A City Underwater, 115 Dead: The Great L.A. Flood of 1938

Eighty-seven years ago today, the skies finally cleared over Southern California. The rain had stopped, the rivers were at last retreating, and what remained of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties bore little resemblance to the sprawling, sunlit basin residents had known just five days before.

Two Storms, One Catastrophic Outcome

The Great Los Angeles Flood of 1938 came in two punishing waves over the final days of February and the first days of March. The first storm moved inland from the Pacific on February 27, dropping a steady 4.4 inches of rain across the lowlands by March 1. That was enough to cause minor flooding, but then, just fifteen hours after the first storm loosened its grip, a second, more ferocious system arrived.

By the time it ended on March 3, the mountains above Los Angeles had received more than 32 inches of rain. The lowlands had taken more than 10 inches. Together, the two storms delivered nearly a full year's worth of precipitation in less than a week, and the consequences were catastrophic.