Floods of 1959 in the United States GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1750 This water-supply paper was printed as separate chapters A and B UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director CONTENTS [The tetters in parentheses preceding the titles designate separately published chapters] (A) Floods of January-February 1959 in Ohio and adjacent States. (B) Summary of floods in the United States during 1959. Floods of January-February 1959 in Ohio and Adjacent States Prepared under the direction of E. L. HENDRICKS, Chief, Surface Water Branch FLOODS OF 1959 IN THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 17SO-A Prepared in cooperation with the States of Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New York, and agencies of the Federal Government JNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1964 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director The U.S. Geological Survey Library has cataloged this publication as follows: U.S. Geological Survey Floods of January-February 1959 in Ohio and adjacent States. Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1964. v, 296 p. illus., maps, diagrs., tables. 24 cm. (Its Water-supply paper 1750-A) Floods of 1959 in the United States. Prepared in cooperation with the States of Ohio, Indiana, Penn­ sylvania, and New York, and agencies of the Federal Government. 1. Floods Ohio. 2. Stream measurements Ohio. I. Title. (Se­ ries) For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Page Abstract _________________________________________________________ Al Introduction. ________________________________ _ ___-_-___-___-_____ 1 Acknowledgments.________________________________________________ 3 January storms_________________________________________________ 3 February storms________________________________________________ 12 Floods of January February-_-__-___-_-_________-___-_-_-_______-___ 15 Allegheny River basin________-_-_-_-_-_-___-_-_---_---_______ 15 Beaver River basin._-___-_______-_-_-_-_-___-___---_-_-_-_____ 17 Muskingum River basin________________________________________ 17 Scioto River basin_______-_________________________-_____-_____ 19 Little Miami River basin_____,-_-_-___-_____-_-__--_-_-_-___-_-_ 20 Mill Creek basin._______-_-___-_-_________-____-__-_-_---_---_ 23 Miami River basin__________________________________________ 23 Ohio River tributary basins in southern Indiana._____----_---_---_ 24 Wabash River and upper tributary basins__-_-___---_-_-_-------- 24 East Fork White River basin_______________-____-__-_-_---_--__ 30 Maumee River basin___________________________________________ 32 Lake Erie tributaries between the Maumee and Cuyahoga River basins____________________________________________________ 33 Cuyahoga River basin________________________________________ 33 Lake Erie tributaries east of the Cuyahoga River__-_-_---_---_-- 33 Susquehanna River basin________________________________________ 35 Flood damage_____-_-_-___________-____J-___-_i_____-_-__--_--_- 37 Magnitude and frequency________________________________________ 40 Flood-inundation maps_____-_____-_______-___-______--___---_--__ 43 Determination of flood discharges_________-_____-___-_-__----_-_-- 47 Streamflow data at gaging stations____-___________-_-_--__-_-_-_-- 48 Explanation of data___-___-_-___-___-_-______--_-_---_-_-_-- 48 Station descriptions and discharge tables.___________-__---_-- 49 Summary of peak stages and discharges______________________ 50 Station data____-_-_---_-_-_-_-___-_-_-_-___-___-_-__--_-_-_-- 65 Tionesta Creek basin____________________________________ 65 Oil Creek basin_________.____.______.__._________.._ 66 French Creek basin._____________-_-_____-___-_-___-_---_-_ 67 Ohio River main stem.___________________________________ 69 Clarion River basin__________________._______________-_--__ 70 Ohio River main stem___________________________________ 74 Mahoning Creek basin___-_____-_-___-___-_---_-_-_-_------ 75 Beaver River basin__-_____-___-_-_-___________-__--_-_---_ 76 Raccoon Creek basin_____________________________________ 95 Little Beaver Creek basin._______-_____-_-_-_-_-.__-_-__-_- 95 Muskingum River basin________________________-___-_-___-_ 96 Hocking River basin_-_____-_____-_-________-______-_-__--- 127 Raccoon Creek basin___________________-___-_-___-_-___-- 128 Scioto River basin-_________,____________-__-__--__-_-----_ 129 Little Miami River basin_____________-_-_---_-----_------ 151 Mill Creek basin____.____________....._____.._-_...._ __. 