Floods of February 1980 in southern California and central Arizona
No abstract available.
Arizona, California↗
Geology topics
E.H. Chin
Publications and source records attributed to E.H. Chin.
Flood of January 1982 in the San Francisco Bay area, California
A major winter storm originating over the Pacific Ocean moved through central California in early January 1982. As much as 16 inches of rain fell in Marin County and 25 inches in the mountains bordering Santa Cruz County. The storm of January 3-5, 1982 had a stable atmospheric structure, and the layer of moist maritime air was confined to altitudes between 50 and 700 ft; this phenomenon caused the rain to fall most heavily along the lower slopes of the coastal mountains. As a result of antecedent rainfall, streamflow in the San Francisco Bay area exceeded normal from the end of October to the end of December 1981. For most streams, the January 1982 flood was the largest since the flood of December 1955, but it was not significantly large in comparison with historic peak-flow data. Damages associated with the storm were substantial, but flooding from stream runoff was not the major problem. Greater than normal antecedent rainfall, together with the prolonged heavy rain, liquified the supersaturated soil cover and caused numerous slope failures and debris flows on steep, unstable slopes. The median recurrence interval of the 1982 peak for 66 streamflow-gaging stations in the San Francisco Bay area is 10 years; for the 1955 flood, the median recurrence interval for 16 stations is 11 years. Streams with highest unit peak runoff were in the Santa Cruz Mountains and North Bay subareas. Median recurrence intervals of flood volumes for durations of 1, 3, and 8 consecutive days during the January 1982 flood are 18, 11, and 8; these recurrence intervals are comparable to those of the December 1955 flood, which are 13 , 16, and 14 years. (USGS)
Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
Floods of March 1982 in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan,↗
Floods in central Texas, August 1-4, 1978
Catastrophic floods caused by record rainfall occurred in central Texas during August 1-4, 1978. Torrential rain initiated by the remnants of tropical storm Amelia fell over south-central Texas during August 1-3, and very intense rain due to the interaction between the cold front and maritime air mass fell over north-central Texas on August 3-4. Rainfall of more than 48 inches near Medina in south-central Texas established a new United States record of extreme point rainfall for a 72-hour period. Major flooding occurred on the Medina and Guadalupe Rivers. Severe to minor flooding occurred on the Brazos, Llano, Pedernales, and Nueces Rivers. Floods with recurrence intervals in excess of 100 years and recordsetting peak discharges were observed at several streamflow stations. Thirty three lives were lost and total damages reportedly exceeded $110 million.
Texas↗
Floods of April 1979, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia
A major storm April 11-13, 1979, following a series of storms in March and April, brought large amounts of rainfall over southeastern United States. Heaviest rain fell over north-central Mississippi and Alabama. A maximum of 21.5 inches was observed at Louisville, 14 SE, Mississippi. Floods in Mississippi and Alabama were the maximum of record at 60 streamflow gaging stations in the Coosa, Alabama, Tombigbee, Chickasawhay, Pearl, and Big Black River basins. On the Pearl River, peak discharges at main stem gaging stations generally approached or exceeded those of the great flood of 1874, and recurrence intervals generally were greater than 100 years. Nine lives were reported lost. Estimated damages totaled nearly $400 million. Seventeen thousand people were driven from their homes in Jackson, Mississippi. This report presents analyses of the meterological settings of the storms, summaries of flood stages and discharges at 221 streamflow gaging stations, stages and contents of 10 reservoirs, flood-crest stages and hydrograph data consisting of gage height, discharge, and accumulated runoff at selected times, at 46 gaging stations, groundwater fluctuations in 11 observation wells, and water salinity and temperature at 22 sites along the Intracoastal Waterway in Mobile Bay. (USGS)
Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi↗
Floods of May 1978 in southeastern Montana and northeastern Wyoming
Heavy rain and some snow fell on previously saturated ground over southeastern Montana and northeastern Wyoming during May 16-19, 1978. The maximum amount of 7.60 inches within a 72-hour period observed at Lame Deer, Montana, set a record for the month of May in that region. Heavy flooding occurred in the drainages of the Yellowstone River and its tributaries as well as the Belle Fourche, Cheyenne, and North Platte Rivers. The previous maximum flood of record was exceeded at 48 gaged sites, and the 1-percent chance flood was equaled or exceeded at 24 sites. Flood damage was extensive, exceeding $33 million. Nineteen counties in the two States were declared major disaster areas. Mean daily suspended-sediment discharges exceeded previously recorded maximum mean daily values at four sites on the Powder River. The maximum daily suspended-sediment discharge of 2,810,000 tons per day occurred on May 20 at the Site Powder River near Arvada, Wyoming. (USGS)
Professional Paper↗
Floods in Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas, September 12-13, 1977
The storms of Sept. 12-13, 1977, delivered as much as 16 in. of rain, with average rainfall exceeding 10 in. in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Twenty-five lives were lost, many were left homeless, and damages exceeded $80 million. Data obtained by the National Weather Service and the U.S. Geological Survey indicate that two record-setting rainstorms occurred within 24 hours. The first storm, in the early morning, thoroughly soaked the local drainage basins. The second storm, centered along the Brush and Round Grove Creek basins, resulted in a devastating flash flood. Peak discharges were determined during and after this major flood at gaging stations and selected miscellaneous locations. Streamflows and flood volumes in many locations far exceeded estimated values for the 100-year flood. (USGS)
Professional Paper↗