River of Fire: Remembering the Flood of 1994

1994 Western Fire Season - Summer-Fall 1994. Severe fire season in western states due to dry weather; approximately $1.0 (1.2) billion damage/costs; death toll undetermined. Texas Flooding - October 1994. Torrential rain (10-25 inches in 5 days) and thunderstorms cause flooding across much of southeast TX; approximately $1.0 (1.2) billion damage/costs; 19 deaths. River of Fire: Remembering the flood of 1994 ABC13 coverage of the flood of 1994. Thursday, October 20, 2016 HOUSTON (KTRK) -- In a city famous for floods, this was one of the worst. It was October of 1994 when a series of meteorological events occurred to trigger a huge rain event which was responsible for at least 17 deaths and millions of dollars in damage. Remnants of Hurricane Rosa in Mexico, moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and a low pressure system over southern Rocky Mountains triggered heavy rains and vigorous thunderstorms across parts of 38 counties. From October 15 to 19, southeast Texas saw rainfall amounts ranging from 8 to 28 inches. Tropical Storm Alberto - July 1994. Remnants of slow-moving Alberto bring torrential 10-25 inch rains in 3 days, widespread flooding and agricultural damage in parts of GA, AL, and panhandle of FL; approximately $1.0 (1.2) billion damage/costs; 32 deaths. Don't think a storm needs to be a hurricane to do immense destruction, as the people of the state of Georgia found out when Tropical Storm Alberto stalled over the state for days at the start of July, 1994. Alberto began its journey to Georgia off the coast of Africa as a tropical wave and during its journey never actually reached hurricane status. In the Virgin Islands it was little more than thunderstorms, but by the time the storm reached Cuba the National Weather Service had noticed the telltale circulation of a tropical storm. They sent out a hurricane hunter aircraft, specially equipped to measure on-site phenomena. Upon return, the National Weather Service declared the wave to be the first named storm of the 1994 hurricane season, Tropical Storm Alberto. The storm hit the Southeastern coast of the United States in the vicinity of Destin, Florida, and slowly crossed the Florida panhandle into the state of Georgia. Here Alberto slowed its northward movement until it stalled south of the Atlanta Airport. During this period towns in west Georgia in the path of Alberto received record amounts of rainfall including Columbus, Albany, and Macon. In Americus, Georgia, north of Albany, the all-time state record for rainfall in a 24-hour period was set when the city racked up a total of 21.1 inches between July 5 and 6. A total of more than 27 inches fell on the city over the 6 days of the storm. Georgians then had to deal with the inevitable flooding as the rivers rose to record levels. In many places the rivers crested at between 5 and 15 feet above flood stage. Some of the NWS measuring stations hit 20 feet above flood level. By the time the storm and the flooding were over a total of 33 Georgians were dead. Southeast Ice Storm - February 1994. Intense ice storm with extensive damage in portions of TX, OK, AR, LA, MS, AL, TN, GA, SC, NC, and VA; approximately $3.0 (3.7) billion damage/costs; 9 deaths. On January 19, 1994 the low temperature fell to - 4 degrees Fahrenheit and the high temperature was only 8 degrees Fahrenheit. the cold temperatures lead to a rolling power brownouts and close schools and businesses. This was a year of repetitive ice storms and Co weather, ice cover on the ground was that enough to support ice skating on lawns. At the Penderbrook Golf in Fairfax, Va. down hill ice skating occurred for several days on the long fairway. Further north, heavy snow fell in New England, and Lake Superior froze over for the first time in 16 years. THE GREAT SLEET STORM OF FEBRUARY 10-11 1994 This winter storm was most unique in that produced almost entirely sleet for the immediate DC metro area. To the north, heavy snow fell and to the south and east, freezing rain occurred producing a devastating ice storm. In the Washington area, the sleet accumulation averaged between 3 to 4 inches. The maximum sleet accumulation occurred over Central and western Fairfax County, with over 4 inches of sleet measured at several locations. Only two other sleet storms in Washington's history have compared to this storm-one occurred in 1920 and the other in 1927. The average sleet depth for the 1927 storm was 4.5 inches. Washington was lucky it was sleet and not a glaze as they received south of