Overview of Flooding in the Carson River Basin

Of the 50 United States, Nevada has the lowest annual average precipitation. Nevada also has the fastest growing population in the United States, primarily due to the large influx of new residents to the state. These two factors contribute to a tendency for both the general public and land-use planners to underestimate flood hazards in Nevada, despite historical evidence of frequent flooding. As new areas are developed to accommodate growth, communities are increasingly faced with the need to develop in areas prone to flooding.

Since settlements were established in the Carson River Basin, several major floods have been recorded in the watershed. The largest of the main-stem Carson River floods were the result of rain-on-snow events, most notably those of 1852, 1861-62, 1867-68, 1907, 1928, 1937, 1950, 1955, 1963, 1964, 1986, 1997 (Rigby and others, 1998), and most recently, the New Year's Flood of 2006. These large floods tend to affect much of the river basin, from the headwater tributaries to above the Fallon area (flooding is less damaging in the Fallon area due to the flood storage capacity of Lahontan Reservoir).

Localized flooding is also common, resulting from intense rainfall during summer thunderstorms (also known as flash flooding). This flooding is significant given the tendency to develop on flash-flood prone alluvial-fan surfaces.

Flooding, whether localized or basin-wide, is a common phenomenon in the Carson River Basin and occurs with some regularity over the historic period of record. There is no reason to assume this will change now or in the future. Earlier snowmelt or less overall snow accumulation (in favor of more rain at higher elevations) may occur in response to climate change. However, both localized and regional-scale flooding will continue to be of concern to communities living on or near flood-prone areas.

Floods that have data available on this web site are listed below.

New Year 2006 || July 28, 2005 || January 1997 || July 1994 || February 1986 || June 1983 || February 1982 || January 1980 || May 1967 || December 1964 || February 1963 || July 1960 || August 1958 || May 1956 || December 1955 || November 1950 || January 1943 || March 1938 || December 1937 || March 1928 || January 1914 || July 27, 1913 || July 22, 1913 || January 1909 || March 1907 || January 1906 || February 1904 || March 1890 || January 1886 || July 1875 || January 1875 || January 1874 || December-January 1868 || January 1862 || December 1861 || December 1852 ||