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Notable Local Floods of 1942-43

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Notable Local Floods of 1942-43 Notable Local Floods of 1942-43 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1134 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1952 CONTENTS The letters in parenthesis preceding the titles are those used to designate the separate chapters] Page (A) Flood of August 4-5, 1943, in central West Virginia, by H. M. Erskine. 1 (B) Floods of July 18, 1942, in north-central Pennsylvania, by William S. Eisenlohr, Jr________________________________________________ 59 ILLUSTRATIONS PLATE 1. Map of West Virginia showing location of points where flood determinations were made__________--_-_--__-_-_-_--__-_ 48 2. Map of flood area showing locations of stream-gaging stations, rainfall-measurement points, and isohyetal lines for July 17-18, 1942-____-___________________-___-______--_-_-____- In pocket FIGURE 1. Map of West Virginia showing location of Little Kanawha River basin_________________________-__-__--_-_---_-_ 2 2. Residence of Yeager family, which was flooded. ____________ 5 3. Residence, near Heaters, which was washed dowiistream_____ 6 4. Washed-out railroad bridge on Copen Run _________________ 6 5. Washed-out fill on State Route 5 at Jobs Run______________ 7 6. Rock and mud deposit from a hillside wash________________ 7 7. Typical sand and gravel deposits__________________________ 8 8. Typical hillside erosion_____________________-_____-__--__ 8 9. Cornfield destroyed by flood. _--_____________-__-__-_-__- 9 10. Isohyetal map of Little Kanawha River basin showing total rainfall July 26-30, 1943__________________--_-____--- 10 11. Isohyetal map of Little Kanawha River basin showing total rainfall August 4-5, 1943__ ______________-___-_--__--__ 13 12. Discharge hydrographs at stream-gaging stations on Little Kanawha River July 26 to August 9, 1943_ ______________ 18 13. Discharge hydrographs at stream-gaging stations on tribu­ taries of Little Kanawha River July 26 to August 9, 1943__ 19 14. Map of Little Kanawha River basin showing location of points where determinations of flood discharge were made_______ 30 15. Relation of unit discharge in Little Kanawha River basin to size of drainage basin-__-_----__-_-_-_--_-_--------- 31 16. Flood profiles of Little Kanawha River____________________ 34 17. Business section of Burnsville during flood of April 16, 1939-_ 37 18. Part of flooded section of Glenville during flood of April 1939__ 37 19. Isohyetal map of Little Kanawha River basin showing total rainfall April 14-18, 1939__-_-_-_--________________ 38 20. Hourly precipitation at recording rain gages April 14-18, 1939________________________________________________ 39 CONTENTS Page FIGURE 21. Graph of daily mean discharge of Little Kanawha River at Grantsville, March 26 to April 25, 1939-______________ 40 22. Stages reached by floods exceeding 23 feet at Glenville, 1901-43^ __ __________________-_-____-____-___ 42 23. Monthly distribution of floods exceeding 23 feet at Glenville, 1901-43-______________-____-_--------____-_-_-_-_-__ 45 24. Recurrence interval of floods on Little Kanawha River at Glenville, 1901-43-_______________________-__. 45 25. Relation of unit discharges in table 9 to size of drainage basin______________________________________________ 48 26. Index map showing location of flood area __________________ 60 27. Dam of Williamsoii Pulp & Paper Co., Austin, Pa., breached by flood. _____________________________________________ 61 28. Buildings in Austin, destroyed by flood____________________ 62 29. Houses in Johnsonburg, Pa., swept off their foundations and pushed together.___________________----_______-_---__ 63 30. Bridge of Coudersport & Port Allegaiiy R. R. damaged by flood.______.__-____---__-_____-----_-_-_____ 63 31. Baltimore and Ohio R. R. tracks along First Fork Sinnema- honing Creek torn up by flood ________________________ 64 32. Questionnaire used for recording miscellaneous rainfall infor­ mation ______________________________________________ 73 33. Upstream end of debris cone on Taylor Farm, formed during flood.