160 Miami River basin___________________-_______-_-_-_-----_ 163 in IV CONTENTS Streamflow data at gaging stations Continued Station data Continued Page Hogan Creek basin____-_____-_____-_-----_____-_____-_-___ A190 Laughery Creek basin____________________________________ 190 Indian Creek basin________-_______-----_-___-_-_-_-_______ 191 Crooked Creek basin_______________________________________ 191 Fourteenmile Creek basin_______-___-_-_-_-_______-_-_-_-___ 192 Silver Creek basin___-_______-_-___----__-___-_________-_-_ 192 Big Buck Creek basin________________-_-_-___-_-_______-_-_ 193 Big Indian Creek basin___________________________________ 193 Blue River basin. _________________________________________ 195 Little Blue River basin_____________________________________ 196 Anderson River basin______________-_-_-_-_________-_-___-_ 196 Little Pigeon Creek basin_______________-_-_-_-_-_-___-_-___ 197 Pigeon Creek basin_ _______________________________________ 197 Wabash River basin.______________________________________ 197 Streams tributary to Lake Erie------------------------------ 254 Streams tributary to Niagara River,_____-_-___-_-_______---_ 285 Streams tributary to Lake Ontario.- _______-_-___-_-___-_-_ 290 Index.___________________________________________________________ 293 ILLUSTKATIONS Page FIGURK 1. Map showing area covered by this report________________ A2 2. Map showing location of flood-determination sites__________ 4 3. Average temperatures and departure of monthly average for December 1958____________________________________ 6 4. Average temperatures and departure of monthly average for January 1959_ _______________-_-_---_______-_-___-_-_ 8 5. Weather conditions at selected weather stations, western part of flood area_________________________________________ 9 6. Weather conditions at selected weather stations, eastern part of flood area___-_-_____________-_-----__-_-____---_-- 10 7. Map showing depth of snow cover January 18, 1959___----_ 11 8. Rainfall map, January 19-21, 1959_---------_-_-_-------- 13 9. Rainfall map, February 9-10, 1959-_------_-_------------ 14 10. Ice jam in Riley Creek near Ottawa, Ohio_____-_______---- 16 11. Discharge hydrographs for Beaver and Muskingum River basins__ ___________________________________________ 18 12. Flooding in Chillicothe, Ohio__________-_______-_-_---- 21 13. Discharge hydrographs for basins of the Scioto and the Little Miami Rivers and Mill Greek,_________________________ 22 14. Discharge hydrographs for the Miami River basin and Ohio River tributaries in southern Indiana. __________________ 25 15. Ice blocks in the Wabash River_ _-_-_---------_-_---_---- 27 16. Flooding in Wabash, Ind________._________-_-.____-_-. 28 17. Breach in floodwall at Peru, Ind________-_-_____-_-_---- 29 18. Comparative discharge hydrographs for Wabash River. _____ 30 CONTENTS Page FIGURE 19. Discharge hydrographs for tributaries to upper Wabash River in February 1959 and to lower Wabash River in Jan­ uary 1959___-___-__________._____________ A31 20. Flooding in Fremont, Ohio_____________________________ 34 21. Discharge hydrographs for streams tributary to Lake Erie.-. 36 22. Map showing ratio of January and February peak discharges to mean annual flood______-______-_______--_---___-_ 40 23. Distribution of the ratios of peak discharge to mean annnal flood. ________________________________.__-_-. 43 24. Ratio of January peak discharges to the 50-year flood.._____ 44 25. Ratio of February peak discharges to the 50-year flood-_____ 45 26. Map of Ohio showing cities for which flood inundation studies have been made._____________________________________ 47 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Personal and private property losses, Ohio and Indiana, as compiled by the American Red Cross____-___-_-_______ A37 2. Flood damages by river basins_______-_----______-___-_ 38 3. Summary of flood stages and discharges________--___-___-_ 52 FLOODS OF 1959 IN THE UNITED STATES FLOODS OF JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1959 IN OHIO AND ADJACENT STATES ABSTRACT The floods of January 21-24, 1959, were the greatest of record in a widespread area in Ohio and Indiana and were of large magnitude in western Pennsylvania and southwestern New York. On some streams the stages and discharges: ex­ ceeded those of 1913. Thirty-two lives were reported lost and total damage was estimated at $100 million. About 20,000 buildings were .flooded, and more than 50,000 persons were evacuated. Heavy rains on January 20-21 exceeded 6 inches in a belt extending from the southwestern corner of Indiana through the southwestern corner of Ohio and into central Ohio. More than 3 inches of rain fell in about half of Ohio and Indiana, in the southern tip of Illinois, in the northern half of Kentucky and in a very narrow area extending into western Pennsylvania. The ground was saturated from a storm of January 14-17 and was frozen. Various depths of snow covered northern Indiana and the entire