Hurricane Flooding in West Virginia

Home , Cloudburst, Hurricane Camille, Hurricane Hugo, Hurricane Juan (1985)

J. Steve Kite WVU Geology & Geography

Revised 31 Oct 06

John Warner Photo Cheat River Bridge, St. George Teets & Young, 1985

Plan of Attack • Hurricane Basics • Do Bad Floods Occur in “Hurricane Season?” • Survey Worst Historic Floods in W.Va. • Which Were Caused by Hurricanes? • What is Worst-Case Scenario Indicated by Other Floods in Central Appalachians?

1870, Harpers Ferry Drawing from Harper's Weekly, Historic Photo Collection, Harpers Ferry NHP

Hurricane Fran, Harpers Ferry, 8 September 1996 Photo by Terry Adams, National Park Service.

1 Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale Tropical Storm — winds 39-73 mph

Hurricane Categories: 1 — winds 74-95 mph (64-82 kt) 2 — winds 96-110 mph (83-95 kt) 3 — winds 111-130 mph (96-113 kt) 4 — winds 131-155 mph (114-135 kt) 5 — winds >156 mph (>135 kt)

“Hurricanes” in this Talk Includes Tropical Cyclones & Organized Remnants of Hurricanes & Tropical Cyclones

Source: http://www.edgetech-us.com/Map/MapHurriZone.htm

• Survey Worst Historic Floods in W.Va.

W. Va. Flood Inventory Project

• 10 Worst Floods List for W. Va. Encyclopedia – List of ~144 Floods that Probably Include the 10 Worst in WV History

2 W. Va. Flood Inventory • 144 (+ 2) W.Va. Floods • 21 Predate NOAA Hurricane Maps • 119 Compared to Hurricane Maps (Dates Too Poorly Known on Other 4 Floods) –61 (>50%) in June-Nov –14 Floods Associated with “Hurricanes” • 7 In Sept, 4 in Aug, 2 in Oct, 1 in Nov, 1 in June –6 Possibly Associated with “Hurricanes” • Secondary Cause? - More Research Needed

10 Most Deadly Floods in W. Va. • Ignores Deaths in Other States • W. Va. Damage Separated Out Where Possible • Many Terrible Floods Hit W.Va., but Left Most Death & Destruction Elsewhere – Johnstown Flood, May 1889, >2200 Dead – March 1913: >467 Dead, $2,700,000,000 ($ 2003) – March 1936: 107 Dead, $3,600,000,000 ($ 2003) – Jan 1937: 137 Dead, $5,400,000,000 ($ 2003), 1,500,000 homeless, record WV flow: 654,000 ft3/s (Ohio River at Huntington)

WV $ WV 2003 $ WV Yr Mo-Day Location Details Dead Damage Damage Coal Refuse Dam 1972 Feb 26 Buffalo Crk., 125 >50,000,000 >220,000,000 Logan Co. failed, ~3.5” in 48 hr Flood Damage Cloudburst: 6” rain. 1916 Aug 9 Cabin Crk. + >60 5,000,000 85,000,000 H1, H3 SE US July Trop. L after H. 1985 Nov 4-6 Eastern WV + 47 600,000,000 1,025,000,000 Juan, 4-10”/ 48 hr. Difficult to Shenandoah R, >8” rain in 48 hr. No 1870 Sep 30 43 5,000,000 68,000,000 Harpers Fy. Potomac flood! Compare Cardwell Run + “Most appalling Different Eras 1888 July 19 ~39 300,000 5,600,000 Ohio Co. cloudburst” ~ 2 hr. June North-Central Torrential rains: 1950 35 4,020,0001800s’ Stigma30,700,000 24-26 WV 7 to 8" in 5 hr. = Little Kanawha Violent T-storm: 1943 Aug 4-5 23 1,300,0002000s’ Windfall13,800,000 R. + up to 15" in 2 hr.

