Flood events in Santa Cruz County, California The flood events on record, by date and by year
This page is a county record of past events and claims. It does not show the flood zone or the risk of an address. For the flood map of an address, use FEMA's address search (opens in a new tab).
NCEI has 97 flood events on record for Santa Cruz County, California, from 1996 through 30 Jun 2026.
The newest flood event on record is on 5 Jan 2026.
From 2016 through 2025, NCEI has 55 flood events on record for the county.
The NWS collects event reports from a variety of sources, which include (but are not limited to): county, state, and federal emergency management officials, local law enforcement officials, SKYWARN spotters, NWS damage surveys, newspaper clipping services, the insurance industry, and the general public, among others.
The National Weather Service reports property and crop damage estimates using available data at the time of event reporting. These values should therefore be considered broad estimates. Damage amounts are not adjusted for inflation.
Zone (NWS Forecast Zone): A zone is a geographic area defined by the NWS for issuing forecasts, watches, and warnings. While zones often align with counties, they can also represent smaller or subdivided areas within a county to account for differences in weather conditions, such as elevation or proximity to water. Larger-scale events—such as heat, cold, drought, and winter storms—are typically recorded by zone.
The words of the agency. Source: NOAA NCEI, Storm Events Database, page "Frequently Asked Questions", copied on .
Date of the data: NCEI storm events through . Event types on this page: Flood, Flash Flood, Coastal Flood, Lakeshore Flood.
Newest flood events on record
Flood
2 miles SW of PARADISE PARK
Flood
4 miles N of SOQUEL
Flood
1 mile NE of LA SELVA BEACH
Flood
1 mile SSE of BROOKDALE
Flood
1 mile SSE of MESA VLG
Flood
1 mile WNW of TWIN LAKES
Flood
3 miles N of SAN LORENZO
Flood
2 miles E of BIG BASIN
Flood
1 mile SSE of PARADISE PARK
Flood
1 mile SSE of MESA VLG
Flood
1 mile SE of MESA VLG
Flood
2 miles S of SWANTON. Damage estimate: $10
Flood
At FELTON. Damage estimate: $10
Flood
1 mile ENE of SANTA CRUZ. Damage estimate: $10
Flood
1 mile W of SANTA CRUZ. Damage estimate: $10
Flood
1 mile SW of SANTA CRUZ. Damage estimate: $10
Flood
1 mile NW of TWIN LAKES. Damage estimate: $10
Flood
1 mile N of SOQUEL. Damage estimate: $10
Flood
1 mile NNW of SOQUEL
Flood
At RIO DEL MAR
Flood
1 mile NNE of BEULAH PARK
Flood
1 mile NE of ELLICOTT
Flood
2 miles ESE of MESA VLG
Flood
1 mile WNW of ROB ROY JCT
Flood
1 mile NE of MT HERMON
A place is the text of the NCEI record: a distance and a direction from a reference place. The site does not show a place text that names a private property or reads as a person. NCEI gives no magnitude for this hazard.
Flood events by year
| Decade | Year that ends in 0 | Year that ends in 1 | Year that ends in 2 | Year that ends in 3 | Year that ends in 4 | Year that ends in 5 | Year that ends in 6 | Year that ends in 7 | Year that ends in 8 | Year that ends in 9 | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
| 2000s | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| 2010s | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 38 |
| 2020s | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 2 (part of the year) | 31 |
A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.
Flood and flash flood events are on record from 1996. The year 2026 has the events through 30 Jun 2026 only.
By month, all years
- Jan45 events
- Feb22 events
- Mar2 events
- Apr1 event
- May0 events
- Jun0 events
- Jul0 events
- Aug0 events
- Sep1 event
- Oct1 event
- Nov5 events
- Dec20 events
Beside the other counties
| Measure | Santa Cruz | All counties of California | All counties of the United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flood events, 1996 to 2026 | 97 | 6,810 | 177,902 |
| Events for each 100 square miles | 21.8 | 4.4 | 5.0 |
| Events for each 10,000 residents | 3.6 | 1.7 | 5.4 |
The columns for the state and the United States total the counties. They count the events of each county in the same way as the county column. A forecast zone with another name than a county counts for the state only.
More flood events on record
| Date | Event type | Magnitude | Damage estimate | Deaths | Injuries | On record for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $500 | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $500 | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $500 | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $500 | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $500 | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $500 | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $3 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $15 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 1 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $16 million | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $3.0 million | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $15 thousand | 1 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $350 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $2.5 million | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $2.5 million | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flood | not recorded | $2.0 million | 0 | 0 | Forecast zone | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $2.0 million | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $250 thousand | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | $500 thousand | 1 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County | |
| Flash Flood | not recorded | none | 0 | 0 | County |
The table has all other events on record. A damage figure is an estimate in the NCEI record.
Official channels
- NCEI Storm Events Database (opens in a new tab)Search the full NCEI record by state, county and date.
- National Weather Service: San Francisco Bay Area, CA (opens in a new tab)The forecast office that issues the weather warnings for the county.
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center: Search By Address (opens in a new tab)Search an address to see its flood map. This site has no flood-zone data.
These links open the pages of the agencies. The site checked the links on .
Cite this page
County Hazards. "Flood events on record for Santa Cruz County, California". https://countyhazards.com/county/ca/santa-cruz/flood/. Data: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database through 30 Jun 2026. Page made on .
Questions
- Which month has the most flood events on record for Santa Cruz County?
- January has 45 of the 97 flood events on record from 1996 through 30 Jun 2026.
- How many flood events are on record for California?
- NCEI has 7,136 flood events on record for California from 1996 through 30 Jun 2026. That count has every forecast zone of the state.
- How does Santa Cruz County compare with the other counties of California?
- The counties of California have 4.4 flood events for each 100 square miles. Santa Cruz County has 21.8.
- Why are some flood events on record for a forecast zone?
- NCEI records some event types for a National Weather Service forecast zone and not for a county. This page counts a zone event when the zone has the name of the county.