Flash Flood — Ventura, California

2023-08-20 · near Sycamore, Ventura, California

Event narrative

Heavy rain generated flash flooding near Point Mugu Naval Base. On Highway 1, several rocks fell on a vehicle.

Wider weather episode

Tropical Storm Hilary, the first tropical storm to impact Southern California in 84 years, brought heavy rain and significant flooding to Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Rainfall totals were very impressive with mountain areas receiving 3 to 9 inches of rainfall while coastal and valley areas received 2.50 to 5 inches of rainfall. Rainfall rates were also very impressive with rates around 1 inch in less than an hour reported at times. With such heavy rainfall, numerous reports of flash flooding as well as mud and debris flows were received. As for winds, most areas reported gusts in the 30 to 50 MPH with local gusts in excess of 80 MPH in some mountains locations in Los Angeles county.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.0900, -119.0600)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1136185. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.