On December 22, 1964, heavy rain and unseasonably warm temperatures came to the Rogue River, and as the day passed townsfolk watched the rising turbid water, moved their belongings to upper floors, and left their homes for higher ground. In these mountains, the combination of rain, snow, and temperature can create unpredictable river levels, and that winter excessive rains and warm temperatures increased the rate of melting snow, causing the Rogue River to rise. Throughout the night the river kept rising, and by 4:00 am on December 23 it stood four feet above the previous flood record. Water poured down streets and sidewalks, inundated buildings, and crashed against the deck and trusses of the Depot Street Bridge. When the floodwaters subsided, scores of residents returned to find badly damaged homes and businesses swamped with mud. The Christmas Flood of 1964 was one of the worst Rogue River floods on record, but it was not unprecedented.