VOLCANO MADNESS: [CaliforniaDisasters] On This Date In California Weather History (October 15)

Thursday, October 17, 2019

[CaliforniaDisasters] On This Date In California Weather History (October 15)

2018: A deep low pressure axis extending across Southern California produced strong region-wide Santa Ana winds.

The strongest gust reached 82 mph in Fremont Canyon, with widespread gusts above 40-50 mph reported in valley locations.

In Orange County, over 200 trees were downed and one person was killed when a tree fell onto their vehicle.

2018: A low pressure system moved into southern California on October 13 and moved slowly inland on October 14.

While the precipitation with this system mainly stayed to the south of our area, it interacted with an upper ridge that was building into the Pacific Northwest to produce a strong offshore gradient over central California which resulted in a brief period of strong mono-type northeast winds over the Southern Sierra Nevada during the late evening of October 14 and the early morning of October 15.

Several dead trees were blown down near North Fork and Bass Lake in Madera County resulting in some brief road closures and some damage to a few structures.

2015: Numerous social media and later TV media reported mudslide along Highway 58.

The area had experienced some heavy rainfall through out the afternoon. Then a heavy convective shower developed near a burnt area from years prior.

This allowed a large debris flow to develop and move into the Tehachapi area.

This area is a known alluvial basin that can develop quick flowing flash floods, but the amount of mud and debris with this event was on the order of four to six feet deep.

This trapped multiple vehicles and closed the roadway for multiple days.

One individual was reported later to have been swept away during the event, with no recovery made to date.

2015: Strong thunderstorms generated gusty and damaging winds estimated at least

60 mph along the western side of the Salton Sea.
Winds blew down over 10 power poles several miles to the northwest of the town of Salton City.
Unseasonable high pressure and warm ocean waters led to very warm October days and the warmest October nights on record from 10/10 through this day.
In San Diego, five out of the six highest October minimum temperatures on record occurred.
The highest minimum temperature in any October was 76° on 10/10 and again on 10/13.
This is only two degrees off the highest minimum temperature for any time of year! (Only seven nights in history recorded 77 or 78°, all of which occurred during September,
meaning these October nights were warmer than any night in July or August in San Diego).
On 10/10 the highest minimum temperature in October was also recorded in Chula Vista (73, only three degrees off all-time highest), Oceanside Harbor (74, only two degrees off all-time highest), and El Cajon (tied 69).
On 10/13 Santa Ana recorded 78°, the highest October minimum temperature on record.
The top six warmest October nights on the Chula Vista record occurred this month, and the top
five in El Cajon occurred this month.

2015: Low pressure leaving Washington on Oct. 2 arrived October 4-6 afflicted the greater metropolitan Las Vegas. NV, Area.

After moving south into northern Mexico it returned October 17-18, 2015, and combining with another upper level disturbance, reintensified.

Abundant moisture through the lower and mid levels of the atmosphere indicated a primed atmosphere for flash flooding during both episodes.

There were 35 warnings issued with 50 different reports of flash flooding or severe weather during this second outbreak of the month.

Rainfall totals in Las Vegas reached 1.25" on the morning of October 17th alone.

This broke the all-time precipitable water record for the month of October.

1984: An area of low pressure generated strong gusty winds of over 70 mph across the southern Sierra Nevada knocking down numerous trees.

1969: San Francisco received 2.29" of rain.

1965: One man died when an offshore gale capsized his fishing boat off the Southern California coast.

1962: Gale-force winds were responsible for the death of three men in Shasta and Siskiyou counties.
A search party was combing the east side of Hatchet Mountain after an airplane was reported to have crashed there.

1962: First of six days with dense fog observed at Fresno.
This set a record for the most days with dense fog observed in the month of October at Fresno.

1961: Hot Santa Ana winds drove temperatures skyward at the coast for a second consecutive day, reaching 104° F in Santa Ana, 102° F in San Bernardino, Riverside, and La Mesa, 100° F in Laguna Beach,97° F in San Diego, and 93° F in Newport Beach.

Source: NWS San Francisco/Monterey, Hanford, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Redding Record-Searchlight