Charleston esp. 5.74" rain in 4 hr. 1961 July 19 22 3,238,000 19,900,000 Magazine Hollow Floods, debris flows July Paint, Cabin, 6.5“ rain in 3.5 hr. 1932 20+ 2,500,000 33,800,000 10-11 Armstrong crk. Floods, landslides. Rockport area 19.5 “ Rain in 19- 1889 July 18 Wood, Jackson, 2 hr 10 min >650,000 >12,500,000 Ritchie, Wirt co. 21

3 WV $ WV 2003 $ WV Yr Mo-Day Location Details Dead Damage Damage Adjust Coal Refuse Dam 1972 Feb 26 Buffalo Crk., 125 >50,000,000 >220,000,000for Logan Co. failed, ~3.5” in 48 hr Inflation Cloudburst: 6” rain. to 2003 $ 1916 Aug 9 Cabin Crk. + >60 5,000,000 85,000,000 H1, H3 SE US July Trop. L after H. Using 1985 Nov 4-6 Eastern WV + 47 600,000,000 1,025,000,000 Juan, 4-10”/ 48 hr Index by Shenandoah R, >8” rain in 48 hr. No 1870 Sep 30 43 5,000,000 68,000,000 Harpers Fy. Potomac flood! Robert Cardwell Run + “Most appalling Sahr 1888 July 19 ~39 300,000 5,600,000 Ohio Co. cloudburst” ~ 2 hr Oregon June North-Central Torrential rains: 1950 35 4,020,000 30,700,000State 24-26 WV 7 to 8" in 5 hr. 2005 Little Kanawha Violent T-storm: 1943 Aug 4-5 23 1,300,000 13,800,000 R. + up to 15" in 2 hr http:// Charleston esp. 5.74" rain in 4 hr. www.orst. 1961 July 19 22 3,238,000 19,900,000 Magazine Hollow Floods, debris flows edu/dept/ July Paint, Cabin, 6.5“ rain in 3.5 hr. pol_sci/ 1932 20+ 2,500,000 33,800,000 10-11 Armstrong crk. Floods, landslides. fac/sahr/ sahr.htm Rockport area 19.5 “ Rain in 19- 1889 July 18 Wood, Jackson, 2 hr 10 min >650,000 >12,500,000 Ritchie, Wirt co. 21

WV $ WV 2003 $ WV Yr Mo-Day Location Details Dead Damage Damage Coal Refuse Dam 1972 Feb 26 Buffalo Crk., 125 >50,000,000 >220,000,000 Logan Co. failed, ~3.5” in 48 hr Cloudburst: 6” rain. 1916 Aug 9 Cabin Crk. + >60 5,000,000 85,000,000 H1, H3 SE US July Trop. L after H. 1985 Nov 4-6 Eastern WV + 47 600,000,000 1,025,000,000 Juan, 4-10”/ 48 hr Shenandoah R, >8” rain in 48 hr. No 1870 Sep 30 43 5,000,000 68,000,000 Harpers Fy. Potomac flood! Cardwell Run + “Most appalling 1888 July 19 ~39 300,000 5,600,000 Ohio Co. cloudburst” ~ 2 hr. June North-Central Torrential rains: 1950 35 4,020,000 30,700,000 24-26 WV 7 to 8" in 5 hr. Little Kanawha Violent T-storm: 1943 Aug 4-5 23 1,300,000 13,800,000 R. + up to 15" in 2 hr.

Five Most Deadly Floods in West Virginia

WV 2003 $ WV Yr Mo-Day Location Details Dead Damage Buffalo Crk., Coal Refuse Dam Feb 26 125 >220,000,000 1972 Logan Co. failed, ~3.5” in 48 hr Cloudburst: 6” rain. 1916 Aug 9 Cabin Crk. + H1, H3 SE US July >60 85,000,000

Trop. L. after H. Juan Nov 4-6 Eastern WV + 47 1,025,000,000 1985 4-10” in 48 hr Shenandoah >8” rain in 48 hr. No Sep 30 43 68,000,000 1870 R, Harpers Fy. Potomac flood!