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Flood in Nevada County, California

29 floods and flash floods events in the NCEI Storm Events record, 1950 to 2026. Event types counted: Flood, Flash Flood, Coastal Flood, Lakeshore Flood.

29 events · 0 deaths recorded · peak month December · county share of state 0.4%

2026-04-11: Flood2025-12-25: Flood2025-12-22: Flood2025-12-22: Flood2025-12-21: Flood2025-08-27: Flood2025-08-26: Flood2025-02-13: Flood2025-02-01: Flood2024-02-05: Flood2024-02-05: Flood2024-02-05: Flood2023-06-13: Flood2023-01-14: Flood2021-10-24: Flood2019-09-18: Flood2018-04-06: Flood2018-03-21: Flood2017-02-08: Flood2017-01-07: Flood2017-01-07: Flood2016-12-11: Flood2016-12-10: Flood2016-12-10: Flood2016-03-13: Flood2016-01-30: Flood2005-12-31: Flood
Flood event locations in and around Nevada County. Dots: Flood event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. Storm records through 30 Jun 2026.

NCEI records 29 flood events in Nevada County, California, between 1950 and 2026, spread over 11 years.

December is the busiest month, with 8 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 26 events against 3 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.

The county holds 0.4% of the 7,136 flood events recorded in California; its 3.0 per 100 square miles compares with 4.6 statewide.

Compared with California

MeasureNevada CountyCaliforniaUS
Flood events since 1950297,136183,559
Per 100 square miles3.04.65.2
Per 10,000 residents2.81.85.5
Deaths recorded01212,961
Busiest monthDecemberJanuaryJune

By year

195019882026
Flood events recorded in Nevada County per year, 1950 to 2026 (2026 is partial).

Seasonality

Jan
4
Feb
6
Mar
2
Apr
2
May
0
Jun
1
Jul
2
Aug
2
Sep
1
Oct
1
Nov
0
Dec
8
Flood events in Nevada County by month of occurrence, all years.

Recorded events

All 29 events, most recent first. Magnitude is hail size, tornado rating or wind speed as recorded.

DateEvent typeMagnitudeProperty damageCrop damageDeathsInjuriesGeography
11 Apr 2026Flood—————County
25 Dec 2025Flood—————County
22 Dec 2025Flood—————County
22 Dec 2025Flood—————County
21 Dec 2025Flood—————County
27 Aug 2025Flash Flood—————County
26 Aug 2025Flash Flood—————County
13 Feb 2025Flood—————County
1 Feb 2025Flood—————County
5 Feb 2024Flood—————County
5 Feb 2024Flood—————County
5 Feb 2024Flood—————County
13 Jun 2023Flood—————County
14 Jan 2023Flood—————County
24 Oct 2021Flash Flood—————County
18 Sep 2019Flood—————County
6 Apr 2018Flood—————County
21 Mar 2018Flood—$100K———County
8 Feb 2017Flood—$3.6M———County
7 Jan 2017Flood—$10K———County
7 Jan 2017Flood—————County
11 Dec 2016Flood—$5K———County
10 Dec 2016Flood—$30K———County
10 Dec 2016Flood—$10K———County
13 Mar 2016Flood—————County
30 Jan 2016Flood—$20K———County
31 Dec 2005Flood—$1.0M———County
18 Jul 2002Flash Flood—————County
18 Jul 2002Flood—————County

Questions and answers

How many flood events has Nevada County had?

29 events in the NCEI Storm Events record between 1950 and 2026. Reporting of floods and flash floods became far more complete after 1996, so early decades undercount.

When was the last recorded flood event in Nevada County?

11 Apr 2026 (Flood). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.

What was the most damaging flood event recorded in Nevada County?

The flood of 8 Feb 2017, with property damage estimated by NCEI at $3.6M.

How does Nevada County compare with California for flood?

3.0 events per 100 square miles against 4.6 statewide; the county holds 29 of the state's 7,136 recorded events.

Provenance

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026, public domain. County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county (marked "Forecast zone"). Population and area from the US Census Bureau (2021). Built 1 Oct 2026. See the methodology, the Flood hub and the county page.