Floods of December 1961 in Mississippi and Adjoining States
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Floods of December 1961 in Mississippi and Adjoining States GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 465 Floods of December 1961 in Mississippi and Adjoining States By James D. Shell GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 465 Washington 1962 United States Department of the Interior STEWART 1. UDALL, SECRETARY Geological Survey THOMAS B. NOLAN, DIRECTOR Free on application to the U.S. Geological Survey, Washington 25, D. C. CONTENTS Page Page Abstract ____________________________ 1 River profiles _______________________ 11 Introduction_._________________...,____ 1 Streamflow data _____________________ 11 General description of rainfall ________ 1 Records of discharge _____.__-_.___ 11 Description of flood._________________ 4 Summary of flood stages and Flood damages ______________________ 9 discharges ______________________ 11 Aerial photography __________________ 10 ILLUSTRATIONS Page Figure 1. Isohyetal map of Mississippi and adjoining States, showing rainfall December 5-13,1961_____________________________________________________ 2 2. Isohyetal map of Mississippi and adjoining States, showing rainfall December 14-18, 196 !_______________________________________________________ 3 3. Isohyetal map of Mississippi and adjoining States, showing rainfall December 5-18,1961 _________________________________________________________ 4 4. Aerial view showing flooded area along South State Street at Jackson, Miss ______ 5 5. Aerial view showing flooded area along Gallatin Street in Jackson, Miss _________ 6 6. Aerial view of Jackson, Miss., showing flooding near time of peak, December 21, 1961 ____________________________________________________________ 7 7. Map of Mississippi and adjoining States, showing recurrence interval in years, of peak discharge at selected points, December 1961_____-___-____-__________ 8 8. Graph showing accumulated rainfall and stage of Sowashee Creek at Meridian, Miss., December 5-19, 1961 _____________________________________ ______-__ 9 9. Graph showing accumulated rainfall and stage of Pearl River at Edinburg, Miss., December 5-20, 1961______________-________________--___-___-__---_------ 9 10. Map of Mississippi and adjoining States, showing location of flood profiles to be surveyed and aerial-photograph coverage, December 196!___________________ 10 TABLES Page Table 1. Rainfall, in inches, at selected sites in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama for period December 5-18, 1961___________________________________-___--_----_ 2 2. Mean discharge (preliminary), in cubic feet per second, December 1961, of Pearl River at Edinburg, Miss _______________-__-__--__-_________-___-_-___--_-- 12 3. Mean discharge (preliminary), in cubic feet per second, December 1961, of Pearl River at Meeks Bridge near Canton, Miss __________________________________ 12 4. Mean discharge (preliminary), in cubic feet per second, December 1961, of Pearl River at Jackson, Miss ____________________________--__---_---_----_------ 12 5. Mean discharge (preliminary), in cubic feet per second, December 1961, of Big Black River near Bovina, Miss ____________________________________________ 12 6. Flood stages and discharges.________.____._______.___--___--__--_-----_----- 13 HI Floods of December 1961 in Mississippi and Adjoining States By James D. Shell ABSTRACT J.D. Shell, with advice and assistance of H. H.Barnes, Jr., flood specialist, collected and floods occurred over parts of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama after heavy rains during December 5 assembled the data. The report was prepared 18, 1961. A series of low-pressure systems produced as much under the general supervision of Tate Dal- as 19 inches of rainfall in some areas. Heavy rainfall, 7 to rymple, chief, Floods Section, Washington, D. 11 inches, on December 10 resulted in outstanding floods on small streams in southern Mississippi and southwestern C. Various Federal, State, municipal, and pri Alabama. Subsequent rains produced multiple floods on small vate agencies furnished information and ap streams and outstanding floods of prolonged duration along the Big Black, upper Pearl, and lower Tombigbee Rivers in propriate acknowledgment is given in the text. At Jackson, Miss., the Pearl River reached the highest GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF RAINFALL stage known. Along the east bank, flood waters topped or breached some of the levee system protecting the Flowood industrial area, but other parts were saved by extensive re A series of weather fronts associated with inforcement and by emergency operation of the partially com pleted dam 10 miles upstream. Additional heavy damage to low-pressure systems, migrating northeast commercial and industrial property was prevented as a result ward