51
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$117K
Property damage
Debris Flow in Santa Cruz County, California: 51 recorded events between 2012 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #2 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Debris Flow in Santa Cruz County, California: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for debris flow in Santa Cruz County is the 2010s, when 45 of the county's 51 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 Santa Cruz County archive, debris flow makes up 25.4% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2 for this hazard and #2 within California, putting it in the 99.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jan is the peak month for debris flow in Santa Cruz County with 24 recorded events, while Mar 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 22, 2016 | MT HERMON | 0 | 0 | 2 | $5K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 13, 2025 | BIG BASIN | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 13, 2021 | FOREST PARK | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 29, 2021 | ROB ROY JCT | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 29, 2021 | APTOS | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 28, 2021 | MISSION SPGS | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 28, 2021 | JOHNSTON CORNER | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 1, 2019 | MISSION SPGS | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 1, 2019 | PERMANENTE | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 14, 2019 | SAN LORENZO | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 14, 2019 | RIVERSIDE GROVE | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Santa Cruz County
- Flood 60
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rains of the past several days triggered a large mudslide. The mudslide blocked Highway 9. The road was closed between its intersection with Highway 35 and Highway 236. The slide occurred about 3:40 AM on that Monday morning and the road remained closed through 5:00 PM that Monday evening. Rainfall in the Santa Cruz Mountains was 5-7 inches for the 72 hours preceding this mudslide.
Rocks and mud flowed onto Highway 9 in Felton (near Felton Empire Road) early in the afternoon of January 22, 2016. The slide blocked the southbound lane of highway 9 and caused a traffic accident. Three vehicles were involved in the accident which occurred at 12:48 pm. There were two injuries in the accident.
Highland Way in the Santa Cruz Mountains was blocked by a mudlside. The road was initially flooded due to heavy rain and then a mudslide ocurred shortly after. The slide blocked all traffic and closed the road. Public works estimated the road will be closed for one week.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many debris flow events are on record in Santa Cruz County, California?
51 debris flow events are recorded in Santa Cruz County between 2012 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest debris flow recorded in Santa Cruz County?
The strongest debris flow on record in Santa Cruz County measured 0.
Where does the debris flow data for Santa Cruz 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
“Debris Flow in Santa Cruz County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/santa-cruz-county/debris-flow/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.