A series of strong Pacific storms began tracking into California shortly after the New Year began in 1995.
The storms brought at least several inches of precipitation to most of the state, and dumping one to twelve feet of snow on the highest elevations of the southern California coastal ranges, the Sierra Nevada, and the Cascades. Both Santa Maria, CA and Los Angeles, CA received more rain on January 4, 1995 (3.5″ & 2.3″, respectively) than they typically receive during the entire month (2.4″ & 2.2″) as flash flooding and mud slides affected much of southern California.
During the next few days, the focus of the heaviest rainfall shifted northward, and by January 9 more than a foot of precipitation had been dumped on portions of west-central and northwestern California. These heavy rains caused widespread river flooding in northern portions of the state, with thousands of individuals along the Russian River forced to flee their dwellings. By January 10, six persons had perished, thousands were forced from their homes, dozens of major roads were blocked by mudslides, and tens of thousands of customers had lost electrical power. January 1995 was the third wettest January and the fifth wettest month overall in the last 48 years at Los Angeles.
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