89
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$552.1M
Property damage
Flood in Butte County, California: 89 recorded events between 1997 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #75 nationally and #17 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flood in Butte County, California: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flood in Butte County is the 2020s, when 47 of the county's 89 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Butte County archive, flood makes up 49.7% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #75 for this hazard and #17 within California, putting it in the 97.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Feb is the peak month for flood in Butte County with 33 recorded events, while Jun is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 16, 2026 | MULLBERRY | — | $0 |
| Jan 5, 2026 | (CIC)CHICO MUNI ARPT | — | $0 |
| Jan 3, 2026 | MAGALIA | — | $0 |
| Jan 3, 2026 | DAYTON | — | $0 |
| Dec 25, 2025 | DURHAM | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 25, 2025 | ANITA | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 22, 2025 | PALERMO | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 22, 2025 | CHICO RANCHAERO ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 21, 2025 | PULGA | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 21, 2025 | CENTERVILLE | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A mass evacuation of over 180000 people located downstream of Oroville Dam was ordered for a possible flash flood, due to the projected near failure of the emergency spillway. The emergency spillway was used when the main spillway was discovered to have suffered severe erosion during releases back on and around February 7th. Releases from Lake Oroville had been increased due to rising lake levels due to inflow from heavy rains.||A presidential disaster declaration provided $274 million for emergency response costs from Feb. 7 though the end of May. The money targeted stabilizing the emergency and main spillways, as well as debris removal and work on the downed Hyatt Powerplant. A bid for long term repairs to the spillway was accepted at $275 million. Together, these total $549 million, though final costs could be much higher.
Via twitter Cal Fire Butte County Fire Department reported that firefighters were searching in the area of Lower Honcut road and Hwy 70. They located a truck and horse trailer under water that was swept 150 feet off the roadway. Believed driver was out of the vehicle.
Road erosion damage was reported by local broadcast media on Middlehoff Lane due to heavy rain and roadway flooding. Nearly a dozen families living on this street were stranded and unable to cross the washed away segment of the roadway due to the depth of the erosion.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flood events are on record in Butte County, California?
89 flood events are recorded in Butte County between 1997 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flood recorded in Butte County?
The strongest flood on record in Butte County measured 0.
Where does the flood data for Butte County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flood in Butte County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/butte-county/flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.