Dangerous flooding in California’s future
The Central Valley of California is known for summer heat and a very distinct wet and dry season. Residents are more accustomed to long droughts rather than big floods. But extreme and protracted rainfall events are not unknown to our region. The most dramatic was the Great Flood of 1862, which covered Sacramento and much of the San Joaquin valley like an inland sea. It swept away towns, killed over 4,000 people and resulted in over $3 billion damage in today’s money. … Could this happen again? Not only is the answer yes, but indications are that it could be substantially worse. A detailed study of this prospective mega-storm was prepared in 2010 by the US Geological Survey.