An unseasonably warm and intense storm started on January 28, western Nevada was having one of its worst winter droughts. The heavy rain continued through February 1. Woodfords reported more than 7 inches of rain, and the freezing level was above 8,000 feet during most of the storm and as high as 11,000 feet at times, hence most precipitation was in the form of rain. East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville, Nev., (gaging station 103090000) peaked at 13,360 cubic feet per second (cfs), and West Fork Carson River at Woodfords, Calif., (gaging station 10310000) peaked at 4,890 cfs on February 1. Flooding was severe, irrigation systems were destroyed, and the abutments of one bridge in Carson Valley were washed away. The Carson River near Carson City, Nev., (gaging station 10311000) at the north end of Carson Valley, peaked on February 1 at 21,900 cfs. The following day, the Carson River near Fort Churchill, Nev., (gaging station 10312000) peaked at 15,300 cfs.
Meteorological:
Type of event: rain/rain-on-snow
Description:
Warm rainstorm began on January 28 and continued through February 1963. Precipitation varied from 5 inches to more than 13 inches (Rigby and others, 1998). The National Weather Service (NWS) Woodfords precipitation gage reported over 7 inches. The air temperatures at the Woodfords precipitation gage were well above freezing as well as for most of the watershed up to 8,000 feet and occasionally as high as 11,000 feet (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1973, 1977).
References:
Rigby, J.G., Crompton, E.J, Berry, K.A., Yildirim, U., Hickman, S.F., and Davis, D.A., 1998, The 1997 New Year's Floods in Western Nevada; Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Special Publication 23, 111p. U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1973, Water and related Land Resources, Central Lahontan Basin, Carson River Subbasin, Nevada and California, Special Report: History of Flooding, Carson Valley and Carson City Watershed, U.S. Soil Conservation Service, Minden, NV. Pg. 84-85.U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1977, Water and related Land Resources, Central Lahontan Basin, Carson River Subbasin, Nevada and California, Flood Chronology, Lower Half, Carson River Subbasin 1861-1976, U.S. Soil Conservation Service, Minden, NV. Young, L.E. and Harris, E.E., 1966, Floods of January-February 1963 in California and Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 1830-A, 472 p.Woodfords station precipitation data (number 049775) from the National Climate Data Center. Site discontinued.
Hydrologic Data:
To view hydrologic data, select a gaging station from the list below:
| 10308200 | East Fork Carson River below Markleeville, CA |
| 10308800 | Bryant Creek near Gardnerville, NV |
| 10309000 | East Fork Carson River near Gardnerville, NV |
| 10310000 | West Fork Carson River at Woodfords, CA |
| 10310500 | Clear Creek near Carson City, NV |
| 10311000 | Carson River near Carson City, NV |
| 10312000 | Carson River near Fort Churchill |
Photos:
No Photos Available.
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