This was commemorated in Woody Guthrie's song "Los Angeles New Year's Flood". Californias state capital, Sacramento, was located in a broad floodplain at the intersection of the Sacramento and American rivers. The Butte Democrat told the tale of one such man, who was seen holding his beloved pet bulldog above his head as the floodwaters raged around him. [46] Several people were trapped in their cars and had to be rescued. The wind, precipitation and flooding, and coastal hazards were translated into physical, environmental, social, and economic damages to provide emergency responders, resource managers, and the public a realistic assessment of what is historically possible. [26], Owing to the size of Marie, increased surf was anticipated well north of the hurricane. [24] The Klamath National Forest experienced its worst flood since 1974. Recent research describes these storms more broadly as atmospheric rivers, and they often result in the worst floods in not only the American West, but across the globe. The flood was caused by two Pacific storms that swept across the Los Angeles Basin in February-March 1938 and generated almost one year's worth of precipitation in just a few days. When the waters receded which in some parts of California wasnt until the summer the state was forever changed. The 1862 flood was a very large flood that filled the Sacramento Valley flood basins. Although it was described as unprecedented by early settlers, most had lived in California for less than 15 years. Historical accounts from Spanish missions and Native Americans describe an earlier valley-filling flood in 1805. Accustomed to starting over, the survivors rebuilt homes, roads and farms. The SAFRR projects second scenario, called ARkStorm, addresses massive U.S. West Coast storms analogous to those that devastated California in 186162. [58] Climate change is intensifying the water cycle. hundred and sixty years ago, the biggest flood in modern [1] Three more atmospheric rivers are on the way. Some found refuge, others drowned. [1] The Klamath River on California's North Coast experienced significant flooding which led to the river permanently changing course in some areas. One small town along the flood path (La Porte) was inundated with 57.41 inches (1,458mm) over the course of 20 days. The inundation of the city of Sacramento during great flood of 1862 is depicted in an illustration, with flotsam, row boats, and skiffs floating on a crowded flooded street. Over the course of the next decade, every business and home in the flood zone rebuilt up to 10 feet higher. But that day, Jan. 10, 1862, only the most intrepid or desperate soul would try. The state legislature briefly relocated to San Francisco, which saw the upside to its many hills for the first time. Napa, north of San Francisco, recorded their worst flood to this time[22] while nearby Calistoga recorded 29 inches (740mm) of rain in 10 days, creating a once-in-a-thousand-year rainfall event. In late November 1861, early winter storms dumped heavy snow in Northern California and Oregon. From the head settlement to the mouth of the Trinity River, for a distance of one hundred and fifty miles, everything was swept to destruction. Katie Dowd is the SFGATE managing editor. It saysan extreme monthlong storm could bring feet of rain in some places, more than 100 inches to hundreds of miles of California.