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Archival photos from San Francisco’s stormy, flooded past

The city marvels at what will come of this week’s atmospheric river, but it is not the first time it has braved such conditions.

Cars wade through flood waters, due to heavy rains, at the intersection of Market, Church and 14th streets in San Francisco on Apr. 4, 1941. | San Francisco History Center/San Francisco Public Library
By Morgan Ellis

As Wednesday’s storm continues to brew, San Francisco and the Bay Area are bracing for what could be historically significant impacts brought on by extreme rain and heavy winds.

But this week’s onslaught would not be the first, nor will it likely be the last, time the Bay Area has experienced flooding, home destruction and other consequences of Mother Nature.

Archival photos from the 1930s through the 1950s show San Francisco’s residents wading through flooded streets, crowds of umbrellas and even children making the most out of rainwater at a local park.

Take a look at SF’s stormy history:

A flooded street with mud and water blocking it near the bottom, flanked by trees and buildings, with "Street Closed" signs placed across the road.
Steiner Street in San Francisco was closed off due to mud and floods during a storm on Feb. 14, 1936. | San Francisco History Center/San Francisco Public Library
Heavy flooding followed a storm at Market and Church streets in San Francisco on Jan. 21, 1941. | San Francisco History Center/San Francisco Public Library
A large sinkhole has collapsed a section of a paved road, exposing broken asphalt slabs and earth beneath, with houses and a car in the background.
A massive sinkhole at 34th Avenue and Wawona Street in San Francisco was caused by heavy rain on Jan. 22, 1941. | San Francisco History Center/San Francisco Public Library
Cars wade through flood waters, due to heavy rains, at the intersection of Market, Church and 14th streets in San Francisco on Apr. 4, 1941. | San Francisco History Center/San Francisco Public Library
Frank Kelley, director of the Columbia Park Boys Club, and Ray Kimball work on a ceiling leak following a heavy rain on Oct. 29, 1941. | San Francisco History Center/San Francisco Public Library
A tilted house blocks a street after being displaced, with several people standing nearby observing the damage and the surrounding houses intact.
A Foerster Street landslide followed a big rain in San Francisco on Feb. 6, 1942. | San Francisco Department of Public Works
Pedestrians walk through the rain during a storm at the intersection of Stockton, Ellis, and Market streets in San Francisco on Dec. 31, 1943. | San Francisco History Center/San Francisco Public Library
Pedestrians walk through the rain during a storm at Powell Street on Mar. 24, 1945. | San Francisco History Center/San Francisco Public Library
Pedestrians walk in the rain on Market Street in San Francisco on Dec. 4, 1950. | San Francisco History Center/San Francisco Public Library
Children are playing and wading in a flooded playground with swings, surrounded by residential buildings in a black-and-white photo.
Children play in a flooded playground at Upper Noe Valley in San Francisco following a heavy rain on Nov. 12, 1951. | San Francisco History Center/San Francisco Public Library
A streetcar with passengers stands in flooded water, with water reaching above the wheels and people hanging onto the sides.
A motorized cable car acts as a taxi during a flood following a storm in San Rafael, Calif. on Dec. 8, 1952. | San Francisco History Center/San Francisco Public Library

Morgan Ellis can be reached at [email protected]

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