All types of
floods can occur in
California, though 90% are caused by riverine flooding.
[1] Such flooding generally occurs as a result of excessive
rainfall, excessive
snowmelt, excessive
runoff,
levee failure or a combination of these sources. Below is a list of flood events that were of significant impact to California
1800–99
Los Angeles Flood of 1825
Changed the course of the
Los Angeles River from its western outlet into
Santa Monica Bay following the course of
Ballona Creek to a southern outlet at
San Pedro Bay near where it is today.
[2]
January 1850
In January 1850, a major flood devastated the new city of
Sacramento; rain from heavy storms saturated the grounds upon which Sacramento was built, and the
American and
Sacramento rivers crested simultaneously.
[3]
Years closely following January 1850
Many floods occurred later in the city of Sacramento and other low
lying cities along the Sierra born rivers due to hydraulic mining at
locations in the foothills e.g. malakoff diggings in which sludge
runoffs purportedly raised the river beds in the valley below, an
additional 2 ft.
Hydraulic Gold mining became a hot topic for the time and was
eventually stopped by Ca. Lawmakers. Malokoff diggings is now a State
Park missing a whole mountain due to the massive water jets that can
still be seen there. Well worth the visit. Camping allowed, the old city
still stands.
[4]
December 1861 – January 1862: California's Great Flood
Beginning on December 24, 1861, and lasting for 45 days, the largest
flood in California's recorded history was created, reaching full flood
stage in different areas between January 9–12, 1862. The entire
Sacramento and
San Joaquin
valleys were inundated for an extent of 300 miles (480 km), averaging
20 miles (32 km) in breadth. State government was forced to relocate
from the capital in Sacramento for 18 months in San Francisco. The rain
created an inland sea in
Orange County, lasting about three weeks with water standing 4 feet (1.2 m) deep up to 4 miles (6 km) from the river.
[1]
The Los Angeles basin was flooded from the San Gabriel Mountains to the
Palos Verdes Peninsula, at variable depths, excluding the higher lands
which became islands until the waters receded. The Los Angeles basin
lost 200,000 cattle by way of drowning, as well as homes, ranches, farm
crops & vineyards being swept-away.
1900–49
1909: California flood
The storm extended from
Fort Ross on the coast to the
Feather River basin.
La Porte,
in the Feather River basin, had 57.41 inches (1,458 mm) of rain in 20
days, an event with a return period of 12,000 years. The flood episodes
of 1907 and 1909 in California resulted in an overhaul of planned
statewide flood control designs.
[1]
December 1933 – January 1934: Crescenta Valley flood
In the last week of December 1933, 12 inches (300 mm) of rain fell in the communities of
La Crescenta,
La Cañada and
Montrose
just north of Los Angeles. On New Year's Eve, more rain fell. The
result was a flood of mud and water that began around midnight,
destroying more than 400 homes in this area. This was commemorated in
Woody Guthrie's song "Los Angeles New Year's Flood". As a result of this flood, the
Army Corps of Engineers and the
County of Los Angeles built a
flood control system of catch basins and concrete storm drains to prevent a repeat of the disaster.
February 1937: Santa Ana flood
The storm of February 4–7, 1937 resulted in the highest four-day rainfall totals at several stations in the
Santa Ana River basin. The
Riverside
North station had over 8 inches (200 mm) of rain in that four days,
which equaled a 450-year event. Other stations also received high
amounts of rain within those four days.
[1]
December 1937: Northeast California flood
The storm of December 1937 was a high-elevation event in the northeast corner of the state.
[1]
Los Angeles Flood of 1938
Two significant cyclones moved through the region; one between
February 27 and March 1 and the second between March 1 and March 3. Over
254 mm (10.0 in) of rain had fallen during the five-day period. Massive
debris flows moved out from the
San Gabriel Mountains into the
Los Angeles Basin. Although
Los Angeles County experienced damage,
Riverside and
Orange
counties bore the brunt of the flooding. A total of 5601 homes were
destroyed, and an additional 1500 homes were left uninhabitable. The
three transcontinental railroads connecting Los Angeles to the outside
world experienced washed out bridges and flooded lines, isolating the
city. Mail service after the flood was conducted by the U.S. Coast
Guard. The death toll was 115. It was the region's worst flood since New
Year's Day of 1934. The result of this flood was the Flood Control Act
of 1941, which authorized the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build a series of concrete sewers.
