California was hit by floods, snow, landslides, winds, wildfires and earthquakes, all in one day

Nearly a dozen weather phenomena occurred in California on Thursday as the state lived up to its reputation.

By Jesse Ferrell, AccuWeather Meteorologist and Senior Weather Editor

Posted on November 14, 2025 at 3:53 PM EST | Updated November 14, 2025 at 3:53 PM ET

From Wednesday into Thursday, rain hit the Bay Area, but the effects are expected to start shifting south as we head into the weekend.

In a state known for its “boring” and “scary” weather — as well as frequent natural disasters — California lived up to its reputation Thursday, witnessing an abundance of weather phenomena and disasters.

A pair of storm systems that will continue to batter the state through the weekend had already begun moving in by Thursday, bringing heavy rains to the northern half of the state. Heavy rains inundated the northern and central parts of the state, causing dozens of landslides in many districts.

Cars drive through floodwaters on northbound Interstate 880 connecting Interstate 24 in Oakland, California Thursday, November 13, 2025. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

The California Highway Patrol also reported several rockslides affecting State Route 162 North, near Oroville Dam. The National Weather Service also recorded 23 additional reports of flooding on roads and highways.

Snow fell in the mountains, though only a few inches had accumulated by the end of the day. A webcam atop Mammoth Mountain, a ski area in the southern Sierra, showed a mix of rain, snow and fog during the day.

Some rain came, accompanied by thunder and lightning. The AccuWeather Lightning Network recorded a total of 189 lightning strikes in the central part of the state on Thursday.

Radar animation shows rain and snow spreading across the central part of the state on November 13, 2025.

“We only have two types of weather in California, great and extraordinary.”

Writer James Kane

By early Thursday afternoon, 80 mph winds were reported at Pine Mountain, with a 73 mph gust in Lagunitas and 72 mph gusts in Montara, all in the mountains about 20 miles northwest of San Francisco.

Later in the day, winds gusted above hurricane force again near the Nevada border, including 105 mph at Tahoe, 78 mph at Mean Peak and 76 mph at Crowley Lake.

There were 18 reports of wind damage statewide, mostly trees fallen on roads. Some trees toppled power lines, leaving 22,000 customers without power Thursday morning, according to PowerOutage.US.

Dust blowing was reported on California Route 99, about 20 miles south of Bakersfield.

High winds fanned forest fires in the area. A new fire, the Pack Fire, broke out near Crowley Lake in the Mammoth Mountain area. The fire spread quickly due to strong winds, burning 3,400 acres and destroying 15 buildings. A photo taken by police showed forest fires burning under a rainbow as heavy rain approached the area. Conditions later improved with rain, but the fire remained 0% as of Friday morning.

This photo released by the Mammoth Lakes Police Department shows the Pack Fire burning on Thursday, November 13, 2025, in Mono County, California. (Mammoth Lakes Police Department via AP)

Although minor earthquakes are very common in California, residents might have been able to do without a 3.5-magnitude quake that occurred near Vallejo, 25 miles northeast of San Francisco, at noon Pacific time, which caused a mild shaking from San Jose to Sacramento.

In less than 24 hours, California experienced nearly a dozen weather and natural events — torrential rain, floods, lightning, snow, high winds, landslides, fog, flying dust, wildfires, a rainbow, and an earthquake. This came just one day after the aurora borealis illuminated the skies across the state and a large part of the country.

Unfortunately, flooding and landslides are likely to continue through the weekend in Southern California, as more heavy rain moves into the region, where some parts of the region could receive up to a third of winter precipitation.

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