Flood, San Francisco
- When
- May 16, 4:00 AM PST to 11:00 PM PST
- Where
- San Francisco forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.778, -122.442 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood in California, May 16, 1996
Two days of rainfall (Two consecutive daily accumulation records for the month of May in downtown Sacramento) brought river flows high enough to cause flooding, mainly in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Near the town of Coloma on the south fork of the American River, 21 campers had to be rescued by boat when they were stranded by the rising water.
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
- 0
- 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 STO wrote it up.
Two days of rainfall (Two consecutive daily accumulation records for the month of May in downtown Sacramento) brought river flows high enough to cause flooding, mainly in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Near the town of Coloma on the south fork of the American River, 21 campers had to be rescued by boat when they were stranded by the rising water. Elsewhere, sporadic surges of water closed schools and roads.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flood in West Virginia, May 16 to 17, 1996
- Flooding in Montana, May 16, 1996
- Flood in California, May 16, 1996
- Damaging Wind in North Dakota, May 16, 1996
- Damaging Wind in North Dakota, May 16, 1996
- Damaging Wind in North Dakota, May 16, 1996
- Flash Flood in West Virginia, May 16 to 17, 1996
- Flash Flood in West Virginia, May 16 to 17, 1996
- Flood in Utah, May 16, 1996
- Damaging Wind in North Dakota, May 16, 1996
- Flash Flood in West Virginia, May 16, 1996
- Flash Flood in Ohio, May 16, 1996
More
Every storm in California in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in California, May 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: 5575523.