Coastal Flood in California

Events

120

Deaths

0

Injuries

4

Damage

$810,000

• Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in California, January 16 to 17, 20193 deaths · 85 kt wind · 89 eventsA moderate to strong atmospheric river impacted much of California in the middle of the month. A weak surface low developed off the coast on January 15th bringing moderate to heavy rainfall to portions of the region.
• Coastal Flood and High Surf in California, December 23 to 30, 20243 deaths · 3 injured · $20 · 5 eventsLong duration high surf caused damage across Monterey Bay and resulted in numerous attempted water rescues on December 23. Around 1244 PST, around 150 feet of the Santa Cruz wharf collapsed and fell into Monterey Bay.
• Tornadoes and Debris Flows in California, January 5 to 7, 20192 deaths · $8,000 · EF0 · 60 eventsA vigorous cold front swept through California on January 5th bringing widespread rainfall and gusty winds.
• Debris Flow and Coastal Flood in California, December 28 to 29, 20101 death · 1 injured · $287,000 · 50 kt wind · 12 eventsA strong trough moved along the northern California coast bringing heavy rain and strong wind to the San Francisco Bay Area and central coast. Localized flooding, damaging wind, downed trees and power lines, and minor debris flows all occurred during this last week of the year.
• Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in California, December 11, 20142 injured · $6.7 million · 72 kt wind · 48 eventsAn Atmospheric River event brought heavy rain and gusty winds with a strong winter storm that impacted the Bay Area for several days in mid-December. Cyclogenesis occurred with a 979 mb low forming off the Northern California coast.
• Coastal Flood and Rip Current in California, October 6 to 8, 20171 death · $25,000 · 3 eventsA southwesterly swell brought several days of high surf to the beaches of Orange and San Diego Counties between the 6th and 9th. Surf peaked on the 7th and 8th, with 6-8 ft sets north of Del Mar and max sets to 15 ft at the Wedge.
• Flooding and Coastal Flood in California, January 2 to 7, 20233 injured · $218,000 · 82 kt wind · 76 eventsA quasi-stationary westerly upper flow regime yielded multiple atmospheric rivers over Northwest California during the first two weeks of January. Impacts from these events were widespread, both in terms of flooding and wind damage.
• Flooding and Coastal Flood in California, December 14 to 16, 2016$13 million · 14 eventsA strong atmospheric river brought widespread rainfall to Northwest California in mid December. Flooding and landslides resulted in significant damage along the coast. Three counties declared a local state of emergency with several million dollars in damage reported.
• Storm Surge and Coastal Flood in California, November 15, 20201 death · 3 eventsKing Tides returned to the region in on the 15th and 16th of the month. High tide at San Francisco reached 6.9 feet above sea level Sunday morning. Minor roadway flooding was observed in Sausalito. These high tides also brought rough seas to the coast.
• Flash Flood and Coastal Flood in California, January 4 to 5, 2008$365,000 · 96 kt wind · 49 eventsA very strong cyclone slammed into the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Areas bringing flooding rains, high winds, record high surf and coastal flooding.
• Coastal Flood and High Surf in California, December 21 to 22, 20052 injured · $200,000 · 4 eventsA powerful storm in the East Pacific generated very large swells that later impacted the Southern California coastline for two days. The swell arrived in Southern California on the morning of the 21st and peaked that afternoon with sets reaching 20 feet high.
• Flash Flood and Flood in California, January 2 to 4, 2026$206,000 · 61 kt wind · 15 eventsStorm systems continued to bring rain to Northwest California in early January. Persistent south winds resulted in over 1.5 feet of storm surge along the coast resulting in inundation of many homes in the King Salmon area.
• Coastal Flood in California, December 31, 2005$340,000 · 1 eventThe large Pacific storm brought coastal flooding to Bolinas, causing some significant property damage. The damage occurred at the time of high tide, exasperated by strong winds, large waves and periods of heavy rain.
• Flooding and Coastal Flood in California, December 2 to 3, 2014$76,000 · 27 eventsA winter storm impacted the Bay Area with rain and wind, bringing some flooding issues as well as downed trees and power lines across the area.
• Tornado and Debris Flows in California, January 6, 2016$75,000 · EF0 · 10 eventsA strong Pacific storm swept through the San Francisco Bay Area and Monterey Bay Area on Wednesday, January 6. This storm produced heavy rain, minor flooding, damaging winds, a funnel cloud, and one confirmed tornado.
• Coastal Flood and Dense Fog in California, July 3 to 6, 20202 injured · $40,000 · 2 eventsAreas of coastal Southern California received patchy dense fog and impactful coastal flooding in early July.
• Debris Flow and Flooding in California, December 13 to 15, 2012$65,000 · 5 eventsA cold low pressure system developed in the Gulf of Alaska and deepened as it dropped south along the West Coast, before closing off and slowing as it moved inland over southern California on the 13th.
• Flood and Coastal Flood in California, December 11 to 14, 20153 injured · 70 kt wind · 19 eventsTwo upper level toughs moved through Southern California between the 10th and 14th of December. The stronger of the two impacted the region from the 12th to the 14th. The troughs produced gusty onshore winds, rain, snow, and a few weak thunderstorms.
• Coastal Flood and High Surf in California, January 1 to 5, 202626 eventsHigh astronomical tides combined with storm surge based off westerly swell and strong winds contributed to major coastal flooding impacts during the first few days of January.
• Coastal Flood and High Surf in California, December 28 to 30, 20232 injured · $50 · 6 eventsVery high surf caused by swell from north Pacific lows led to coastal flooding and damage across the Pacific coast of the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast. The Bodega Bay buoy reported a significant wave height of 28 ft at 4:20 AM.
• Coastal Flood and Damaging Wind in California, November 4 to 6, 2025$500 · 82 kt wind · 14 eventsA strong atmospheric river brought heavy rain to all of Northwest California but particularly targeted in the northern half of the forecast area in Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity counties.
• Coastal Flood and High Surf in California, August 26 to 28, 2014$15,000 · 4 eventsA large southerly swell around 10 feet, generated by Hurricane Marie, moved through the coastal waters from the 25th through the 28th. This swell resulted in very large surf and dangerous rip currents during this time.
• Coastal Flood in California, December 21, 20051 injured · 3 eventsA very large long-period westerly swell combined with high astronomical tides to produce coastal flooding along the beaches of Southern California. At Goleta Pier in Santa Barbara County, 15 foot waves flooded the parking lot.
• Coastal Flood and High Surf in California, December 28 to 30, 20238 eventsA strong, long-period swell from the west-northwest arrived in Southern California on December 27-28th, and persisted through the 30th. This led to the development of very large breaking wave heights, especially at the beaches of Southern California.
• Coastal Flood in California, January 11 to 12, 20217 eventsKing Tides returned to the California coast in mid January coinciding with increased northwest swell. High tide at San Francisco on Monday and Tuesday the 11-12th reached just under 7 feet. The combination of these events led to minor flooding of low lying coastal areas.

Coastal Flood everywhereEvery kind of event in California

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.