1952 — Jan 10-19, rain and snow storms/slides, Pacific Northwest and Southern CA –13-14

–26 Flexner, Doris and Stuart Berg Flexner. A Pessimist’s Guide to History… 2008, p. 279.
–14 AP. “7000 Residents Evacuated From Homes.” San Mateo Times, CA 1-18-1952, p.1.
–13 Blanchard tally from locality breakouts below. Assuming we missed one or more.

California (9-10)
–>10 AP. “7000 Residents Evacuated From Homes.” San Mateo Times, CA 1-18-1952, p.1.
— 9 Blanchard tally of noted deaths. The AP reports 14, four of which could have been in WA.
Breakout of specifically noted deaths by locality and cause of death.
–1 Montrose, Jan 16. Drowning; flood stranded auto; gets out and swept away; Lila McCall, 23.
–1 Portola, Jan 16. Explosion in snow-covered home attributed to escaping gas.
–1 San Marino. Collapse; street superintendent supervising work in 2-feet of water. A. M. Cole.
–1 Santa Monica Mts., Lake Sherwood. Drowning; bridge collapse; car goes into spillway.
–2 Sierra mountains, CA, Jan 15. Avalanche; rotary snow plow engine swept away.
–2 Twin Bridges, CA, Jan 15. Snowslide crushes one-story resort building killing two women.
–1 West Los Angeles, Jan 16. 15-foot wall of water swept car from road; Gile Steele, 44.

Washington ( 4)
–4 Tacoma. Car skids off San Fernando road; trapped in flooded culvert; Muirs & McCarthys.

Narrative Information

Jan 11, AP: “San Francisco, Jan 11 (AP) – Winter tossed a blinding blizzard today at extreme Northern California. Over the wind-shipped Sierra, the storm closed all but one land rote to Northern Nevada. A record snow depth piled up at some points. Elsewhere the storm spread rains reaching tonight toward the central sector….Visibility was so badly reduced by wind-whipped snow over the Sierra that the state division of highways closed U.S. 40 at Baxter. U.S. 50, reopened only recently after being closed more than a week, has been closed to traffic at Echo Summit since yesterday because of threatening snow slides. That left only the Feather River highway, State Route 24, open to northern Nevada. The northern blizzard caused the highway patrol to discourage all but the most urgent traffic on a 50-mile stretch of Highway 99 between Dunsmuir and Yreka.

“The blizzard, reading down from southwestern Oregon, made it difficult for drivers to see where they were going. There was almost no visibility at Weeds.

“Snow has fallen in the north almost steadily for a week and heavily the past 48 hours….” (Assoc. Press. “Winter Whips Icy Lash Over Norcal.” Humboldt Times, Eureka, CA. 1-12-1952, p. 1.)

Jan 12, AP: “San Francisco, Jan. 12 (AP) – Violent snow storms dumped record amounts of snow on the lofty Sierra Nevada range today, blocked road and rail traffic. In the lowlands floods forced hundreds from their homes. And more rain and snow was on the way tonight and Sunday, the U.S. Weather Bureau said.

“Two crack westbound Southern Pacific trains – carrying 450 passengers – were blocked by snow slides in the Donner Summit area. Passengers aboard the SP’s City of San Francisco and Overland limited from Chicago were in no danger. SP officials said a slide at Cisco, 10 miles west of Norden, would be cleared in time to permit the City of San Francisco to proceed by midnight. The streamliner was towed back uphill to Norden to await clearing of the track.

“There was a second slide at Floriston, about 15 miles east of Norden. It also was being cleared and the Overland, stopped at Sparks, Nev., 60 miles east of Norden, was scheduled to get under way at 9 p.m. A snow and rock slide in the Feather River canyon halted traffic on Western Pacific’s main line today. Workers were striving to reopen the blocked track.

“For a time, all direct highway links between California and Nevada were closed. But state highway 24, the Feather River route to Nevada, was reopened by highway crews late in the day, the California State Automobile Association said. Only passenger cars were being allowed to pass.

