| Date | December 31, 1996, to January 5, 1997, peaking on January 2, 1997 |
|---|---|
| Location | Yosemite Village, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, Mariposa County, California |
| Deaths | 0[1] |
| Property damage | $178,000,000[2][full citation needed] |
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged with 1997 California New Years Floods. (Discuss) Proposed since June 2024. |
The January 1997 flood of the Merced River (flooded/flooded from the watershed/floodplain of the Merced River) occurred from December 31, 1996, to January 5, 1997, throughout the Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, Mariposa County, California, US. The flood stands as arguably the park's worst natural disaster to date (some would give this designation to the rockfall of 1996 or the Rim Fire of 2013), and inarguably the worst flood in park history.[3][4] The Merced River at Happy Isles peaked at 10,100 cubic feet per second during the flood.[4] A book was written on the flood later in 1997 by Mark Goodin titled Yosemite: The 100-Year Flood. It is part of the 1997 California New Years Floods.
- ^ "Merced River Flood 1/2/1997 – Yosemite, CA – High Level Marks on Waymarking.com". Waymarking.com. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
- ^ Goodin, Mark (1997). Yosemite: The 100-Year Flood.
- ^ "Floods of 1996 and 1997". Nps.gov. December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
- ^ a b "Yosemite Valley spring runoff and flooding / Yosemite snow pack". Faculty.deanza.edu. Retrieved December 28, 2013.