Flash Flood, Sonoma
- When
- December 31, 7:00 PM PST
- Where
- Sonoma County, (Sts)santa Rosa Arpt
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 38.525, -122.922 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in California, December 31, 1996
A 45year old female was intoxicated and was seeking shelter under the Brickwood Ave. Bridge on the Santa Rosa Creek in Santa Rosa.
Where it happened
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.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS MTR wrote it up.
A 45year old female was intoxicated and was seeking shelter under the Brickwood Ave. Bridge on the Santa Rosa Creek in Santa Rosa. The highwater had swept her away and she was not found till a few days later.
The radar
The Sacramento radar (KDAX), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:02 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The people who died
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Sonoma | 1996-12-31 | 45 | Female | In Water | Direct |
What these are
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Weather in New York, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in New Jersey, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in New Jersey, December 31, 1996
- Dense Fog in Florida, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Pennsylvania, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Pennsylvania, December 31, 1996
- High Surf in Hawaii, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Maryland, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Maryland, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Delaware, December 31, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Delaware, December 31, 1996
- Blizzard in Minnesota, December 31, 1996
More
Every storm in California in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in California, December 1996
Sources
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: 5583348.