Floods of 1955______72 Floods of February 5-9 in Southern Louisiana...-.______72 Floods of February 27 to March 7 in Kentucky and West Virginia
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Summary of Floods in the United States During 1955 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1455-B Prepared in cooperation with Federal, State, and local agencies .' ** Summary of Floods in the United States During 1955 \epared under the direction of J. V. B. WELLS .Chief Surface Water Branch ^LOODS OF 1955 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1455-B Prepared in cooperation with Federal, 3tate, and local agencies NITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1962 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEW ART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director For aale by the Superintendent of Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25. D.C. CONTENTS Page Abstract _____-_____--__-_____--_-_-_-___ _______________________ 69 Introduction. _____________________________________________________ 69 Determination of flood stages and discharges-_________________________ 71 Explanation of data_ ______________________________________________ 71 Summary of floods of 1955___________________________________ 72 Floods of February 5-9 in southern Louisiana...-.________________ 72 Floods of February 27 to March 7 in Kentucky and West Virginia. _. 74 Floods of March 1-2 in western New York----_____---___-_-.____ 77 Floods of March 20-22 in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee____ 78 Floods of April 12-15 in southern Mississippi and adjacent areas.. __ 84 Floods of May 18-20 in Colorado and New Mexico - ___-__-_-___--_ 93 Floods of May 20-23 in southwestern Louisiana.__________________ 95 Floods of June 25 in Chugwater Creek, Wyo______________________ 99 Floods of June 26 in southwestern North Dakota__________________ 100 Floods of June 26-27 in North Platte River basin, Wyoming and Nebraska__________________________________________ 102 Floods of July 6 in Bottineau area, North Dakota.________________ 105 Floods of July 8-9 in Kentucky.._____________________________ 107 Floods of July 27 at Albuquerque, N. Mex.______________-____.___ 108 Floods of July 28 in Castle Creek basin, South Dakota_-___________ 110 Floods of July 31 at Pojoaque, N. Mex_____________________-_____ 113 Flood of August 3 in the Tucson area, Arizona_________________-__ 114 Floods of August 3-5 in western Louisiana_-________-_______---___ 116 Floods of August-October, New England to North Carolina.._______ 117 Floods of September 24-25 near Golden, N. Mex__________________ 120 Floods of September 24-25 in Nueces River basin, Texas.___----___ 123 Floods of September 25-28 in upper Brazos River basin, Texas______ 127 Floods of October 2-4 in Pecos River basin, Texas____-_---__------ 129 Floods of October 25 in the Nisqually River, Wash._______________ 133 Flood of November 3-4 on the Olympic Peninsula, Wash.__________ 134 Floods of December 21-24 in far-western States.--.--------------- 137 Index.____--____________-_._______.__________._-___- 141 ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURE 13. Map of the United States showing location of flood areas of 1955 for which reports were prepared___-__--_____-_____ 70 14. Map of flood area, February 5-9 in southern Louisana_--_-_ 72 15. Map of flood area, February 27 to March 7 in Kentucky and West Virginia__-________.____________________________ 74 16. Map of flood area, March 1-2 in western New York________ 77 17. Map of flood area, March 20-21 in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee ___________________________________________ 80 in IV CONTENTS Page FIGURE 18. Cumulative precipitation for selected stations, March 20-21.. 81 19. Map of flood area, March 20-23 in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee ___________________________________________ 82 20. Graphs of discharge at selected gaging stations------------- 83 21. Graphs of discharge at selected gaging stations-____________ 84 22. Map of flood area, April 12-15 in southern Mississippi and adjacent areas__-_-__-__----____--_-----___-_--______ 90 23. Map of flood area, May 18-20 in Colorado and New Mexico. _ 94 24. Discharge hydographs of Arkansas and Purgatoir& Rivers, May 18-21__________________________________________ 96 25. Map of flood area, May 20-23 in southwestern Louisana____ 98 26. Map of flood area, June 25 in Chugwater Creek, Wyo_____ 100 27. Map of flood area, June 26 in southwestern North Dakota_ 101 28. Relation of peak discharge to 10-, 25-, 50-, and 75-year floods-. 102 29. Map of flood area, June 26-27 in North Platte River basin, Wyoming and Nebraska_____________________________ 104 30. Map of flood area, July 6 in Bottineau area, North Dakota-- 106 31. Relation of peak discharge to 10-, 25-, 50-, and 75-year floods. _ 107 32. Map of flood area, July 8-9 in Kentucky,___________ 108 33. Map of flood area, July 27 at Albuquerque, N. Mex________ 110 34. Map of flood area, July 28 in Castle Creek basin, South Dakota.____________________________________________ 111 35. Relation of peak discharge to 10-, 25-, 50-, and 75-year floods.