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| Date | December 26, 1996 - Mid-late January 1997 (some areas) |
|---|---|
| Location | Northern California |
| Cause | Heavy rainfall and snowmelt |
| Deaths | 9[1] |
| Property damage | $2.94 billion (2023)[2] |
The 1997 California New Years Floods resulted from a series of winter storms, from December 26 to January 3 of 1997, fed with tropical moisture by an atmospheric river. It impacted Northern California, resulting in some of the most devastating flooding since the Great Flood of 1862. Similarly to the 1862 event, the flooding was a combined effect of heavy rainfall and excessive snowmelt of the relatively large early-season Sierra Nevada snowpack.[3] The resulting flooding in the Central Valley and other low-lying areas forced over 120,000 people from their homes and caused over $2 billion in property damage alone. 48 out of California's 58 counties were declared disaster areas with many streamflow gauge stations in these areas recording return intervals of over 100 years. It would take months for the worst-hit areas to recover fully.[1]
- ^ a b Hunrichs, Richard A.; Pratt, David A.; Meyer, Robert W. (1998). "Magnitude and Frequency of the Floods of January 1997 in Northern and Central California Preliminary Determinations" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ "El Nino, la Nina and California Flooding".
- ^ "California Nevada River Forecast Center".