HAPPINESS

IS A WARM CUP

May 22, 2022, 7:51 AM PDT

Southern California Overview:

Cooler weather will continue for most areas today with better clearing expected west of the mountains. Breezy west winds will occur over lee side the mountains down into the deserts this afternoon and evening. The beginning of the work week features a large area of high pressure moving across the area. This will bring much warmer conditions for all with night and morning low clouds occurring closer to the coast. A trough of low pressure is expected to come into the western part of the country by the end of the week, which will prompt greater onshore flow and cooler weather.

United States Overview:

Heavy rainfall and possible flash flooding for the Lower Mississippi Valley today. One last day of record heat for the Northeast; record cold in the Rockies and central Plains.

Heavy rain from thunderstorms was produced by a very cold and unstable storm from the north. Several debris flows occurred. In the Santiago burn area of eastern Orange County, extensive damage was done to homes and businesses. In rural northeast Moreno Valley, 28 residences were flooded and damaged. Minor damage occurred in the Witch Creek burn area around Ramona. Snowfall of several inches hit the mountains, even as low as 5000 feet elevation. Thunderstorms deposited several inches of hail from Redlands to Perris. Several reports of nickel size hail in Moreno Valley and dime size hail in Murrieta. Snowplows were called to clear the hail. Awnings, trees and vehicles were damaged. Four tornadoes touched down near Moreno Valley. One tornado was rated EF-2, which was the strongest California tornado since the Sunnyvale tornado in 1998, and was on the ground for an exceptional 21 minutes. Nine railroad cars were derailed. A semi truck was lifted 30-40 feet in the air and severely injured the driver. Damage was done to roofs, trailers and sheds.