- 112 36. Map of flood area, July 31 at Pojoaque, N. Mex___________ 114 37. Map of flood area, August 3 in the Tucson area, Arizona.___ 115 38. Map of flood area, August 3-5 in western Louisana______.__ 117 39. Map of flood area, August-October, New England to North Carolina ___________________________________________ 119 40. Map of flood area, September 24-25 near Golden, N. Mex_._ 122 41. Map of flood area, September 24-25 in Nueces River basin, Texas.--__________________________.._._.__ 124 42. Discharge bydrographs for Nueces River stations____-_-___- 125 43. Map of flood area, September 25-28 in upper Brazos River basin, Texas----------------------------------------- 128 44. Discharge hydrographs for selected stations in the Brazos River basin_______________-__--_------------__-----_- 129 45. Map of flood area, October 2-4 in the Pecos River basin, Texas.__--_______-___-___-__-_-----_----_-____--____ 130 46. Daily discharge hydrographs for Pecos River and graph of contents for Red Bluff Reservoir.______________________ 132 47. Daily discharge hydrographs for Delaware River and Salt (Screwbean) Draw__________________________________ 133 48. Map of flood area, October 25 in Nisqually River, Wash____ 134 49. Map of flood area, November 3-4 on Olympic Peninsula, Wash. 135 50. Map of flood area, December 21-24 in far-western States___- 138 TABLES TABLE 1. Summary of flood stages and discharges, February 5-9 in southern Louisiana___-_________-___---_----__--_-__-_ 73 CONTENTS V Page TABLE 2. Rainfall at Weather Bureau stations, February 26 to March 6 in Kentucky and West Virginia------------------------ 75 3. Summary of flood stages and discharges, February 27 to March 7 in Kentucky and West Virginia.-_-__---_------ 76 4. Daily precipitation at selected rain-gage stations in western New York, February 27 to March 1.__-______-_--_----- 78 5. Summary of flood stages and discharges, March 1-2 in western New York...____________________________ - -- 7ft 6. Summary of flood stages and discharges, March 20-23, Mis sissippi, Alabama, and Tennessee____-______------------ 85 7. Summary of flood stages and discharges, April 12-15 in south ern Mississippi and adjacent areas___--___------_-----_- 91 8. Summary of flood stages and discharges, May 18-20 in Colo rado and New Mexico-. ______________________________ 97 9. Rainfall at Weather Bureau stations, May 20 in southwestern Louisiana ___________________________________________ 99 10. Summary of flood stages and discharges, May 20-23 in south western Louisiana.___________________________________ 99 11. Summary of flood stages and discharges, June 26 in south western North Dakota-__________-----__-_-------__--- 103 12. Summary of flood stages and discharges, June 26-27 in North Platte River basin, Wyoming and Nebraska.------------ 105 13. Summary of flood stages and discharges, July 6 in Bottineau area, North Dakota-_____________-__--__-_____--_--_- 107 14. Rainfall at Weather Bureau stations, July 7-9 in Kentucky.- 109 15. Summary of flood stages and discharges, July 8-9 in Ken tucky--,-__._________-_____-_-__--_______ 109 16. Summary of flood stages and discharges, July 27 at Albuquer que, N. Mex________.._-_-_-___-__._-__..__________-_ Ill 17. Summary of flood stages and discharges, July 28 in Castle Creek basin, South Dakota__________________________ 113 18. Summary of flood stages and discharges, August 3 in the Tucson area, Arizona. ______________________________ 116 19. Summary of flood stages and discharges, August 3-5 in west ern Louisiana-__--_-__-__--__-_____-_--_-___--_------ 118 20. Peak discharges during August, New England to North Caro lina-----__._____________-___.___-____ 121 21. Summary of flood stages and discharges, September 24-25 near Golden, N. Mex__-___________-_.______________ 123 22. Summary of flood stages and discharges, September 24-25 in Nueces River basin, Texas.__________________________ 127 23. Summary of flood stages and discharges, September 25-28 in upper Brazos River basin, Texas. _______________________ 130 24. Summary of flood stages and discharges, October 2-4 in Pecos River basin, Texas______-______-__--_-_______-______ 131 25. Summary of flood stages and discharges, November 3-4 on the Olympic Peninsula, Wash________________________ 136 26. Summary of flood stages and discharges, December 21-24 in far-western States.___________________________________ 139 27. Flood damage and loss of life, December 1955-January 1956- 140 FLOODS OF 1955 SUMMARY OF FLOODS IN THE UNITED STATES DURING 1955 ABSTRACT Floods in the United States during 1955 caused damage which has been ex ceeded only by the floods of July 1951 in Kansas and Missouri. A destructive series of floods occurred in the Northeastern States in five periods during August-October 1955 and covered the area from New England to North Carolina. A second series of floods of extreme magnitude began in the Western States in December 1955 and continued on into January 1956, covering Cali fornia (with the exception of about the southern one-fourth) the western part of Nevada, the southwestern part of Oregon, and west-central Idaho. Another flood of great magnitude occurred in May in the Arkansas River basin of Colorado and New Mexico.