Flash Flood in California
Every flash flood event the National Weather Service has filed in California, year by year, with the most significant episodes. 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.
The most significant on the map
The most significant flash flood episodes in California.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 2,785
- Deaths
- 68
- Injuries
- 97
- Damage
- $1.4 billion
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in California, December 25, 2003Steady light to moderate rain began falling over the burned areas of the San Bernardino Mountains on 0600 PST 12/24/03. Approximately 24 hours later, mud, rock, and debris flows were being reported along highways and roads leading into the mountain resort communities.
- Flash Flooding and Winter Storm in California, January 7 to 11, 2005A powerful Pacific storm brought heavy rain, snow, flash flooding, high winds and landslides to Central and Southern California. During the 5 day event, rainfall totals ranged from 3 to 10 inches over coastal areas with up to 32 inches in the mountains.
- Flash Flood and Winter Storm in California, March 4 to 6, 2000A winter storm started out on the evening of Saturday, March 4 with heavy wet snow at the higher elevations and heavy rain and flooding at the lower elevations. Sustained 40 knot winds overnight caused heavy surf and several boats to lose their anchorage.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in California, February 23 to 24, 1998The final...and deadliest...storm of the month struck Central and Southern California. Rainfall totals ranged from 1 to 4 inches over the coast with up to 14 inches in the mountains. Widespread urban and small stream flooding was reported.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in California, January 18 to 24, 2017After a wet start to the month, a series of 3 storms traversed the region between the 19th and 24th of January. The storms produced flooding rains, extreme mountain snowfall, and strong winds from the coast to the deserts.
- Flash Flooding and Dust Storm in California, August 22 to 25, 2013A strong push of monsoon moisture fueled thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin for several days, peaking on the 25th. Many storms produced flash flooding, and isolated severe weather also occurred.
- Flash Flooding and Winter Storm in California, January 8 to 11, 2023A strong low pressure system moved through central California on January 9 and 10.
- Flash Flooding and Heavy Snow in California, January 1, 2023A strong atmospheric storm brought moderate to heavy rain and a period of strong winds New Years Eve into early New Years Day, along with heavy high-elevation Sierra snow. There were 3 fatalities reported due to drowning.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in California, October 12 to 17, 2009A deep low pressure trough tapped into quite a bit of moisture from the remnants of Super-Typhoon Melor, bringing as much as around 2 inches of rain to the central and southern San Joaquin Valley on the 13th-14th. Much higher amounts fell in the Southern Sierra Nevada.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in California, January 16 to 17, 2019A 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.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in California, February 23 to 24, 1998A powerful Pacific storm fed by warmer than normal El Nino conditions in the eastern Pacific, slammed into southern California with strong winds, thunderstorms, and very heavy rain. This was the final in a series of heavy storms which pummelled the region this month.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in California, December 19 to 25, 2010A large Pacific plume of moisture ahead of an advancing trough of low pressure brought heavy rain and periods of serious flooding for nearly a week. The plume of moisture responsible was a form of an Atmospheric River.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in California, November 8 to 9, 2022Pacific trough draws two atmospheric rivers, November 8-9, 2022.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in California, February 7 to 8, 1998The third storm of the month brought more weather-related problems to Central and Southern California. Strong winds, gusting up to 70 mph, knocked down many trees and power lines. In Encino, the winds blew down Lang Oak, a one thousand year-old oak tree.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in California, January 22, 2024Historic flooding occurred on January 22nd. Heavy rainfall occurred between 8 am and noon across western San Diego county. The heaviest rainfall occurred between 9 am and 11 am in the east side of the city of San Diego in Encanto and Lemon Grove to Spring Valley.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in California, January 23 to 25, 2008A very powerful winter storm brough significant weather to Central and Southern California. This storm produced several inches of rainfall across the area.
- Flash Flood in California, August 26, 2003A flash flood from a stationary thunderstorm just south of Twentynine Palms swept a car off the road killing two people inside the car and a good Samaritan who tried to rescue them.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in California, February 17 to 19, 2017A strong trough and associated Pacific cold front swept into Southern California from the west, bringing strong winds, heavy snow and rain. The storm was noteworthy for the strong prefrontal southerly winds that produced significant tree damage over the coast and valleys.
- Flash Flood and Winter Storm in California, February 17 to 22, 2017Storms brought additional rain and widespread flooding and debris flows, as well as mountain snow.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in California, September 1 to 2, 2023An upper level storm system coming from the Eastern Pacific interacted with monsoonal moisture on September 1, 2023. The interaction of these features led to the development of heavy rain and thunderstorms, which caused several instances of flooding in the Coachella Valley.
- Flash Flood and Heavy Snow in California, February 24 to 27, 2003Twelve to eighteen inches of snow fell in the San Bernardino Mountains above 7000 feet. In the San Jacinto Mountains of Riverside County, 11 to 20 inches fell between 5600 feet and the ridgetop. In the Laguna Mountains of San Diego County, 8 to 13 inches of snow fell.
- Flash Flood in California, January 2 to 3, 1997A large levee break on the Feather River occurred as river flows equaled or exceeded the design parameters for the levee system. The results were 900 flooded homes and many people stranded on the roofs of homes and other high areas.
- Flash Flood in California, August 15, 2004Severe flooding in Death Valley National Park caused extensive flooding along CA Highway 190 and Route 127. The flooding completely washed away several miles of roadway and caused damage to several rest areas.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in California, March 20 to 23, 2018A warm plume of moist tropical air brought a very active period of weather to the area between the evening of March 20 and the evening of March 22.
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in California, August 31, 2021A similar pattern existed on the 31st compared to the previous day with an upper level low in the eastern Pacific near the west coast of the Baja Peninsula promoting diffluent flow across southeast California.
More
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.