Editor's Note: Staff at the National Weather Service offices in California have reviewed records of major weather events to affect the state over the past 100 years. Based on impacts to people, property, and the economy, National Weather Service has chosen the top 15 weather-related events to impact California, listed in ascending order. Choosing among the numerous weather events was a difficult task. Many of the events did not affect California alone but were widespread, impacting other parts of the western United States. You will note that most of the larger events are recent. This is due to the fact that record keeping has improved in the latter half of the century, while urbanization in the state has increased the economic impacts of severe storms and floods.
This information is taken from the National Weather Service pages in September, 2008.
Overview: Losing hurricane status shortly before moving
onshore south of Los Angeles (San Pedro) at tropical storm strength,
the system packing torrential rains and sustained winds of 50 mph
drenched Los Angeles with 5.62 inches of rain in a 24 hour period.
Long-term Strategic Impact: Alerted Californians to
their vulnerability to tropical storms.
Calculated Damages: 45 deaths on land with many more
at sea.
Overiew: Began as a typical late season local fire
until dry vegetation and strong winds led to rapid expansion. The fire
became significant due to extremely poor vehicle access. Streets were
narrow and winding and many homes had only one access road. Incoming
fire equipment and exiting residents jammed the access roads, forcing
firefighters to walk in with hand tools to combat the fire. Many
residents lost all possessions that could not be carried away on foot.
Long-term Strategic Impact: Led to major revisions of
residential infrastructure planning, implementing new requirements
for wider streets and multiple access roads.
Calculated Damages: 103 injured firemen, $100 million
economic losses including 484 buildings (mostly residential) and 6,090
acres destroyed.
Overview: Significant and extended heavy rain and wind.
Flooding in coastal regions was particularly notable. 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 Monterey Peninsula was effectively cut off
from the "mainland". The Napa River set a new peak record and the
Russian and Pajaro Rivers approached their record peaks. Extensive
flooding from small streams particularly in Placer County suburbs.
Calculated Damages: 28 dead, $1.841 billion economic
losses.
Overview: Extensive flooding a few days before
Christmas throughout central and northern California. Close to record
floods on most of the major Central Valley rivers and the greatest flow
of record to that time on the Eel River on the North Coast. Statewide
disaster declared.
Calculated Damages: 74 deaths, $200 million economic
losses.
Overview: Record-setting low temperatures for an
extended period of time during a critical growing period. Temperatures
did not get above 25 degrees in parts of the San Joaquin Valley for
three to five days and all time record low temperatures were set at
Sacramento, Stockton, and Bakersfield. Many records were set for
duration of freezing temperatures. The agricultural industry was
devastated as acres of trees - not just fruit - were destroyed.
Thirty-three counties were disaster-declared.
Long-term Strategic Impact: Changed the way crop
protection measures were implemented.
Calculated damages: $3.4 billion in direct and indirect
economic losses including damage to public buildings, utilities, crop
damage, and residential burst pipes.
Overview: Significant flooding on Central Valley rivers
and reformation of Tulare Lake in the San Joaquin Valley as extended
precipitation fell across the state. Heavy snow fell in all mountain
ranges and the monthly rainfall record was set in Sacramento. Forty
counties were disaster-declared.
Calculated Damages: 47 dead, 161 injured, $300 million
economic losses.
Overview: Wind reached an estimated 192 mph in Arvin
and lifted in excess of 25 million tons of soil from local grazing
lands alone. The wind was strong enough to cause drifting sand to
pile-up and plug highways, bury cars, blow-out windows in vehicles,
and denude the landscape. The raised dust from the event dimmed the sun
as far north as Reno, NV.
Long-term Strategic Impact: The local landscape was
permanently changed from fertile farmland to sandy soil and resulted in
an overwhelming agricultural economic loss for many years. In addition,
state highway and emergency planners became more sensitive to reduced
visibility problems on Central Valley highways caused by blowing dust
and dense fog.
Calculated Damages: 3 dead, $40 million immediate
economic losses ... not including subsequent agricultural losses.
Overview: Significant flooding on all major rivers in
the Sacramento Valley. A record instantaneous flow peak was set one
year, the record overall flow volume was set during the other. A total
of 300,000 acres were flooded in the Sacramento Valley in 1907.
