Heavy Rain — Lassen, California

2024-11-22 to 2024-11-23 · near Susanville, Lassen, California

Event narrative

A trained spotter located 5.0 mi WNW of Susanville, CA, reported a 24 hour rainfall/liquid total of 2.1 inches. The 2-day storm total was 3.34 inches.

Wider weather episode

This second wave brought higher snow levels with heavy rain and high elevation snow. Although significant rises were anticipated on creeks and streams, no river flooding was forecast. This second round featured more widespread precipitation that reached western Nevada and Mono County. This included greater rain and snowfall totals compared to the first round. Snow levels begin above 7500- 8000' at the onset of precipitation as the region remained situated in the warm air regime. This setup, once again confined snowfall to the High Sierra with rainfall elsewhere. By early on the 23rd a transition into the colder side of the storm lowered projected snow levels down to 6000-7000' that marked the beginning of snowfall down to Sierra passes with travel impacts as well. A foot or two of snow was projected along the Sierra crest during this second round with a 20% chance of highest peaks receiving 3 feet or more of snowfall. Meanwhile, only an inch or less was projected for Sierra communities around the Lake Tahoe Basin. Ensemble simulations also leaned toward a stronger burst of winds ahead of the precipitation. Blended guidance highlighted a 40-50% chance for wind gusts exceeding 50 mph for the afternoon and evening of the 22nd along the Highway 395, and Interstate 580 corridor. These conditions brought impacts to backcountry recreation, hazardous lake conditions, high profile vehicle travel restrictions on area roadways, and aviation turbulence.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.4477, -120.7378)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1223464. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.