DesertWeather.com blog

On this day in…
2006: Offshore winds gusted to 92 mph with seven gusts over 75 mph in northwest San Bernardino. Gusts reached 75 mph at Fremont Canyon. Downed power lines sparked a small fire in the Inland Empire. 16 power poles were downed in Valley Center.
1999: Santa Ana winds produced a gust of 90 mph at San Bernardino and 68 mph in Fontana.
1966: A great storm brought heavy precipitation to the region, especially the mountains, starting on this day and ending on 12.7. Over the five days, 27.74 inches fell at Lake Arrowhead, 23.73 inches fell at Palomar Mountain, 18.72 inches in Big Bear Lake, 17.85 inches in Idyllwild, and up to a foot of rain at lower elevations. On this day local flooding occurred at the coast and Palm Springs was flooded. Buildings and highways were flooded. Strong storm winds caused power outages.
1958: It was 95° in Santa Ana, 93° in Riverside and Palm Springs, and 80° in Palomar Mountain, each the highest temperature on record for December. It also reached 80° in Palomar Mountain the next day, 12.4.1958. It also reached 93° in Palm Springs on 12.7.1938.

On this day in…
1965: Heavy storms drawing tropical moisture in the mountains and desert started on 11.22 and ended on 11.25. Storm totals: 20 inches at Mt. San Gorgonio, 16 inches at Mt. San Jacinto, 9.59 inches at Cuyamaca, six to nine inches at Banning-Cabezon, over four inches at Palm Springs, less than one inch near the Salton Sea. The one-day total was over nine inches at Snow Creek. Roads and bridges washed out north and west of Palm Springs. Two drowned attempting to cross the Whitewater River. Record flood levels were recorded at Tahquitz Creek. It was the largest flood on the Whitewater River since 1938. 8.87 inches fell in Palomar Mountain, 2.48 inches of rain fell in Riverside, 2.75 inches fell in Palm Springs, and 1.69 inches fell in Borrego Springs on this day, each the greatest daily amount on record for November. For Palomar Mountain it was the second greatest daily amount on the entire record.

On this day in…
2002: 5.68 inches of precipitation fell in Idyllwild, the greatest daily amount on record for November. Incredibly, no rain at all fell just on the other side of the mountain in Palm Springs.
1982: Seven tornadoes touched down in the LA Basin. Three of the tornadoes began as waterspouts off Pt. Mugu, Malibu, and Long Beach. The Long Beach waterspout moved ten miles inland. Two of the tornadoes were in Garden Grove and Mission Viejo. Property damage occurred, especially with the Long Beach waterspout/tornado.
1937: 2.68 inches of rain fell in San Diego, the fifth wettest calendar day on record and the wettest November day on record.
1914: In Bagdad, California rain finally fell on this day ending an incredible dry spell at 767 days that started on 10.3.1912 (Southern Pacific RR employees kept this debated record).

FYI, Bagdad, CA if just east of Yucca Valley near Amboy!

On this day in…
2006: Offshore winds blew to 40 mph in the Banning Pass. The Esperanza Fire was started by an arsonist. It eventually burned 40,200 acres from Cabazon to San Jacinto. It destroyed 34 homes and killed 5 firefighters.
2003: Santa Ana winds started on 10.25 and ended on 10.27. Gusts of 56 mph were measured at Descanso, 46 mph in Anza, 45 mph in Ontario, 43 mph at Fremont Canyon, 41 mph in Beaumont and 40 mph in Campo. Unprecedented
wildfires, including the Cedar, Paradise and Otay Fires consumed hundreds of thousands of acres, killed over 20 people and caused over one billion dollars in damage. The Cedar Fire itself consumed more than 280,000 acres,
making it the largest wildfire in California history, and killed 16. This is the also the second costliest fire in U.S.
History (the costliest fire was the Oakland Fire of 1991).
2002: A funnel cloud was observed five miles northeast of Borrego Springs

On this day in…
2004: A large winter season storm pummeled Southern California. Not just daily, but monthly record rainfall was received in only one day across the region. The same happened again on 10.27. The monthly record rainfall was exceeded in only six hours in many locations of Orange County on this day. Totals for last two weeks of October were four to eight inches in lower elevations, and up to 14 inches at Lake Arrowhead. A storm wind of 39 mph was measured at Lindbergh Field from the south, the strongest October wind on record. 1.95 inches of rain fell in Riverside and 3.15 inches fell in Santa Ana, the greatest daily amounts on record for October. 3.5 inches of snow fell in Idyllwild, the greatest daily amount on record for October. Widespread flooding occurred. A bridge washed out near Wrightwood. One was killed in floodwaters near Lytle Creek. Many mountain roads were impassable with mud and rockslides. Railroad tracks washed out, derailing a train. The Santa Ana River flooded, putting horses neck-deep in flood waters in Norco and a rescue was made at a Chino golf course. Several funnel clouds were reported offshore from San Clemente.