Floods of January 1953 in western Oregon and northwestern California

Abstract

The floods of January 17-21, 1953, in western Oregon and northwestern California were notable for the magnitude of the peak discharges produced over so large an area. Noteworthy, too, is the record-breaking damage in some California basins. The area affected included the basins of the Willamette River and minor Columbia River tributaries in Oregon, all coastal basins in Oregon, and those coastal basins in California north of the Mattole and lower Eel Rivers. In general, the flood-producing storm began on January 15 in the north half of the area affected and on January 16 in the south half. The storm reached maximum intensity on January 17-18 and ended on January 20. The series of antecedent storms in December and early January soaked the ground and made conditions favorable for maximum runoff from the storm of January 15-20. Reservoir storage had no appreciable effect on flood magnitudes except in the Willamette River basin in Oregon. The storm and resulting floods caused the loss of 11 lives and damages amounting to about $12.5 million.