Flood, Plumas
- When
- July 5, 12:26 PM PST to 5:00 PM PST
- Where
- Plumas County, 4 mi SW of Storrie
- Coordinates
- 40.005, -120.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in California, July 5, 1997
5 feet high at the nearest downstream gage) through the north fork of the Feather River. Several people trapped by the sudden surge had to be rescued by helicopter.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- 2
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.
A gate failure on Cresta Dam sent a surge of water (measured as 14.5 feet high at the nearest downstream gage) through the north fork of the Feather River. Several people trapped by the sudden surge had to be rescued by helicopter. The release contributed to a four inch rise in the level of Lake Oroville.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Butte
- When
- July 5, 12:26 PM PST to 5:00 PM PST
- Where
- Butte County, 5 mi NE of Pulga
- Coordinates
- 39.667, -121.601 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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
- High Wind in Florida, July 5, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Kansas, July 5 to 21, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, July 5, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, July 5, 1997
- Tornado and Flash Flood in Texas, July 5, 1997
- Tornadoes and Hail in Washington, July 5 to 21, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, July 5 to 16, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, July 5, 1997
- Hail and Lightning Strike in Nebraska, July 5, 1997
- Tornado and Hail in North Carolina, July 5, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Washington, July 5, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Wisconsin, July 5, 1997
More
Every storm in California in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in California, July 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: 5624142, 5624143.