DC. In areas to the south where the ice storm (glaze) occurred there were some areas without electricity for nearly a month and most had no power for a week. (p. 95-96 Washington Weather Book 2002 by Ambrose, Henry, Weiss) January-February, 1994: These two months saw an unusual assault of ice storms on the Commonwealth. It began in mid January with an arctic blast that sent temperatures below zero over northern and western Virginia for a couple mornings. Winchester recorded -18°F on the 16th, Harrisonburg reached -13°F, Woodstock was -17°F and western Loudoun County reached -15°F. Between then and mid-February, about a dozen storms hit dropping snow, sleet, and freezing rain over all but the southeast. The most devastating storm struck February 10-11. A swath of Virginia was coated with one to three inches of solid ice from freezing rain and sleet! The hardest hit was an area from Danville and Lynchburg northeast through Fredericksburg. Some counties lost 10 to 20 percent of their trees from the heavy ice. Roads were blocked and impassable. Electric and phone lines were down with as much as 90 percent of the county's people without power. Even with the help of electric companies from other states, many people were without power for a week. A presidential disaster declaration was given and damages were estimated at $61 million. There were numerous injuries from automobile accidents and people falling on ice. Unfortunately, the National Weather Service does not keep records on ice amounts. However, this was likely the iciest winter Virginia had seen, at least this century. The Feb 1994 winter storm gave several inches of sleet were enough to cause considerable problems on roadways in Northern Virginia. Eventually, the cold air mass is so shallow that the rain does not freeze. If the temperature of the earth's surface is below freezing, then rain will freeze as it hits the ground, producing freezing rain, a very dangerous on roadways or walkways. As the ice accumulates on trees and wires, the weight eventually causes them to break, knocking out power and phone service. Sometimes, so much ice can accumulate that structural damage and collapse can occur to buildings and communication towers. During the Feb. 10-11, 1994 ice storm, some areas of southern Virginia received an astounding three inches of ice, causing tremendous tree damage and power outages for up to a week. More recently on Dec. 23, 1998, the Petersburg and Williamsburg area had a similar experience. Other types of weather systems generally do not cause major problems for Virginia. Storms such as the "Alberta Clipper," a fast-moving storm from the Alberta, Canada region, or a cold front sweeping through from the west generally do not bring more than one to four inches of snow in a narrow 50 to 60-mile-wide band. Sometimes, the high pressure and cold arctic air that follow in the wake of a clipper become the initial set up for a Nor'easter. In very rare cases, elements combine to produce very localized heavy snow without any fronts or storm centers nearby. The Feb 1994 winter storm gave several inches of sleet were enough to cause considerable problems on roadways in Northern Virginia. Eventually, the cold air mass is so shallow that the rain does not freeze. If the temperature of the earth's surface is below freezing, then rain will freeze as it hits the ground, producing freezing rain, a very dangerous on roadways or walkways. As the ice accumulates on trees and wires, the weight eventually causes them to break, knocking out power and phone service. Sometimes, so much ice can accumulate that structural damage and collapse can occur to buildings and communication towers. During the Feb. 10-11, 1994 ice storm, some areas of southern Virginia received an astounding three inches of ice, causing tremendous tree damage and power outages for up to a week. More recently on Dec. 23, 1998, the Petersburg and Williamsburg area had a similar experience. Other types of weather systems generally do not cause major problems for Virginia. Storms such as the "Alberta Clipper," a fast-moving storm from the Alberta, Canada region, or a cold front sweeping through from the west generally do not bring more than one to four inches of snow in a narrow 50 to 60-mile-wide band. Sometimes, the high pressure and cold arctic air that follow in the wake of a clipper become the initial set up for a Nor'easter. In very rare cases, elements combine to produce very localized heavy snow without any fronts or storm centers nearby. .

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