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<br />Description of the Event <br /> <br />The first of a series of severe winter storms began in Southern California on January <br />3, 1995, and continued through January 12, 1995. This large scale weather pattern <br />was typical of past severe storm systems characterized by: <br /> <br />o A high latitude - high pressure area near the coast from the Pacific <br />Northwest northward into Canada, <br />o A large, deep, low pressure system west and southwest of the high <br />pressure ridge and <br />o A long southwesterly flow of moist, warm, subtropical air that interacted <br />with the low pressure system. <br /> <br />These conditions pulled warm moist unstable air from the Pacific Ocean. From <br />January 1 to 12, precipitation totals that bracketed the period of heaviest rainfall and <br />flooding were typically in the 3 to 8 inch range at numerous coastal and valley <br />locations. Mountainous areas and some low lying locations recorded rain in the 8 to <br />15 inch range, with the greatest total recorded in the 15 to 25 inch range. Rain fell <br />somewhere in California every day during this period. Major flooding occurred on <br />January 4, 8, 9 and 10. On January 6, the Governor declared a state of emergency <br />for Los Angeles and Orange counties in Southern California. <br /> <br />Flash flooding conditions and previously saturated soils set the stage for rapid runoff <br />and flooding when the first of the flood producing storms struck the state on January <br />4. (See Figure B) The heaviest rainfall from this storm system was generally in the <br />Southern California coastal and mountainous areas. Rainfall amounts in the 3 to 5.5 <br />inch range were reported. Several burned areas from recent wildfires contributed to <br />the flooding and mudslide problems. <br /> <br />Heavy rainfall on the morning of Sunday, January 8. produced a major rise of flood <br />water on the Russian and Napa Rivers. Based on meteorological and hydrologic <br />conditions. the Russian River was forecasted to rise 5 feet above flood stage at <br />Guerneville by midnight. With continued heavy rains all day. the Russian River was <br />forecasted to be 16 feet above flood stage by Monday afternoon. <br /> <br />The storms of January 9 and 10 caused flash flooding in many areas of the State. <br />These storms were characterized by high instability that caused bands of heavy rain <br />and thunderstorms to cross portions of California. with and following the main cold <br />front. <br /> <br />One example of the intensity of these short-period rainfall events occurred in <br />downtown Sacramento during the evening of January 9. An all time record of 1.27 <br />inches of rainfall was set in a 30-minute period. <br /> <br />..JJ...,J 'ff/;t;,.J;- R.,-t <br />~1995 <br /> <br />2 <br />