VOLCANO MADNESS: [CaliforniaDisasters] On This Date In California Weather History (September 11)

2017: Some deep tropical moisture associated with a fairly strong upper level shortwave pushed into central California on September 11th and produced a severe thunderstorm outbreak during the afternoon and evening. Numerous reports of downburst winds exceeding 60 mph were reported and the impacts form these thunderstorms included downed power lines, damage to roofs; and large objects being knocked over and damaged. Rainfall amounts were generally a quarter of an inch or less with a few locations in the Southern Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountains receiving between a quarter inch and a half inch of rain.

APRS station 5WSW Firebaugh reported a 59 mph wind gust from a thunderstorm.

A dairy farm south of Hanford had several barns with extensive roof damage from thunderstorm winds.

8 telephone poles were downed on Jackson Ave. near 9th Ave. south of Hanford.

A tree fell onto a vehicle near the intersection of 13th Ave. and Houston Ave. near Hanford.

A microburst downed 30 powerlines in Mendota.

8 miles west of Caruthers a chicken barn was blown down by thunderstorm downburst outflow winds.

In Corcoran thunderstorm winds produced damage to a house and snapped several trees.

Beams from a wood fence were snapped from from concrete support and shingles were blown off of a roof.

There were reports of nickel-sized hail in Corcoran.

There were several trees down on northbound State Route 99 just south of the State Route 190 interchange.

Lightning struck a house near Hanford High School.

A Weather Service forecaster providing onsite support at the Pier Fire reported penny sized hail at Pierpoint Springs.

2012: A stationary thunderstorm brought persistent, heavy rain to Mecca.

3"-5" of rain fell in just a couple hours (more than a year's worth).
Floodwaters damaged a school, a mobile home park and several orchards.

2012: On the afternoon of September 11, 2012 thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall moved across much of the Las Vegas Valley.
Rainfall rates of a half-inch to nearly eight-tenths of an inch in 30 minutes resulted in significant and in some cases devastating flash flooding.
A total of 1.18" of rain was measured by the automated weather station at McCarran International Airport.
This set an all-time record for a calendar day for the month of September.
Automated weather stations operated by the Clark County Regional Flood Control District as well as Mesonet weather stations, cooperative observers and spotter reports showed the heaviest rain fell in several areas.
1"-2" of rain fell in northern portions of Summerlin, NV, in and just south of downtown Las Vegas, NV, along Flamingo Road and Tropicana Avenue from near Interstate 15 to near Mojave Road and in southeast Henderson, NV.
The highest total reported was 2.09" at an automated station operated by the Clark County Regional Flood Control District near Swenson Avenue and Flamingo Road by the Tropicana Wash.
According to local media reports, at least 50 vehicle rescues took place throughout the Las Vegas Valley by Clark County Firefighters.
40 of these were swiftwater rescues.
The largest number of rescues was 15 near the intersection of Sloan and Sahara with one rescue done by helicopter.
Roadway flooding was extensive with several inches to several feet of flowing water reported on many roads especially in the central and eastern parts of the Las Vegas Valley.
Interstate 215 was closed from Interstate 15 to Eastern Avenue after intense rainfall washed large amounts of mud and rocks onto the highway from nearby landscaping along the side of the road. This also resulted in the Airport Connector to McCarran International Airport being closed.
The Charleston Underpass flooded for the first time since extensive construction work was done to mitigate this once flood-prone area back in the mid-2000s.
The worst impacted area though was near the Desert Rose Golf Course.
At least 45 homes were flooded mainly on and near Walton Heath Avenue.
Most of these homes suffered extensive damage to their lowest level with many people loosing furniture and appliances.
In some cases the force of floodwaters busted through concrete walls.
Numerous vehicles in this area were flooded and some were floated 300 to 400 feet.
Three dogs drowned to death that lived in one house. In addition, a worker at the Desert Rose Golf Course was swept away by the floodwaters from his tractor around 4:22 PM PDT on September 11th.

His body was found dead two days later about two and a half miles away.

2011: Small hail was reported at Bodfish and Lake Isabella as was street flooding which was also reported in Kernville.

2011: Monsoonal thunderstorms brought flooding to Downtown Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Strip.

A rain gauge in Downtown Las Vegas recorded 0.98" of rain in about 20 minutes.

Water ponded up over curbs of streets from Downtown Las Vegas to North Las Vegas.

Several inches of water flooded the Circus Circus Adventuredome.

The parking lot at the Cannery Casino in North Las Vegas was flooded.... with some cars partially underwater.

A few inches of water also entered part of the casino and movie theater.

2008: The Cascadel Fire began on this date in the Sierra National Forest at 2000 PST.

The cause was human, from target shooting.

The location was 3 miles East-Northeast of North Fork in Madera County.

It burned 280 acres and was contained on September 17 at 1700 PST.

There were no fatalities or properties damaged.

The cost to containment was $3,100,000.

2008: A thunderstorm produced strong outflow winds measured at 67 mph in La Quinta.

Another thunderstorm produced golf ball sized hail in Ranchita.

2004: The Nehouse Fire 25 miles east of North Fork in Madera County burned 204 acres.

Its cause was human in origin but no fatalities,injuries, or structures-lost occurred.