“Many mountain communities isolated by the snow but all were prepared for it. Reno got more than 18 inches of snow out of the storm, the worse since 1937….” (AP. “450 Railroad Passengers Stranded on Donner Summit; Bay Area Flood.” Humboldt Times, Eureka, CA. 1-13-1952, p. 1.)

(Associated Press. “450 Railroad Passengers Stranded on Donner Summit; Bay Area Flood.” Humboldt Times, Eureka, CA. 1-13-1952, p. 1.)

Jan 14: “San Francisco – A fresh storm, loaded with rain and snow, crossed northern California today accompanied by heavy downpours and winds which struck the bay area with hurricane force. Snowfall in the mountains, the greatest in 15 years, completely cut off traffic. The bay area received its heaviest seasonal rainfall total in 50 years. The Coast Guard recorded winds at a peak of 79 miles per hour at 3:30 a.m. PST. About the same time, the whole gale velocity winds of 62 miles an hour were recorded at the San Francisco airport….Throughout the bay area trees were toppled, windows were broken and television aerials were blown down.

“Sudden downpours flooded streets in the bay area communities. In San Francisco, intersections held several inches of water. In Marin county, Second street in San Rafael and Drake boulevard in Kentfield were flooded….

“All communications except by radio were wiped out along the northern California coast for a time last night.

“Flood waters up to six feet deep drove 2,500 persons from their homes in the San Francisco area….

“Snowbound residents in the Sierra mountains sent out calls for emergency aid when the snowfall coupled with slides cut off all means of escape….” (Humboldt Standard, Eureka, CA. “Fresh Storms Lash State; Rain, Snow at New Peaks.” 1-14-1952, p. 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “450 Railroad Passengers Stranded on Donner Summit; Bay Area Flood.” Humboldt Times, Eureka, CA. 1-13-1952, p. 1. Accessed 2-21-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/eureka-humboldt-times-jan-13-1952-p-2/

Associated Press. “7000 Residents Evacuated From Homes.” San Mateo Times, CA 1-18-1952, p.1. Accessed 2-23-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/san-mateo-times-jan-18-1952-p-1/

Associated Press. “Winter Whips Icy Lash Over Norcal.” Humboldt Times, Eureka, CA. 1-12-1952, p. 1. Accessed 2-21-2023: https://newspaperarchive.com/eureka-humboldt-times-jan-12-1952-p-1/

Flexner, Doris and Stuart Berg Flexner. A Pessimist’s Guide to History: An Irresistible Compendium of Catastrophes, Barbarities, Massacres, and Mayhem – From 14 Billion Years Ago to 2007. New York: Harper Collins, 2008. Partially digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=tpeK8WZby0gC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Humboldt Standard, Eureka, CA. “Fresh Storms Lash State; Rain, Snow at New Peaks.” 1-14-1952, p. 1. Accessed 2-21-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/humboldt-standard-jan-14-1952-p-1/

San Mateo Times, CA. “Valley Trains Running Again.” 1-18-1952, p. 2. Accessed 2-22-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/san-mateo-times-jan-18-1952-p-2/

United Press. “Aid Arrives at Snowbound Portola.” The Independent, Long Beach, CA. 1-17-1952, 6A. Accessed 2-21-2023: https://newspaperarchive.com/long-beach-independent-jan-17-1952-p-8/

United Press. “Loss From Storm High; Four Killed.” Redlands Daily Facts, CA. 1-17-1952, p. 1. Accessed 2-21-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/redlands-daily-facts-jan-17-1952-p-1/

United Press. “No Heat, Food for 226 Riding Luxury Train.” Oxnard Press-Courier, CA. 1-15-1952, p. 1. Accessed 2-21-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/oxnard-press-courier-jan-15-1952-p-1/

United Press. “‘White Hell’ In Sierras Blocks Rescue.” Oxnard Press-Courier, CA. 1-15-1952, p. 1. Accessed 2-21-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/oxnard-press-courier-jan-15-1952-p-1/