On the West Coast, San Francisco Bay Area residents enjoy mild days with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. We aren't always this lucky, however. Records show more than 60 years of bad weather for Bay Area residents, including droughts, floods, tornadoes, and snowstorms.
Bay Area drought
Many remember a few short years ago when the Bay Area had one of the worst single drought years on record. The 2009 drought caused unprecedented water rationing with reservoir levels at all-time lows.
Other drought years include:
- 1975-1977: 1976 was recorded by the California Department of Water Resources as "one of the driest years on record." The drought then continued into 1977. This drought had significant impacts on agriculture, recreation, and rangeland herds.
- 1987-1993: This longest-running drought was the most severe in California history. The drought actually began breaking in December of 1992. It was officially declared "over" when flooding from December 1992 to February 1993 brought almost 200 percnet of annual rainfall, according to a 1993 report by the California Department of Water Resources.
Bay Area floods
The California Office of Emergency Services recorded many significant years of heavy rainfall and flooding between 1950 and 2010. Two of the most deadly were reported in 1955 and 1969, when a combined total of 121 lives were lost.
Other significant floods reported:
- 1982-1983: This was the year of El Nino. The flood caused levee failure in several northern counties.
- 1992-1993: Severe flooding preceded a drought.
- 1995 to 1996: These years brought heavy winter storms and unprecedented damages. 1995 alone cost nearly $2 billion in damage.
- 1997: Another El Nino year. This flood year cost $1.8 billion.
- 1998: Flooding continues, costing $550 million.
Tornadoes hit the Bay Area
Of the 379 California tornadoes recorded by The Tornado History Project between 1951 and 2010, 17 appeared in seven of the nine counties in the Bay Area. During that time, Napa and San Francisco County remained unaffected until 2011. San Francisco County's historic tornado clocked in as No. 18 in the Bay Area.
Other tornadoes recorded:
- 1958: The California tornado with the longest path during 1951-2010 started near Bodega Bay and ran 15 miles towards Santa Rosa.
- 1998: An F-2 tornado in Sunnyvale "was the first anticyclonic supercell and anticyclonic tornado to be documented with the WSR-88D NEXRAD radar," according to USA Today.
- 2011: An EF 1 tornado touched down in Santa Rosa, leaving a block-long debris trail and demolishing the roof of a local business. That same day, a waterspout was recorded off Ocean Beach.
Snowstorms in the Bay Area
While snow is a rare event at sea level in the Bay Area, we've had a few decent storms over the years. Snowstorms in the Bay Area have been recorded as early as 1882.
Other snowstorms include:
- 1951: Based on photos, this snowstorm appeared to be the "heaviest of the 20th century in San Francisco," according to SFGate.
- 1962: A snowstorm closed local schools and roads. "I remember we got out of school and spent the day playing in the snow," recalled Brian Wrede, a student in 1962 at Noddin Elementary in San Jose.
- 1976: A freak snowstorm hits the Bay Area, closing local roads and schools.
- 2011: We all remember last year when freezing temperatures and a light sprinkling of snow fell in the Bay Area, including Morgan Hill and Gilroy. It melted quickly, however, and wasn't enough to make a snowball.
