Flooding was caused by warm rain that melted the snowpack at higher altitudes. Rain began on the evening of December 9, then intensified the following day, and continued until December 11. Most of the snowpack at higher elevations melted. The Douglas Power (Ruhenstroth) Dam on the East Fork Carson River upstream of Gardnerville was severely damaged. Flooding started in southern Carson Valley on December 10. The flow at the East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville, Nev., (gaging station 10309000) crested in the late afternoon of December 11 at 10,300 cubic feet per second (cfs). Along the West Fork Carson River, parts of State Route 88 flooded to a depth of 14 inches. Highway 395 between Carson City and Gardnerville was closed due to Cradlebaugh bridge which was under about 18 inches of water from the Carson River. The peak decreased as the flood moved downstream, and by the time it crested at the Carson River near Fort Churchill, Nev. (gaging station 10312000), on December 14, the mean daily discharge was 5,500 cfs.
Meteorological:
Type of event: rain-on-snow
Description:
Rains began on December 9 and continued until the afternoon of December 11, 1937, removing most of the existing snowpack. A total of 3.7 inches was recorded for the storm period at both the National Weather Service precipitation gages for Carson City and Minden (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1973).
References:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1973, Water and related Land Resources, Central Lahontan Basin, Carson River Subbasin, Nevada and California, Special Report: History of Flooding, Carson Valley and Carson City Watershed, U.S. Soil Conservation Service, Minden, NV. Minden station precipitation data (number 265191) from the National Climate Data Center.
Hydrologic Data:
To view hydrologic data, select a gaging station from the list below:
| 10309000 | East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville, NV |
| 10310000 | West Fork Carson River at Woodfords, CA |
| 10312000 | Carson River near Fort Churchill |
Photos:
Click on photo for a larger image and full caption. Approximate photo location is shown on map.
|
||
|
||
|
| AccessibilityFOIAPrivacyPolicies and Notices | |
  |
|
