Flash Flood — San Bernardino, California

2022-11-08 · near Ontario, San Bernardino, California

Event narrative

Ontario Fire department reported 6 person in the swiftwater channel in John Galvin park where the channel begins near I-10. Rainfall rates of 0.50 to 0.75 inches per hour had occurred from 7 am to 9 am in Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga. 3 persons were rescued. 3 more person were later found drowned in a retaining pond which was filled 15 to 20 feet high with storm runoff water. The bodies were not found until several days later due the water being too deep and low visibility. Multiple agencies were involved in the week long recovery efforts. The channel runs south past Ontario airport to where it reached the storage collection ponds on East Philadelphia Street. Search and rescue in Cucamonga Channel reported by CalOES and Ontario Fire Department. As many as 10 people experiencing homelessness were swept away as a surge of water occurred following 2 hours of heavy rain. Five people were immediately rescued, one person immediately reported deceased, with two additional bodies recovered (one of November 14, the other on November 16).

Wider weather episode

Pacific trough draws two atmospheric rivers, November 8-9, 2022.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.0787, -117.6301)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1067637. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.