Flash Flood — Riverside, California

2019-02-14 · near White Water, Riverside, California

Event narrative

Heavy rainfall of 3 to 5 inches occurred on the desert slope of Mt San Jacinto and the Coachella Valley floor. This resulted in massive flooding and water flow into the Whitewater river (up to 10,000 CFS). Flooding severely damaged highway 111 causing a week long closure.

Wider weather episode

A major atmospheric river impacted Southern California February 13th through 15th bringing heavy rain and high winds. Over the course of 48 hours, many mountain locales recorded 8 to 10 inches of rain, with Palomar Mountain (San Diego County) recording over 10 inches of rain in 24 hours. Palm Springs recorded 3.7 inches of rain in 24 hours. This heavy rain resulted in major flash flooding and damage to roads. High snow levels resulted in flooding in the San Bernardino Mountains. Flash flood thresholds were exceeded in the Holy Fire burn scar, with an hourly maximum rainfall rate of 1.02 inches at Leach Canyon. Major flash flooding occurred at the Holy Fire burn scar. Roads were also damaged from this storm, with many roads closed for weeks for major repairs.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.8960, -116.6344)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 810221. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.