74
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$10K
Property damage
Heavy Rain in Placer County, California: 74 recorded events between 1998 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #44 nationally and #7 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Heavy Rain in Placer County, California: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for heavy rain in Placer County is the 2010s, when 42 of the county's 74 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 Placer County archive, heavy rain makes up 44.0% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #44 for this hazard and #7 within California, putting it in the 98.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jan is the peak month for heavy rain in Placer County with 14 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.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 18, 1998 | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 2, 2026 | CLIPPER GAP | — | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2, 2026 | CLIPPER GAP | — | $0 |
| Aug 23, 2025 | CARNELIAN BAY | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 6, 2025 | TAHOE CITY | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 5, 2025 | TAHOE CITY | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 22, 2024 | POMINS | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 22, 2024 | TAHOE CITY | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 16, 2024 | HOMEWOOD | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 18, 2024 | HOMEWOOD | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 24, 2024 | TAHOE PINES | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 4, 2024 | SUMMIT | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Placer County
- Flood 51
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
There were numerous reports of roadway flooding and rises on small creeks and streams in the area due to heavy rain. A hiker went missing on January 2nd around 2:00 PM. Search and research operations from Placer County to help find the missing individual where underway through the weekend. The hiker's body was recovered Monday afternoon.
Mesonet stations (WRDC1) located 2.4 mi S of Alpine Meadows, CA (SNOTEL), mesonet station (THOC1) located 0.8 mi W of Tahoe City, CA (SNOTEL), and mesonet station (TRUC1) located 2.0 mi SE of Truckee, CA (SNOTEL) reported 24hr rainfall storm totals of 2.2 inches, 1.3 inches, and 0.8 inches respectively.
Heavy rain was reported in Placer County. Reported storm totals reached 11.15 inches By a CoCoRaHS station near Colfax to 13.35 inches off Forest Hill Rd. All time record high calendar day rainfall amount was recorded at 10.40 inches at Blue Canyon.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many heavy rain events are on record in Placer County, California?
74 heavy rain events are recorded in Placer County between 1998 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest heavy rain recorded in Placer County?
The strongest heavy rain on record in Placer County measured 0.
Where does the heavy rain data for Placer 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
“Heavy Rain in Placer County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/placer-county/heavy-rain/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.