California floods
Every recorded flood since 1996 · 58 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 7,136 floods and flash floods in California from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 247 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the February 23, 1998 flash flood in Los Angeles County: 5 deaths and 1 injury across 3 records. California ranks 6th of 52 states and territories by count and 35th of 51 per square mile.
Floods in California, 1996 to 2026
Flood records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 7,1361996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 247average
- Deaths
- 121173 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $5.4Bas filed
- Busiest year
- 20231,024 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are floods and flash floods common in California?
California averages about 247 floods and flash floods a year since 2000, 6th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2023 (1,024). Per 10,000 square miles of land, California records 458 floods and flash floods since 1996, 35th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in California have the most floods and flash floods?
Per square mile, Marin County leads California: 98 days with a flood since 1996, 188.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, San Bernardino County has the most flood records (999 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is flood season in California?
41% of its floods and flash floods since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (1,560 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 1,560 · Feb 1,377 · Mar 619 · Apr 228 · May 136 · Jun 91 · Jul 553 · Aug 641 · Sep 420 · Oct 267 · Nov 349 · Dec 895 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest floods and flash floods in California?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-02-23 | Flash FloodCountywide, Los Angeles County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. The 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. Most major highways reported closures due to flooding or mudslides. In fact, ... | 5 | 1 | – | |
| 2006-01-01 | FloodCountywide, Solano County One storm episode: 9 records in 9 places; the totals are the episode's. A series of warm winter storms brought heavy rain, mudslides, flooding, and high winds to Northern California. - Levee overtopping, breaching, and river flooding occurred along the Feather and Sacramento mainstem rivers as well as along numerous smaller rivers, creeks, and streams. Several urban areas had significant ... | 3 | 3 | $47M | |
| 2002-12-16 | FloodFallbrook, San Diego County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Almost two inches of rain fell in a two hour period, causing low lying roads and most creeks to flood. In Carlsbad, 5 women tried to cross a flooded bridge in a car, which stalled midway then floated downstream and overturned. Two women escaped, the other three drowned. Mudslides closed roads in Fallbrook and ... | 3 | 2 | $919K | |
| 1997-01-02 | Flash FloodArboga, Yuba County A 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. Emergency crews made numerous boat and helicopter rescues during the morning of the ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-01-01 | Flash FloodSlough House, Sacramento County One storm episode: 4 records; the totals are the episode's. A 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. Precipitation totals by 8 am (over 24 hours) were around 1 to 3 inches for the southern ... | 3 | 0 | $130M | |
| 2022-11-08 | Flash FloodOntario, San Bernardino County Ontario Fire department reported 6 person in the swiftwater channel in John Galvin park where the channel begins near I-10. Rainfall rates of 0.50 to 0.75 inches per hour had occurred from 7 am to 9 am in Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga. 3 persons were rescued. 3 more person were later found drowned in a retaining pond ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2003-08-26 | Flash FloodTwenty Nine Palms, San Bernardino County A 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. | 3 | 0 | $80K | |
| 2017-01-22 | Flash FloodRainbow, San Diego County One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. After 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. Rainfall for the 6 day period reached 10-13 inches along the coastal slopes from San Bernardino ... | 2 | 11 | $12K | |
| 2003-12-25 | Flash FloodDevore, San Bernardino County One storm episode: 3 records; the totals are the episode's. Steady 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. By 0800 PST on Christmas Day, more than two inches ... | 2 | 5 | $3.6M | |
| 2000-03-08 | FloodElsinore, Riverside County Heavy rains most of the morning, flooded roads across Orange County and Western Riverside County. The deaths and injuries resulted from a traffic accident during an afternoon downpour. | 2 | 4 | $103K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest floods and flash floods in California
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-02-12 | FloodHoncut, Butte County | 0 | 0 | $661M | |
| 1997-01-01 | FloodModoc County · forecast zone Surprise Valley One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 2 | $607M | |
| 2023-08-20 | Tropical Storm Hilary · Flash FloodDeep Spgs, Inyo County One storm episode: 4 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $496M | |
| 2023-01-01 | FloodSacramento Airport, Sacramento County One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $264M | |
| 2006-01-01 | FloodCountywide, Napa County | 0 | 0 | $216M | |
| 2010-12-22 | Flash FloodQuail Vly, Riverside County One storm episode: 6 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 2 | 0 | $199M | |
| 1998-02-23 | Flash FloodCountywide, Orange County One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 2 | 2 | $198M | |
| 1998-06-01 | FloodKings/W Tulare/Nw Kern · forecast zone Kings/W Tulare/Nw Kern | 0 | 0 | $182M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are floods and flash floods becoming more frequent in California?
California's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | California | United States | California's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 531 | 20,986 | 2.5% |
| 2000s | 1,021 | 54,913 | 1.9% |
| 2010s | 2,647 | 68,322 | 3.9% |
| 2020-26 | 2,937 | 43,563 | 6.7% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent floods and flash floods in California
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-21 | FloodKirkwood, Tehama County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | FloodCorning, Tehama County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | FloodCitrus, Sacramento County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | FloodCorning, Tehama County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | FloodCosumne, Sacramento County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | FloodLodi, San Joaquin County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | FloodSalida, Stanislaus County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | FloodSalida, Stanislaus County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | FloodSalida, Stanislaus County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | FloodSan Andreas, Calaveras County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | FloodHidden Vly, Placer County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-21 | FloodStockton, San Joaquin County | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for floods and flash floods in California
FEMA has declared 69 disasters in California for floods and flash floods, counting its incident type and declarations that name flood in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 67 were major disasters, the latest on April 19, 2024.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-04-19 | DR-4772 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 1 |
| 2024-04-13 | DR-4769 | Severe Winter Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 9 |
| 2024-02-19 | DR-4758 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 1 |
| 2023-05-25 | DR-4714 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 1 |
| 2023-05-18 | DR-4713 | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding | 1 |
| 2023-04-03 | DR-4699 | Severe Winter Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 46 |
| 2023-03-10 | EM-3592 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 43 |
| 2023-01-14 | DR-4683 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 44 |
| 2023-01-09 | EM-3591 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides | 41 |
| 2019-05-17 | DR-4434 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 18 |
| 2019-05-01 | DR-4431 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides | 11 |
| 2019-04-08 | DR-4425 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 1 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Marin County: the county's whole recordThe California county with the most floods and flash floods per square mile
- Floods across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in CaliforniaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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