[5]
1950–99
November 1950: California Flood
A statewide disaster was declared November 21 when floods caused 9 deaths and $32 million in damage.
[6]
December 1955: California flood
The storm affected the central
Sierra and
South Bay areas. The
Eel River on the
North Coast saw the greatest flow of record to that time while
Central Valley
rivers saw near-record flows. A statewide disaster was declared, with
the storm resulting in 74 deaths and $200 million in economic losses.
The heaviest 24-hour rainfall was recorded on December 20, when 15.34
inches (390 mm) fell in
Shasta County.
[1]
The storm's toll on Sutter County was severe. At 12:04 a.m. on December
24, 1955, a levee on the west bank of the Feather River, at Shanghai
Bend, collapsed and a wall of water 21 feet high entered the county,
flooding 90 percent of the City of Yuba City and the farmlands in the
southern Yuba City basin. Some 600 people were rescued by helicopter,
but 37 people drowned.
[7]
March 1964: North Coast California tsunami
The
1964 Alaska earthquake caused a
tsunami in March, completely devastating several
North Coast towns and resulting in 14 deaths and an economic loss of $14 million in
Del Norte County alone.
[1]
December 1964: California flood
The six days from December 19–24, 1964 were the wettest ever recorded at many stations on the
North Coast.
Every major stream in the North Coast produced new high values of
extreme peak flows. 34 California counties were declared disaster areas.
[1]
January 1982: Northern California flood
Heavy rainfall in the San Francisco Bay region triggered on January
3–5 triggered thousands of debris flows from Santa Cruz Country to
Contra Costa and Sonoma Counties, as well as flooding along the San
Lorenzo River, Soquel Creek, and Aptos Creek in Santa Cruz County.
Floods along creeks in Marin County plus added significant amounts of
sediment to Tomales Bay. The landslides caused at least $66 million in
damage. Landslides caused 25 of the 33 storm-caused deaths. Total
estimated storm-related losses were $280 million.
[8]
1986 California and Western Nevada floods
On February 11, 1986 a vigorous
low pressure system drifted east out of the
Pacific, creating a
Pineapple Express[9] that lasted through February 24 unleashing unprecedented amounts of rain on northern California and western
Nevada.
[10] The nine-day storm over California constituted half of the average annual rainfall for the year.
[1] Record flooding occurred in three streams that drain to the southern part of the
San Francisco Bay area.
[10] Extensive flooding occurred in the
Napa and
Russian rivers.
Napa, north of
San Francisco, recorded their worst flood to this time
[11] while nearby
Calistoga recorded 29 inches (740 mm) of rain in 10 days, creating a once-in-a-thousand-year rainfall event.
[9] Records for 24-hour rain events were reported in the
Central Valley and in the
Sierra. One thousand-year rainfalls were recorded in the Sierras.
[1]
The heaviest 24-hour rainfall ever recorded in the Central Valley at
17.60 inches (447 mm) occurred on February 17 at Four Trees in the
Feather River basin.
[9] In Sacramento, nearly 10 inches (250 mm) of rain fell in an 11-day period.
[1] System breaks in the
Sacramento River basin included disastrous
levee breaks in the
Olivehurst and
Linda area on the Feather River.
[1] Linda, about 40 miles (64 km) north of
Sacramento, was devastated after the levee broke on the
Yuba River's south fork, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate.
[12] In the
San Joaquin River basin and the
Delta, levee breaks along the
Mokelumne River caused flooding in the community of Thornton and the inundation of four Delta islands.
[1] Lake Tahoe rose 6 inches (150 mm) as a result of high inflow.
[10] The California flood resulted in 13 deaths, 50,000 people evacuated and over $400 million in property damage.