2004: Severe thunderstorms in Borrego Springs produced one inch hail that broke windows.
Strong winds gusted to 60 mph before the anemometer was destroyed, and knocked down six power poles.
Training thunderstorms over Johnson Valley produced severe flash flooding.
Hwy. 247 was washed out in numerous sections.
Minor damage to homes occurred and 12 vehicles were trapped.
In La Quinta, 138 trees were knocked down at one golf course with damage to a building.
More trees fell down at other golf courses.
Roof tiles were blown off.

Damage occurred to power poles and transformers.

2004: The China Fire began on this date 15 miles southwest of Lake Isabella in Kern County.

This suspiciously-caused fire burned 314 acres but there were no fatalities, injuries, or structures-lost.

2001: On this date 19 hijackers seized 4 U.S. commercial jetliners on the East Coast and flew two aircraft into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City destroying them, one aircraft into the Pentagon Building near Washingon, DC, causing severe damage, and one was destined for another target in the Washington, DC, area (either the White House or the U.S. Capitol Building) but the passengers resisted and the hijackers crashed the plane near Shanksville, PA. In all, nearly 3,000 people were killed and civilian air traffic into, out of, and within the United States was grounded for days afterwards.

1998: Severe thunderstorms pounded the Las Vegas Valley and Lake Mead for a few hours producing golf ball size hail, a small tornado and widespread flash flooding.

Large hail began falling shortly before 11 am PST and numerous hail reports came in for the next couple hours with some episodes causing damage to several automobiles.

A small tornado tore the roof off a Henderson, NV, warehouse and destroyed a large block wall at a service station a short distance away.

Heavy rain fell mainly on the east side of the metro area with amounts up to 1.85" in a two hour period.

As a result flash flooding filled streets and washes and trapped several motorists although no serious injuries occurred.

The heavy rain damaged about one acre of the 750 acre Sunrise Landfill and carried significant amounts of debris into the Las Vegas, NV, wash.

The Clark County School District activated the "shelter-in-place" policy for school children at approximately 30 schools around the area.

Children were not bused home until after flooding had subsided.

1990: It was 117° F in Borrego Springs, the highest temperature on record for September.
This also occurred the previous day on 9.10.

1983: Half Moon Bay had a high of 94° F -- a record for the month.

1982: The morning low temperature at Reno, NV was a chilly 29° F.

1976: Record rains that started on 9.9 ended on 9.12 came from Tropical Storm Kathleen (called a 160+ year event by meteorologists).
14.76" fell on south slopes of Mt. San Gorgonio, 10.13" at Mt. Laguna, 8" at Mt. San Jacinto, 4"+ in the Little San Bernardino Mountains, and 1.8"-2.8" in the Coachella Valley.
Deep Canyon (above La Quinta) recorded 2.96" in three hours on 9.10.
Rainfall in the Santa Rosa Mountains above the Coachella Valley was called the a heaviest in recorded history.
6 were buried and killed in sand in Ocotillo.
Floods of record were attained at numerous streams around the Coachella Valley.
1.84" of rain fell in Riverside on this day, 2.09" fell in Borrego Springs, 2.33" fell in Victorville, 2.57" fell in Idyllwild, and 5" fell in Palomar Mountain, each the greatest daily amounts on record for September.
The Victorville amount is also the third highest daily amount on record.
This occurred during the El Nino of 1976-77.
Hurricane Kathleen also brought the southwest the highest sustained winds ever associated with an eastern Pacific tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 57 mph at Yuma on 9.10.

1976: The remains of Hurricane Kathleen move across Baja and into southern California near El Centro.
With its circulation still intact, tropical storm force winds produce considerable damage in Yuma. Sustained winds exceed 50 mph, and gust as high as 76 mph in Yuma, AZ.
One man is killed as a 75 foot palm tree crashes onto his mobile home.
Severe flooding occurs in Mohave county.

1971: It was 100° F in Palomar Mountain, the highest temperature on record.
This occurred on eight other occasions.

1960: North northwestward moving Hurricane Estelle dissipated west of the central Baja California coast from 9.9 to this day.
On this day a thunderstorm hit the area east of Lucerne Valley.
The resulting flash flood was four feet deep and washed out a section of road, stranding several vehicles east of Lucerne Valley.

1952: Chilliest morning in three day stretch from the 10th through 12th in Fresno; record lows were set each on morning and all still stand to this day.
Low of 44° F on this date is the earliest 45° F or lower reading on record in Fresno.

1939: 4"of rain fell across the deserts and mountains as a dying tropical cyclone moved across Baja California into southwestern Arizona on this day and on 9.12.
This was the second tropical cyclone to impact California during the busy month of September 1939.
A strong El Nino contributed to the activity.

1939: The remnants from the second of three tropical cyclones to affect the southwestern U.S. in one month floods homes in Eldorado Canyon, roads in the California Wash near Glendale and washed out parts of Charleston Blvd. near Rancho Blvd. in Las Vegas, NV.

1888: Fresno set an all-time record high of 111° F for the month of September.
This is also the latest in the season that Fresno has had a high temperature of 110° or better.

Source: NWS San Francisco/Monterey, Hanford, Reno, Las Vegas, Phoenix, & San Diego