40
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$8.0M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Sonoma County, California: 40 recorded events between 1996 and 2019. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #826 nationally and #11 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Sonoma County, California: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Sonoma County is the 2010s, when 24 of the county's 40 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 Sonoma County archive, flash flood makes up 9.5% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #826 for this hazard and #11 within California, putting it in the 72.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jan is the peak month for flash flood in Sonoma County with 20 recorded events, while Apr 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 1, 1997 | (STS)SANTA ROSA ARPT | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 3, 1998 | SONOMA | 0 | 0 | 1 | $200K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 17, 2019 | SCHELLVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 17, 2019 | AGUA CALIENTE | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 16, 2019 | MIRABELL PARK | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 22, 2018 | HESSEL | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 9, 2017 | LAKEVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 9, 2017 | AGUA CALIENTE | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 22, 2017 | AGUA CALIENTE | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 20, 2017 | AGUA CALIENTE | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 19, 2017 | HESSEL | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 19, 2017 | EL VERANO | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Sonoma County
- Flood 255
- Debris Flow 60
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Very heavy rain caused flash flooding around Petaluma late Friday night, January 26th. The Petaluma River near Corona Road went over its flood stage of 25.5 feet reaching nearly 30 feet. At least a dozen homes were flooded as were several businesses.
Willow Brook at Penngrove Park gauge reached 62.1 feet. At a level of 60.7 feet, water from the Brook goes out of the banks and flooding begins in Penngrove Park. Above 62.0 feet, Willow Brook will flood downstream of Penngrove Park as well.
Heavy rain on January 18 caused the Laguna de Santa Rosa to flood. The stream gauge on the Laguna de Santa Rosa at Stony Point Road rose above flood stage at 7:45 pm PST on January 18 and remained above flood stage until 1:45 am PST on January 19.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Sonoma County, California?
40 flash flood events are recorded in Sonoma County between 1996 and 2019, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Sonoma County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Sonoma County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Sonoma 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
“Flash Flood in Sonoma County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/sonoma-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.