The lowest annual average precipitation and the fastest growing population in the United States 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 option of developing in areas prone to flooding. Since settlements were established in the Carson River Basin, several major floods have been recorded in the watershed. Most regional flooding in the Carson River Basin occurs during winter or spring from warm rain storms that rapidly melt the seasonal snowpack. More localized flooding typically occurs in the summer months from intense rainfall during convective storms that are also important to consider given the tendency to develop on flash-flood prone alluvial surfaces.
The U.S. Geological Survey with the support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Nevada’s Floodplain Management Program, Nevada Division of Water Resources, has developed this web site to make historic flood information publicly available. The focus of the Carson River web site is on existing data, both measured and estimated for flood events prior to streamflow monitoring. Data includes historic flood photography, video clips, flood-frequency analyses, associated climatology, flood narratives, and links to other flood-related web sites.
