California, 2025

Flood and Damaging Winds in California, September 18, 2025

September 18, 2025 · NWS SGX · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

Remnants from Mario influenced the region with increased instability and moisture, which allow for numerous reports of heavy rain, thunderstorms, flash flooding, and even a few reports of mudslides in San Bernardino County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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 SGX wrote it up.

Remnants from Mario influenced the region with increased instability and moisture, which allow for numerous reports of heavy rain, thunderstorms, flash flooding, and even a few reports of mudslides in San Bernardino County.

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 San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 18, 8:15 AM PST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 18, 8:15 AM PST, 3 hours 25 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Diego CA
915 AM PDT Thu Sep 18 2025

.SYNOPSIS...
Moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Mario will peak
today, then decrease into the weekend. Showers and scattered
thunderstorms will move northward across the area today with the
mountains and deserts the most likely locations for heavier
rainfall with the most likely time for the heavier rainfall from
late morning through early evening. There will be gradual drying
and warming for Friday and Saturday. For early next week, there is
greater uncertainty with the placement of low pressure to the
northwest and high pressure to the southeast and the resulting
temperatures and the potential for tropical moisture from the
southwest to move into the area.

&&

.DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE...
SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO
COUNTIES...

.Morning Update...
Partial clearing is seen on satellite this morning for areas west
of the mountains. Hi-res models continue to show minimal
additional precipitation for this reason throughout the day, but
chances remain as the environmental conditions may support more
shower development. The forecast remains on track to see heavier
shower and thunderstorms cells to begin to form over the mountains
and deserts by the middle of this afternoon through the evening
hours. HREF model 90th percentile values show hourly rain rates
over 0.75" across portions of the San Diego/Riverside Co
mountains. Any of these storms may produce heavy rainfall and
lightning, which may lead to localized flooding. Minimal chances
for precipitation are expected for the weekend into next week as
an area of low pressure moves closer to the coast, which may help
funnel in weaker tropical moisture.

.Previous Discussion...(257 AM PDT Thursday)...

.SHORT TERM (Today through Saturday)...
Moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Mario will peak
today, then decrease into the weekend. Showers and scattered
thunderstorms will move northward across the area today with the
mountains and deserts the most likely locations for heavier
rainfall with the most likely time for the heavier rainfall from
late morning through early evening.

A Flood Watch continues for the mountains and deserts from 5 AM
PDT today to 2 AM PDT Friday. Bands of thunderstorms tracking
across the same area would be the most likely scenario for
producing heavier rainfall totals. The most likely peak hourly
rainfall is one-half to one inch with isolated maximum hourly
rainfall to 2 inches. There will be decreasing chances for
showers and thunderstorms for late tonight through Friday, limited
mostly to the mountains and deserts for Friday afternoon.

High temperatures for today will range from the mid 70s to around
80 near the coast to the 80s for the Inland Empire with the lower
to mid 90s for the lower deserts. That is as much as 10 to 15
degrees below average for the higher mountains in San Bernardino
and Riverside Counties. The coast and valleys will cool on Friday
with slight warming for the mountains and deserts.

There will be warming of a few degrees for inland areas on
Saturday. Saturday high temperatures will range from the mid to
upper 70s near the coast to the mid 80s to lower 90s for the
Inland Empire with the mid 90s to around 100 for the lower
deserts. That is generally a few degrees below average to around
5 degrees below average for the higher mountains.

&&

.LONG TERM (Sunday through Wednesday)...
There are differences in the placement of low pressure to the
northwest and high pressure to the southeast with greater spread
in the resulting high temperatures and in the potential for
tropical moisture from the southwest to move into the area.

There is a greater number of ensemble members of the GFS for the
warmer and drier solutions and a greater number of ensemble
members of the Canadian model for the cooler and wetter solutions
with about an equal weighting of ECMWF ensemble members for either
of those scenarios. The calibrated NBM has chances for showers at
around 20 percent for Sunday through Tuesday, but with low
confidence in the details.

&&

.AVIATION...
181600Z....Coast/Valleys...-SHRA with isolated TSRA will continue to
be possible through this evening, although chances are lower than
this morning. Main cloud bases will remain between 8000-10000ft MSL.
Satellite shows a swath of low clouds with bases around 700-800ft
MSL have developed along the coast, currently impacting KSAN and
KCRQ. Low clouds are expected to clear out over the next few hours,
but SCT-BKN clouds closer to that 10000ft MSL deck will likely
prevail for much of the day. Any precipitation should come to an end
by 06z Friday. Patchy lower clouds around 900-1500ft MSL possible
late tonight into Friday morning generally after 10z.

.Mountains/Deserts...Higher terrain intermittently obscured. After
19Z, SHRA/TSRA chances shift to the mountains and deserts. Bases
generally above 10000ft MSL but in areas of heavier RA, bases could
briefly lower to around 3000ft MSL with vis 1-5SM. Some TSRA could
produce strong up/downdrafts, frequent lightning, and CB tops to 35
kft. The widespread precip moves out to the north tonight into
Friday, with additional SHRA/TSRA chances for Friday afternoon.

&&

.MARINE...There is a slight chance of thunderstorms through early
Friday morning, with the greatest chance being this afternoon. Any
storm could briefly produce lightning, gusty erratic winds, and
choppy seas. Otherwise, no additional hazardous marine conditions
are expected through Monday.

&&

.BEACHES...There is a low chance of lightning (5-10%) through early
Friday morning, with the greatest chance being this afternoon.

&&

.SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CA...Flood Watch through late tonight 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...None.

&&

UPDATE...APR
PUBLIC...17
AVIATION/MARINE...Zuber

The radar

The San Diego radar (KNKX), 71 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:37 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind, 1 flood, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, San Diego

When
September 18, 11:40 AM PST
Where
San Diego County, 1.35 mi WNW of Borrego Spgs
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
33.260, -116.400

Anza Borrego Desert State Part Observation Station reported wind gust of 64 mph.

Flood, San Diego

When
September 18, 12:15 PM PST
Where
San Diego County, 0.69 mi N of Borrego Spgs
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
33.260, -116.380

Shallow runoff from the mountains into the De Anza neighborhood reported. Flooding was confined to roadways. Rain gage in area reported 0.69 Inches of rainfall.

Heavy Rain, San Bernardino

When
September 18, 1:09 PM PST
Where
San Bernardino County, 2.99 mi NNE of Seven Oaks
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
34.190, -116.910

Mesonet station CVEC1 near Seven Oaks reported 1.17 inches of rain.

Thunderstorm Wind, Riverside

When
September 18, 2:32 PM PST
Where
Riverside County, 2.7 mi SW of Palm Desert
Measured
54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
33.690, -116.410

SCE Painted Canyon Rd observation station reported wind gust of 62 mph.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in California, September 2025

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: 1296023, 1296021, 1296022, 1296024.