As I have been saying for years, California has droughts, and then floods. I remember the floods of each of these years beginning in 1955. Here is a summary from Wikipedia December 1955: California flood[edit] 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 storms 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[edit] 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[edit] See also: Christmas flood of 1964 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] September 1976: Ocotillo flash flood[edit] Main article: Hurricane Kathleen (1976) January 1982: Northern California flood[edit] 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[edit] 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 Rivers 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 Appeals decision that said California was liable for millions of dollars in damages.[12] January and March 1995: California flood[edit] 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 Years Day 1997: Northern California flood[edit] 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 Californias 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 U.S. Route 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 km2) were flooded, including the Yosemite Valley, which flooded for the first time since 1861-62.[1] In 2004, there was flooding in the Jonas Tract, and in 2006, flooding of the Suisun Marshlands. We are way overdue for the next big one. Why is everyone surprised?
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 17:42:59 +0000
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