While some sort of seasonal flood-related damage occurs nearly every year, the flooding event of New Year’s Eve 1997 represented the most recent significant flooding. 1997年新年前夜, prolonged precipitation accompanied by an early snowmelt, and provoked by a warm-weather trend known as a “Pineapple Express”, caused many rivers and creeks throughout Western Nevada watersheds to rise to 100-year flood levels, 在农村和城市地区造成洪水. Damage to 卡森城 businesses, residences, and infrastructure was estimated to be roughly $5.3 million or 6 percent of the City’s annual budget.
The 卡森城 Risk Management Office estimated that the flood of New Year’s Eve 1997 affected more than half of the City’s residents.
Although the flood of 1997 represented a recent large-scale disaster, it is not unprecedented within the history of 卡森城. City records dating back to 1851 indicate that nine events occurred up to 1900; both the 卡森河 and west side tributaries caused significant flooding to the City. 在二十世纪， 19次洪水事件 记录. The last major flood event occurred over New Year’s Eve in 2005, 25年一次的盛会, and caused over 2 million dollars in damage to private and public facilities. 自1851年伦敦金融城成立以来, 157年前, 发生了29起重大洪灾, 大约每5到7年一次. 两个过去的洪水事件, 1955年和1997年, have been estimated to be the so-called 100-year flood, 或基础洪水, and all other flood events were between the 10 – and 50 – year flood events.