Severe floods occurred in western and northern Nevada from January 1–3, 1997, resulting in two deaths and causing $450 million in building damage.
[1][5] The floods were caused by unseasonably warm rain which partially melted excessive snowpack in the three rivers.
[6][7] A trio of heavy snowstorms from the Gulf of Alaska had hit the Sierra Nevada region during the last three weeks of 1996, followed by three subtropical storms originating in the Pacific Ocean, the third of which was a Pineapple Express.
[1][7][5] Aside from Nevada, the same storm system also caused flooding in several other states, including California,[8] Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
[15] The Truckee River had an early warning system – consisting of gauges – that performed inadequately in predicting the flood severity.
[17][18][19] The 1997 floods were the worst to hit Carson City and Reno since 1955,[5][20][21] and were the most costly and damaging to occur in 150 years of record-keeping for the three rivers.
[15][13][5] The floods resulted in numerous business closures, including several casinos in Reno,[22] where some streets saw up to four feet of water.
[27] Most damage in Carson City came from floodwaters rushing downstream from several canyons, eventually flooding streets.
[33][34] On January 2, 1997, Nevada governor Bob Miller toured flood-damaged areas by helicopter,[35] and declared a state of emergency for Carson City as well as four counties: Douglas, Lyon, Storey, and Washoe.
[5][12][36] The following day, U.S. president Bill Clinton declared the affected counties as a major disaster area, making them eligible for federal assistance programs.