Boulder Creek is a small rural mountain community in the coastal Santa Cruz Mountains. It is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County,California,with a population of 5,429 as of the 2020 census. Throughout its history,Boulder Creek has been home to a logging town and a resort community,as well as a counter-culture haven. Today,it is identified as the gateway to Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
Hurricane Opal was a large and powerful Category 4 hurricane that caused severe and extensive damage along the northern Gulf Coast of the United States in October 1995. The fifteenth named storm,ninth hurricane and strongest tropical cyclone of the unusually active 1995 Atlantic hurricane season,Opal developed from the interaction of a tropical wave and a low-pressure area near the Yucatán Peninsula on September 27 as Tropical Depression Seventeen. The depression crossed the Yucatán Peninsula and intensified into a tropical storm on September 30. Opal intensified into a hurricane on October 2 after entering the Gulf of Mexico. The cyclone turned northeastward and strengthened significantly. By October 4,Opal was an intense 150 mph (240 km/h),Category 4 hurricane. With a minimum pressure of 916 mbar (hPa),Hurricane Opal was the most intense category 4 Atlantic hurricane on record. However,the cyclone abruptly weakened to a low-end Category 3 hurricane prior to making landfall on the Florida Panhandle near Pensacola later that day. The storm quickly unraveled as it moved inland and became extratropical on October 5. The remnants of Opal moved northward and dissipated over Ontario the following day.
Pineapple Express is a specific recurring atmospheric river both in the waters immediately northeast of the Hawaiian Islands and extending northeast to any location along the Pacific coast of North America. It is a non-technical term and a meteorological phenomenon. It is characterized by a strong and persistent large-scale flow of warm moist air,and the associated heavy precipitation. A Pineapple Express is an example of an atmospheric river,which is a more general term for such relatively narrow corridors of enhanced water vapor transport at mid-latitudes around the world.
Tropical Storm Allison was a tropical cyclone that produced severe flooding in the southern United States. The second tropical cyclone and the first named storm of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season,Allison formed on June 24 in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Development of Allison was a result of the interaction of a tropical wave and the remnants of Pacific hurricane Hurricane Cosme. It moved south and became a tropical storm on June 26. By June 27,Allison made landfall near Freeport,Texas. Allison quickly weakened to a tropical depression later that day,and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on the following day. However,the storm's remnants persisted for another 10 days and meandered across the area,triggering flooding across the region,before dissipating on July 7.
Hurricane Dolly caused flooding throughout Mexico in August 1996. The fourth named storm and third hurricane of the season,Dolly developed from a tropical wave to the west-southwest of Jamaica on August 19. Initially a tropical depression,the system strengthened into a tropical storm about twelve hours later. Dolly headed westward and intensified into a Category 1 hurricane late on August 20. It then made landfall near Chetumal,Quintana Roo. The system weakened to a tropical depression on August 21. Later that day or early on August 22,Dolly emerged into the Bay of Campeche and quickly re-strengthened into a tropical storm. The storm deepened further and was upgraded to a hurricane again by midday on August 23;Dolly simultaneously peaked with winds of 80 mph (130 km/h). Around that time,it struck between Tuxpan,Veracruz,and Tampico,Tamaulipas. Dolly quickly weakened to a tropical depression early on August 24,but remained intact while crossing Mexico and dissipated over the eastern Pacific Ocean on August 25.
Hurricane Gordon caused minor damage in the Eastern United States. The seventh named storm and fourth hurricane of the 2000 Atlantic hurricane season,Gordon developed in the extreme western Caribbean Sea from a tropical wave on September 14. Shortly thereafter,the depression moved inland over the Yucatán Peninsula and later emerged into the Gulf of Mexico on September 15. The depression began to quickly organize,and by early on September 16,it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Gordon. After becoming a tropical storm,Gordon continued to intensify and was reclassified as a hurricane about 24 hours later;eventually,the storm peaked as an 80 mph (130 km/h) Category 1 hurricane. However,southwesterly upper-level winds caused Gordon to weaken as it approached land,and it was downgraded to a tropical storm by late on September 17. At 0300 UTC on September 18,Gordon made landfall near Cedar Key,Florida as a strong tropical storm. After moving inland,Gordon rapidly weakened and had deteriorated to tropical depression status by nine hours later. Later that day,Gordon merged with a frontal boundary while centered over Georgia.
Floods in the United States are generally caused by excessive rainfall,excessive snowmelt,and dam failure. Below is a list of flood events that were of significant impact to the country during the 20th century,from 1900 through 1999,inclusive.
Hurricane Isis was the only hurricane to make landfall during the 1998 Pacific hurricane season. The ninth tropical storm and sixth hurricane of the season,Isis developed on September 1 from an interaction between a tropical wave and a large surface circulation to the southwest of Mexico. It moved northward,striking the extreme southeastern portion of the Baja California peninsula before attaining hurricane status in the Gulf of California. Isis made landfall at Topolobampo in the Mexican state of Sinaloa on September 3,and quickly lost its low-level circulation. The remnants persisted for several days before dissipating over the U.S. state of Idaho on September 8.
Floods in the United States (2000–present) is a list of flood events which were of significant impact to the country during the 21st century,since 2000. Floods are generally caused by excessive rainfall,excessive snowmelt,storm surge from hurricanes,and dam failure.
