Flood — Sonoma, California

2024-11-23 · near Guerneville, Sonoma, California

Event narrative

A 911 caller reported to Sonoma County dispatch that they had seen a car go into floodwaters near Mays Canyon Road and Highway 116. Rescue crews arrived and found the vehicle, and the driver was found dead.

Wider weather episode

The first atmospheric river of the winter storm season created flooding across the North Bay between November 20 and 23. The atmospheric river was accompanied by a very rapidly intensifying cyclone that deepened by 66 millibars within 24 hours, easily meeting the criteria for bomb cyclogenesis. The greatest impacts were concentrated across the North Bay as the river stalled over the region. The North Bay valleys received nearly a foot of rain in three days and the mountains received as much as 22.57 inches (from the Venado gauge).

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.4987, -122.9913)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1220519. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.