PROJECT ALERT NOTICE (CA) Cat 3 AR moving through CA

Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2019 14:50:27 EST

Summary: Significant AR event impacting Southern California.

A deep cold trough is spinning off the coast. The cyclonic effect of this low is tapping a tropical jet of moisture from just south of the Hawaiian Islands and is funneling moisture into the southern part of the state. This is an impressive AR and can be seen on satellite feeds spanning from Santa Cruz to the Mexican border.


The NWS forecast precip amounts are exceptional, anywhere from 4-5 inches on the coastal plain to 7-8 and even possibly 10 inches over select south facing slopes of the San Gabriel's and San Bernardino mountains. Even San Diego is forecast for 6-8 inches on the coastal slopes.

The NWS has issued Flash Flood watches and Wind Warnings for areas south of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, including LA County, the Inland Empire and San Diego area through 3 PM this afternoon. We currently have a total 25 crews out from each of our field offices. The most impact seems to be along the Russian River Drainage, Salinas River in Santa Cruz and the many rivers and streams in the LA Basin and south to the Mexican Border. We expect some need for indirects and possible exceedance of a few PORs in the south part of the state.