Long-term Strategic Impact: The flood episodes resulted
in an overhaul of planned statewide flood control designs. Previous
designs were based upon Midwest experience, which relied upon confining
rising rivers between levees. The concept of bypasses and overflow
weirs had been suggested and rejected. Following the 1907 and 1909
record floods, a new Lead Planning Engineer was selected and the
current California flood control design was devised.
Calculated Damages: Not available.
Overview: Multiple fires ravaged southern California
for an extended period of time...fueled by very dry vegetation and
extreme Santa Ana winds. The initial fires were ignited by campfires.
However, as both the winds and fires continued unabated, additional
fires were ignited by arsonists and downed power lines. Of the twenty
identified fires, the initial two were caused by campfires, six by
downed power lines, and twelve by arsonists.
Calculated Damages: 4 dead, 162 injured, $1 billion
economic losses in property alone and 194,000 acres were destroyed.
Overview: A tsunami caused by the Alaskan earthquake
completely wiped out several North Coast towns. The Del Norte County
coastal area was devastated and substantial damage was received along
the entire California coastline.
Long-term Strategic Impact: Heightened sensitivity to
tsunami-induced flooding and led to improved warning and awareness
efforts.
Calculated Damages: 14 dead, $16 million economic
losses in Del Norte County alone.
Overview: Significant rainfall fell throughout central
and northern California from December 26, 1996 through January 3, 1997,
with the heaviest and warmest rains on New Year's Eve/Day. Snow levels
were above 10,000 feet. Several towns were inundated. Three-hundred
square miles were flooded, including the Yosemite Valley, which flooded
for the first time since 1861-62. For weeks after the rains stopped
rivers continued to flow out of their banks and major roads remained
impassable due to flood damage and mudslides. Along I-80 ... rainfall
recorded for the event totaled 3.71 inches at Sacramento ... 9.57 inches
at Auburn ... and 29.73 inches at Blue Canyon. Forty-eight counties
were disaster-declared, including all 46 counties in northern
California.
Long-term Strategic Impact: Led to improved methods for
large-scale evacuations.
Calculated damages: 8 dead, $1.8 billion economic
losses including 23,000 homes and 2,000 businesses damaged or
destroyed.
Overview: Widespread low temperatures for an extended
period of time caused extreme damage to the fledgling California citrus
industry. Temperatures dropped to 10-15 F in some areas, representing
some of the coldest nights ever measured in the state.
Long-term Strategic Impact: Led directly to the U.S.
Weather Bureau establishment of the fruit frost forecast program.
Calculated Damages: Not available.
Overview: The firestorm erupted in a densely populated,
exclusive neighborhood with poor vehicle access, causing an extreme
amount of damage in less than a 24-hour period. The fire took hold due
to very dry vegetation and was quickly whipped out of control by strong
local winds.
Long-term Strategic Impact: Resulted in a complete
overhaul of the State of California Office of Emergency Services
emergency management incident command system.
Calculated Damages: 25 dead, 150 injuries, $1.7 billion
economic losses including 3,354 homes and 456 apartments destroyed.
Overview: Severe low rainfall and snowfall over an
extended period of time in California. Thirty-one counties were
disaster-declared.
Long-term Strategic Impact: Water rights issues moved
to the top of political agendas. Ushered in the era of low-flow water
fixtures and natural landscaping in California.
Calculated Damages: $2.664 billion economic losses.
Overview: Multiple strong storms brought high wind,
heavy rain, and heavy snowfall across all of California. This led to
direct wind damage, higher tides, immediate flooding to coastal and
valley locations, mudslides in coastal mountain areas, record snowfall
in the Sierra Mountains, and resulting spring snowmelt river flooding.
In one 36-hour period, 25 inches of rain fell in the Santa Cruz
(coastal) mountains while 8.5 feet of snow fell in the Lake Tahoe
region. Forty-six counties were disaster-declared.
Long-term Strategic Impact: Lessons learned from this
El Niño event were used to lessen the impact of the next El
Niño event in 1997-98, including enhanced coordination of
reservoir releases.
Calculated Damages: 36 dead, 481 injured, $1.209
billion economic losses including 6,661 homes and 1,330 businesses
damaged or destroyed.