from northern Mexico and the lower Rio of these measures. Grande Valley, moved over Louisiana, Missis Elsewhere, damage was restricted primarily to secondary sippi, and Alabama during the period Decem highways and bridges. Two lives were lost. ber 5-18, 1961. These systems collided with cold-air masses moving southeastward from the Rocky Mountain area and resulted in a INTRODUCTION prolonged storm period during which rain fell in amounts totaling as much as 19 inches. The data presented are intended to give a brief general account of the floods of Decem During the period December 5-9, rainfall ber 1961 in Mississippi and in adjoining parts was light over much of the area, with an aver of Louisiana and Alabama that were affected age accumulation of approximately l£ inches. significantly. Data for a complete report are This precipitation produced no appreciable not presently available but are being collected rises on the streams but did soak the ground in anticipation of a more comprehensive re thoroughly and caused high percentages of port later. runoff from precipitation that fell later. These records were collected as a part of On December 10, heavy rain fell on a nar the cooperative programs between the U.S. row belt extending from Bogalusa, La., north Geological Survey and the various State agen eastward through southern Mississippi and cies. into southwestern Alabama along a line from Washington County to Wilcox County. Along Work of the Surface Water Branch district this narrow band, as much as 11 inches of personnel was directed by the following dis precipitation was measured. At Bogalusa, La., trict engineers: F. N. Hansen, Louisiana; W. 9.78 inches was measured. Immediately to H. Robinson, Mississippi, and L. E. Carroon, the east of Bogalusa, in the White Sand com Alabama. munity of Pearl River County, Miss., 10.52 FLOODS OF DECEMBER 1961 IN MISSISSIPPI AND ADJOINING STATES inches fell early on December 10. Other mission shows storm rainfall for the period areas of heavy precipitation were in south December 5 13. During the second storm eastern Mississippi at Beaumont, with 11.42 period, December 14 18, heavier rains again inches, and in Alabama at Pinehill, Millers fell over the Pearl aftd Big Black River ba Ferry, and Selma, each receiving more than sins, as indicated by the isohyetal map of 7 inches of rainfall. rainfall for that period (fig. 2). The isohyetal map for the entire period, December 5 18, is Precipitation continued on December Hand shown on figure 3. These isohyetal maps are 12, with the heavier precipitation in central necessarily generalized because of the vari Mississippi over the Pearl and Big Black ations of intensity and accumulation. Figures River basins. The isohyetal map (fig. 1) based of daily rainfall for a few selected stations in on rainfall data furnished by the U.S. Weather the area, shown in table 1, give detailed daily Bureau and the Mississippi Forestry Com distribution of the precipitation. EXPLANATION Rainfall, in inches Figure 1. Isohyetal map of Mississippi and adjoining States, showing rainfall December 5-13, 1961. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF RAINFALL 91 89 88° 87° EXPLANATION Rainfall, in inches Figure 2. Isohyetal map of Mississippi and adjoining States, showing rainfall December 14-18, 1961. Table 1. Rainfall, in inches, at selected sites in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama for period December 5 18, 1961 Dece mber Station Total 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 0 0.14 0 0 0.08 9.78 0.96 1.76 1*08 0.19 0.86 0.17 1.82 1.21 18.09 0 0 0 9,8 1.08 7.87 ,88 2 63 ,46 ,08 1,14 .57 2.50 1.76 19.25 0 33 .08 Ofi .25 4.75 .27 1,22 ,45 .55 .85 .34 .8? 2.41 12.38 0 .06 Ofi 0 .08 11.42 58 .67 2.25 .43 ,37 .49 1.8.1 1.32 19.56 0 .30 ,08 0 .64 9.64 2.00 3.27 52 .40 78 ,15 ,85 1.05 19.68 ,05 18 .01 0 0 6.18 1.30 ,43 1,94 .04 .48 1.30 .1.3 .65 12.69 George County Fire Tower, near Lucedale, Miss..... T) .25 .10 0 1.00 5.00 2.00 1.25 1.00 .10 1.00 .75 .25 .60 13.30 .78 71 ,01 0 .27 1.65 15 5 16 ,03 48 1.02 67 1,34 2.45 14.72 31 1.41 ',?,5 0 .40 1.53 03 3 51 ,19 ,60 2 15 .18 1,5F 2.07 14.23 34 .68 .14 0 .15 .84 1 09 2.77 03 0 66 .14 3.19 2.61 12.64 Millers Ferry, Ala............................................ 0 0, 0 0 .21 7.75 .31 1 45 2 56 39 1 26 54 1(1 1.84 16.41 Pine Hill, Ala................................................. 0 0 0 0 0 7.80 .85 2 95 2 58 ,92 72 0 0 2.77 18.59 0 0 0 0 .13 7.08 .10 1 fi7 1 90 28 1.50 66 3fl 3,85 17.55 0 0 0 0 .14 8.10 1 60 9 60 9 00 32 2.27 52 31 1.07 18.93 FLOODS OF DECEMBER 1961 IN MISSISSIPPI AND ADJOINING STATES 91 90° 89° 88° 87° 86° 32 31 Figure 3. Isohyetal map of Mississippi and adjoining States, showing rainfall December 5-18, 1961. DESCRIPTION OF FLOOD The east side of the flood plain at Jackson is occupied by an extensive network of ring In general, only on small streams or on levees north of U.S.