Rain slickened roads led to a vehicle sliding into the deepened Merced River near El Portal. One fatality resulted from drowning as the river was unusually high following a "wet" month in the county.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.
Rain slickened roads led to a vehicle sliding into the deepened Merced River near El Portal. One fatality resulted from drowning as the river was unusually high following a "wet" month in the county.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Rain, Mariposa | 1996-12-19 | 34 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 1996
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5578427.