[1] 3000 residents of Linda joined in a class action lawsuit
Paterno v. State of California, which eventually reached the
California Supreme Court
in 2004. The California high court affirmed the District Court of
Appeal's decision that said California was liable for millions of
dollars in damages.
[12]
January and March 1995: California flood
During the events of January and March 1995, over 100 stations
recorded their greatest 1-day rainfalls in that station’s history. The
major brunt of the January storms hit the
Sacramento River
Basin and resulted in small stream flooding primarily due to storm
drainage system failures, though flooding affected nearly every part of
the state. The
Salinas River
exceeded its previous measured record crest by more than four feet,
which was within a foot or two of the reputed crest of the legendary
1862 flood. The
Napa River set a new peak record, and the
Russian and
Pajaro rivers approached their record peaks. 28 people were killed and the flood cost $1.8 billion.
[1]
New Year's Day 1997: Northern California flood
A series of
subtropical storms, collectively called a
pineapple express, struck northern California from late December 1996 to early January 1997.
[1] December 1996 was one of the wettest Decembers on record.
[1] The
Klamath River on California's
North Coast experienced significant flooding which led to the river permanently changing course in some areas.
[13] The
Klamath National Forest experienced its worst flood since 1974.
[13] Unprecedented flows from rain surged into the
Feather River basin while melted snow surged into the
San Joaquin River basin.
[13] Rain fell at elevations up to 11,000 feet (3,400 m), prompting snow melt.
[1][13] The
Cosumnes River, a
tributary to the San Joaquin River, bore the brunt of the flooding.
[13] Sacramento was spared, though
levee failures flooded
Olivehurst,
Arboga,
Wilton,
Manteca, and
Modesto.
[14] Massive landslides in the
Eldorado National Forest east of Sacramento closed
Highway 50.
[13] Damages totaled US$35 million (1997 dollars).
[13]
Watersheds in the
Sierra Nevada
were already saturated by the time three subtropical storms added more
than 30 inches (760 mm) of rain in late December 1996 and early January
1997.
[1] Levee failures due to breaks or overtopping in the
Sacramento River Basin resulted in extensive damages.
[1] In the
San Joaquin River Basin, dozens of levees failed throughout the river system and produced widespread flooding.
[1] The
Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta also experienced several levee breaks and levee overtopping.
[1] 48 counties were declared disaster areas, including all 46 counties in northern California.
[1]
Over 23,000 homes and businesses, agricultural lands, bridges, roads
and flood management infrastructures – valued at about $2 billion – were
damaged. Nine people were killed and 120,000 people were evacuated from
their homes.
[1] 300 square miles (780 km
2) were flooded, including the
Yosemite Valley, which flooded for the first time since 1861-62.
[1]
See also
References
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Historic Rainstorms in California". California Department of Water Resources. Retrieved 2007-10-23.
- Jump up ^ William
Deverell, Whitewashed Adobe: The Rise of Los Angeles and the Remaking
of Its Mexican Past, University of California Press, Los Angeles, 2005,
Page 101-102
- Jump up ^ Thor Severson, Sacramento: An Illustrated History: 1839 to 1874, California Historical Society, 1973, Page 72
- Jump up ^ Malakoff Diggings Wikipedia Reference
- Jump up ^ SEMP: Evidence-based disaster management: preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation
- Jump up ^ "Yolo County Disasters Since 1950". Yolo Operational Area Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
- Jump up ^ County of Sutter, Office of Emergency Management
- Jump up ^ Ellen, Stephen D.; & Wieczorek, Gerald F. (1988). "Landslides, floods, and marine effects of the storm of January 3–5, 1982, in the San Francisco Bay Region, California". U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1434. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "1986 Flood Disaster". Archived from the original on 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Summary of Significant Floods in the United States, 1986". U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Kansas Water Science Center. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
- Jump up ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napa_River_flood_of_1986
- ^ Jump up to: a b "1986 Flood Victims To Get Millions". KCRA 3. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Aftermath of the 1997 Flood: Summary of a Workshop
- Jump up ^ "Sacramento Flood Risk". Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA). Retrieved 2007-10-22.
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