in reducing onshore flow and bringing another
period of north winds in the valley. Portions of the central and
northern Sacramento Valley will have a chance of seeing their
first triple digit heat of the season during the middle of the
week, but heat risk will likely remain in the moderate category.

Enough moisture and instability is expected to be present over the
northern Sierra for a few afternoon showers and thunderstorms on
Monday and Tuesday, otherwise dry weather will continue.

&&

.EXTENDED DISCUSSION (Thursday THROUGH Sunday)...
EPAC upper ridge extends inland over interior NorCal Thursday.
Ridge flattens Friday into Saturday as short wave troughs drops
into the PacNW. At same time, cut off low west of CA approaches
over the weekend and pushes inland Monday, however models differ
with progression rate. Low could spark an afternoon shower or
thunderstorm over higher elevations of Sierra Nevada Sunday and
Monday. Cooling trend expected through the extended forecast
period, but high temperatures remain above normal through the
weekend.

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR conditions over interior NorCal next 24 hrs. Sfc wind mainly
below 12 kts except vcnty of Delta SWly sfc wind up to 20 kts
possible.

&&

.STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None.

&&

Event by event

1 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Motherlode/Camptonville to Groveland

When
May 12, 11:30 AM PST to 12:15 PM PST
Where
Motherlode/Camptonville to Groveland forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
Broadcast Media

On May 12th just after noon, a swimmer was pulled from the confluence of the American River near Auburn after emergency personnel responded for reports of a drowning. The woman who was missing in the water was found and responders attempted medical aid but she succumbed to her injuries. Water temperatures in the area were in the mid to upper 50s. A nearby gauge at the North Fork Dam observed stage at 2.35 feet with a flow rate of 1,994 cfs as of 8:15 am PDT in the morning.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Cold/Wind Chill, Motherlode/Camptonville to Groveland2024-05-12FemaleIn WaterDirect

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in California, May 2024

Sources

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: 1166640.