FLOODING AND STORM DAMAGE
CALIFORNIA 1949-1997

Season1 Type2 Date(s) Event Region Damage3 Deaths Injuries
          ($M)
1949 L        
1950   Nov 18, 1950 Floods N, NC, Sierra 200 9
1951 E        
1952          
1953          
1954 L        
1955   December 19-27, 1955 Snow Melt "Christmas Storm" Statewide 1195 74
1956   May 20, 1957 Heavy Rain - Agricultural Damage N 35   2
1957 E Late March/early April 1958 Floods Statewide 135 13 Several
1958          
1959          
1960          
1961          
1962   October 11-13, 1962 "Columbus Day Storm" N 21
1963   Feb & Apr, 1964 Storms Humboldt, LA 17
1964 L December 19-24, 1964 Storms & Flooding N 1134
1965 E Fall 65 - Winter 66 Heavy Rains and Flooding S 285
1966          
1967          
1968 E Nov-Dec 1968/
Jan-Mar, 1969
Storms and Flooding S/N 1344 47 161
1969   Winter 1970 Storms and Flooding N 151
1970 L        
1971   Spring 1972 Flooding - Snow melt N 37
1972 E Jan-Mar 1973 Storms and Flooding N 80
1973 L January, April, 1974 Storms and Flooding N 135
1974          
1975 L        
1976   September 10-11, 1976 "Kathleen" S 322 5
1977 E Aug 23, 1977/
Dec. 1977-Feb 1978
"Doreen"/Storms and Flooding S/Statewide 164
1978   February 1979 Storms and Flooding S 264 14 21
1979   Jan-Mar 1980 Storms and Flooding Statewide 706
1980          
1981   January 1982 Storms and Flooding Bay Area 462 33 481
1982 E December 1982-March 1983 Storms and Flooding Statewide 1444
1983   Aug. 29, 1983/
Sec. 1983
Storms and Flooding S/C 69
1984   July 31, 1984 Storms Kern 3
1985   February 11-20, 1986 "Pineapple Connection" N,C 605 13 67
1986          
1987   January 17, 1988 Storms and Flooding S 67
1988 L        
1989   February 22, 1989 Storms N 15 1 17
1990          
1991 E February 1991 Storms and Flooding S 143 5  
1992   Dec. 29, 1992/
January 5-19, 1993
Storms and Flooding Statewide 675 20 10
1993          
1994   January & March 1995 Flooding Statewide 1953 33
1995 L        
1996   December 1996-January 1997 Flooding - "New Years Storm" Statewide 1885 8
1997 E December 1997-April 1998 Storms and Flooding Statewide 550 17

Notes:
1 Rainfall Season beginning year 
2 Type: E = El Niņo, L = La Niņa 
3 Damage Calculated in 1998 Dollars 

Sources:
California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, Personal communication, 1998
Goodridge, J.D., Historic Rainstorms in California, California Department of Water Resources, Sacramento, 1997