Weather in Sacramento

[MrJester]

Originally Posted by Malloric

Not that much. Biggest risk is from on the leaky levees breaking. Nothing is really being done about it, hasn't been decades. There was a bit more interest with the 2017 rainy season and Oroville dam crisis. But really, the bulk of the flood protection is Oroville and Shasta dams. If those fail catastrophically, which wasn't at risk in 2017 just the top 20 feet or so which would have punched out somewhere before Sacramento and not done any real damage to Sacramento itself, no amount of levees are going to do anything.

Oroville dam is a bit more than an earthen ****. It's an earthen dam, sure, but it's a massive one. The area doesn't get that many major earth quakes. Biggest has been a 5.7 and the dam was fine. The bigger concern there is, like the levees, it's neglected. There was enough of a scare in 2017 we'll probably be okay for ten years or so until the spotlight is off them and they go back to not doing maintenance.

Routine flooding isn't common or a major problem. A street might flood if a storm drain gets blocked. Nothing like what LA regularly gets when it actually does rain in LA, which isn't that often.

The rain here is funny, despite the lack of major flooding. The rain is long-lasting but drizzly, but for whatever reason the drains in Davis don't work well so it all ponds up. I wear rainboots for that reason.

[phlinak]

Originally Posted by Malloric

Not that much. Biggest risk is from on the leaky levees breaking. Nothing is really being done about it, hasn't been decades. There was a bit more interest with the 2017 rainy season and Oroville dam crisis. But really, the bulk of the flood protection is Oroville and Shasta dams. If those fail catastrophically, which wasn't at risk in 2017 just the top 20 feet or so which would have punched out somewhere before Sacramento and not done any real damage to Sacramento itself, no amount of levees are going to do anything.

Oroville dam is a bit more than an earthen ****. It's an earthen dam, sure, but it's a massive one. The area doesn't get that many major earth quakes. Biggest has been a 5.7 and the dam was fine. The bigger concern there is, like the levees, it's neglected. There was enough of a scare in 2017 we'll probably be okay for ten years or so until the spotlight is off them and they go back to not doing maintenance.

Routine flooding isn't common or a major problem. A street might flood if a storm drain gets blocked. Nothing like what LA regularly gets when it actually does rain in LA, which isn't that often.

How widespread and damaging would it be, if either the Oroville or Shasta dam were to catastrophically fail?

Does anyone know how far away or how high one would have to be, to not be affected?

[MyNewsLogin]

Originally Posted by phlinak

How widespread and damaging would it be, if either the Oroville or Shasta dam were to catastrophically fail?

Does anyone know how far away or how high one would have to be, to not be affected?

The flood maps such as SAFCA :: Sacramento Regional Flood Control Agency and https://www.cityofsacramento.org/Uti...vacuation-Maps are good places to start. You can also look at US Army Corps of Engineers, California Department of Water Resources, and the reclamation district in the area you are investigating.


Keep in mind that a "100 year flood" has a 1% chance of happening every year, a "200 year flood" has a 0.5% chance of happening.

[phlinak]

Originally Posted by MyNewsLogin

The flood maps such as SAFCA :: Sacramento Regional Flood Control Agency and https://www.cityofsacramento.org/Uti...vacuation-Maps are good places to start. You can also look at US Army Corps of Engineers, California Department of Water Resources, and the reclamation district in the area you are investigating.


Keep in mind that a "100 year flood" has a 1% chance of happening every year, a "200 year flood" has a 0.5% chance of happening.

Thank you.