All types of floods can occur in California,though 90 percent of them are caused by river flooding in lowland areas. Such flooding generally occurs as a result of excessive rainfall,excessive snowmelt,excessive runoff,levee failure,poor planning or built infrastructure,or a combination of these factors. Below is a list of flood events that were of significant impact to California.
Tropical Storm Lowell was a moderate tropical storm that developed during the 2008 Pacific hurricane season. The fourteenth tropical cyclone and thirteen named storm of the season,Lowell formed out of a western side of a trough on September 6. It quickly intensified into Tropical Storm Lowell,peaking as a moderate tropical storm. It pass directly over Socorro Island and began a weakening trend. It weakened into depression before landfall in Baja California Sur and dissipated before striking Sonora. It later joined with a frontal boundary and Hurricane Ike which caused severe damage as far inland as Chicago. In all,the storm had caused 6 deaths and $15.5 million damage.
Tropical Storm Octave was considered the worst tropical cyclone in the history of Arizona. The nineteenth tropical cyclone and fifteenth named storm of the 1983 Pacific hurricane season,the origins of Tropical Storm Octave were from a tropical disturbance that formed south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec on September 23,1983. Steered by a deep layer high over Mexico,the disturbance moved west for four days before becoming a tropical depression on September 27 off the southwest coast of Mexico. Over an area of warm sea surface temperatures,it was able to quickly strengthen to peak winds of 50 mph (85 km/h),through wind shear prevented much further development. By September 30,Octave was accelerating to the northeast,steadily weakening due to cooler waters. That day it weakened to tropical depression status,and on October 2,Octave dissipated.
An ARkStorm is a "megastorm" proposed scenario based on repeated historical occurrences of atmospheric rivers and other major rain events first developed and published by the Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project (MHDP) of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in 2010 and updated as ARkStorm 2.0 in 2022.
A series of mudflows occurred in Southern California in early January 2018,particularly affecting areas northwest of Montecito in Santa Barbara County. The incident was responsible for 23 deaths,although the body of one of the victims has never been found. Approximately 163 people were hospitalized with various injuries,including four in critical condition. The disaster occurred one month after a series of major wildfires. The conflagrations devastated steep slopes,which caused loss of vegetation and destabilization of the soil and greatly facilitated subsequent mudflows. The mudflows caused at least $177 million in property damage,and cost at least $7 million in emergency responses and another $43 million to clean up.
Hurricane Heather was one of the worst tropical cyclones to affect Arizona on record. The sixteenth tropical cyclone,eighth named storm,and fourth hurricane of the 1977 Pacific hurricane season,it began as a tropical disturbance off the west coast of Mexico on October 3. The next day,October 4,it developed into a tropical depression and then turned to the northwest. It was soon upgraded to Tropical Storm Heather. On October 5,Heather became a hurricane,and later that day its winds peaked at 85 mph (137 km/h). Heather began to turn north-northwest around this time. By October 6,it was re-designated a tropical storm. Moving north,Heather continued to weaken over cooler waters,and on October 7,the final advisory was issued,downgrading Heather to a tropical depression.
Hurricane Olivia was a powerful and destructive Category 4 hurricane,that brought damaging floods to California and Utah during September 1982. Olivia was the twenty-fourth tropical cyclone,eighteenth named storm,ninth hurricane,and fourth major hurricane of the active 1982 Pacific hurricane season. The storm was first noted as a tropical depression from a ship report off the southern coast of Mexico. Olivia then steadily intensified before becoming a Category 4 hurricane,and reaching its peak intensity with 1-minute sustained winds of around 145 mph (230 km/h),at 18:00 UTC on September 21. The hurricane then rapidly weakened as it passed west of mainland Mexico,before being last noted to the west of California on September 25,as a surface trough.
An extremely powerful extratropical bomb cyclone began in late October 2021 in the Northeast Pacific and struck the Western United States and Western Canada. The storm was the third and the most powerful cyclone in a series of powerful storms that struck the region within a week. The cyclone tapped into a large atmospheric river and underwent explosive intensification,becoming a bomb cyclone on October 24. The bomb cyclone had a minimum central pressure of 942 millibars (27.8 inHg) at its peak,making it the most powerful cyclone recorded in the Northeast Pacific. The system had severe impacts across Western North America,before dissipating on October 26. The storm shattered multiple pressure records across parts of the Pacific Northwest. Additionally,the bomb cyclone was the most powerful storm on record to strike the region,in terms of minimum central pressure. The bomb cyclone brought powerful gale-force winds and flooding to portions of Western North America. At its height,the storm cut the power to over 370,500 customers across the Western U.S. and British Columbia. The storm killed at least two people;damage from the storm was estimated at several hundred million dollars. The bomb cyclone was compared to the Columbus Day Storm of 1962,in terms of ferocity.
Periods of heavy rainfall caused by multiple atmospheric rivers in California between December 31,2022,and March 25,2023,resulted in floods that affected parts of Southern California,the California Central Coast,Northern California and Nevada. The flooding resulted in property damage and at least 22 fatalities. At least 200,000 homes and businesses lost power during the December-January storms and 6,000 individuals were ordered to evacuate.
