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Flood — San Benito, California

February 17, 2026 · NOAA Storm Events record

Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
1
Property damage
—
Area
San Benito

Event narrative (NOAA)

A small sedan attempted to ford Tres Pinos Creek along Browns Valley Road near Paicines on the night of February 17, with first responders responding to the scene during the night. The next morning, the driver was found walking along Highway 25 asking about the location of the passenger. The passenger's body was eventually found a mile downstream of where the car had gotten stranded. The driver was later arrested on charges of gross vehicular manslaughter. At the time of the incident, the TESC1 river gauge on Tres Pinos Creek measured stages above 2 feet, compared to a typical stage of less than a foot.

Other notable flood events in California

San Diego · December 16, 20023 killedRiverside · March 8, 20002 killedTulare · January 16, 19982 killedX W Sierra/Ne Yuba/W Nevada/W Placer T X W/W El Dorado/W Amador T X W/C Calaveras/Sw Tuolumne T X Sw · February 3, 19982 killedFresno · May 1, 20232 killedPlacer · November 23, 20242 killed

Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.

Flood — San Benito, California, February 17, 2026 | DisasterAtlasUSA