High Wind, Siskiyou
- When
- January 1, 6:00 AM PST to January 3, 5:30 PM PST
- Where
- Siskiyou forecast zone
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
Flooding and High Wind in California, January 1 to 3, 1997
A warm southwest flow pushed temperatures into the mid 50s to lower 60s New Years Eve Day with the freezing level rising to above 10,000 ft. Melting snow and moderate rain drove streams and rivers to flood stage.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $11 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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 MFR wrote it up.
A warm southwest flow pushed temperatures into the mid 50s to lower 60s New Years Eve Day with the freezing level rising to above 10,000 ft. Melting snow and moderate rain drove streams and rivers to flood stage. Strong winds spread across northern California...spotters in Siskiyou County reported winds of 35-55 mph with gusts to 70 mph New Years Day..
Event by event
2 flood, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Modoc County Except Surprise Valley
- When
- January 1, 8:00 AM PST to January 3, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- Modoc County Except Surprise Valley forecast zone
Flood, Siskiyou
- When
- January 1, 8:00 AM PST to January 3, 8:00 AM PST
- Where
- Siskiyou forecast zone
- Property damage
- $11 million
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
- 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
- Flooding in Nevada, January 1 to 17, 1997
- Flooding in Washington, January 1 to 3, 1997
- Flooding in California, January 1 to 17, 1997
- Storm Surge in California, January 1, 1997
- Flooding and High Wind in Oregon, January 1 to 5, 1997
- Drought in Texas, January 1 to 31, 1997
- Flood in California, January 1 to 3, 1997
- Flash Flood in California, January 1, 1997
- Flash Flood in California, January 1, 1997
- Flood in Oregon, January 1 to 5, 1997
- Flood in California, January 1 to 2, 1997
- Flood in Oregon, January 1 to 4, 1997
More
Every storm in California in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in California, January 1997
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: 5603544, 5603542, 5603543.