-__---___-______-_---_-____--_____________ 76 34. Blow-out hole near Port Allegany_________________-_-_____ 77 35. Distribution of rainfall at recording-gage stations___________ 82 36. Relation between percent of total rainfall and minimum time required for its occurrence------------------------- 87 37. Glass jar, on Appolt farm, that overflowed after catching 30.8 inches of rain_ -___-____________---_______-_----__ 115 38. Old and new drainage channels on Appolt farm near Port Allegany___________________________________________ 118 39. Upper critical-depth section on Taylor farm________________ 119 40. Slope-area reach on Nelson Run__________________________ 120 41. Bridge opening on Allegheny River at Port Allegany used for contra cted-opening measurement _______________________ 121 42. Comparative hydrographs of flood flows in Susquehanna and Allegheny Rivers drainage basins. ______________________ 122 43. Flood discharge, in second-feet per square mile, in relation to drainage area______________________________________ 144 o ^lood of Vugust 4-5,1943 n Central Vest Virginia H. M. ERSKINE h a Summary of Flood Stages and Discharges in West Virginia OTABLE LOCAL FLOODS OF 1942-43 iOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1134-A spared in cooperation with the Corps Engineers and the State of irginia ITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1951 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Oscar L. Chapman, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. - Price 40 cents (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Abstract- _ ________-----__-___--_--_--_----____-___---_-_____-_--__ 1 [ntroduction_ _____________________________________________________ 1 Administration and personnel-__----__---_-_____---___-_-_-_-______- 3 Acknowledgments- _________________________________________________ 3 Description of the storm and flood___________________________________ 4 Rainfall __________________________________________________________ 9 Flood discharge ___________________________________________________ 15 Measurement of flood discharge _________________________________ 15 Discharges at gaging stations during the flood period_______________ 17 Little Kanawha River near Burnsville___-_____-___--_____-___ 20 Little Kanawha River at Glenville___________________________ 21 Little Kanawha River at Grantsville_________________________ 22 Little Kanawha River at Palestine,__________________________ 24 Leading Creek near Glenville_______________________________ 25 Steer Creek near Grantsville________________________________ 26 West Fork Little Kanawha River at Rocksdale________________ 26 South Fork Hughes River at Macfarlan______________________ 27 Hughes River at Cisko_____________________________________ 28 Summary of flood discharges.___________________________________ 29 Flood crests_____________________________________-_----_-----_--_-_ 33 Previous floods,________________________________-__-_--_----___-__- 35 Floods prior to April 1939--------------___--------------------- 35 Flood of April 1939_______________.__________________________ 36 istribution and frequency of flood events__-_______-_--__---____--_-_ 42 Summary of flood stages and discharges in West Virginia.______________ 46 Literature cited___________________________________________________ 49 Index____________________________________________________________ 57 ILLUSTKATIONS Page PLATE 1. Map of West Virginia showing location of points where flood determinations were made__^_____________________Facing 48 FIGURE 1. Map of West Virginia showing location of Little Kanawha River basin.__________________________________________ 2 2. Residence of Yeager family, which was flooded____-____--_-_ 5 3. Residence, near Heaters, which was washed downstream _____ 6 4. Washed-out railroad bridge on Copen Run________________ 6 5. Washed-out fill on State Route 5 at Jobs Run_______________ 7- 6. Rock and mud deposit from a hillside wash.-_-_-----_----_-- 7 7. Typical sand and gravel deposits ______ ______________---_-- 8 8. Typical hillside erosion_______________________-_--___----- 8 9. Cornfield destroyed by flood_____________________-__-____- 9 in IV CONTENTS FIGURE 10. Isohyetal map of Little Kanawha River basin shoeing total rainfall July 26-30, 1943._-._____ _______________ 11. Isohyetal map of Little Kanawha River basin showing total rainfall August 4-5, 1943 _ _______________ 12. Discharge hydrographs at stream-gaging stations 011 Little Kanawha River July 26 to August 9, 1943_ __________ 13. Discharge hydrographs at stream-gaging stations on trib­ utaries of Little Kanawha River July 28 to August 9, 1943_ 14. Map of Little Kanawha River basin showing location of points where determinations of flood discharge were made___ ___ 15. Relation of unit discharge in Little Kanawha River basin to size of drainage basin_ _______________ _ 16. Flood profiles of Little Kanawha River_____________________ 17. Business section of Burnsville during flood of April 16, 1939_ _ _ 18. Part of flooded section of Glenville during flood of April 1939 _ _ 19. Isohyetal map of Little Kanawha Fiver basin showing total rainfall April 14-18, 1939 _____________ _____ 20. Hourly precipitation at recording rain gages April 14-18, 1939- _ 21. Graph of daily mean discharge of Little Kanawha River at Grantsville, March 26 to April 25, 1939_ __________________ 22. Stages reached by floods exceeding 23 feet at Glenville, 1901-43 23. Monthly distribution of floods exceeding 23 feet at Glenville,
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