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 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↗