MAY, 1916. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 295
> I , *- SECTION IV.-RIVERS AND FLOODS. I , , .J ' : I 1 r .
-, .
BIVEES AND FLOODS, MAY, 1916.
By ALPRED J. HENRY, Professor in Charge.
[Dated: River and Flood Dlvlsion, Weather Bureau, June 28,1916.1
FLOODS IN THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI, SPRING OF 1916.
Some account of the floods in the upper reaches of the Mississi pi was givon in the April, 1916, REVIEW, page 214. b h i g largely to circumstaimes there doscribed, flood conditions continued during May, 1016, being unusu- ally severe between Davenport aiicl the mouth of the Iowa River. Early in April the levees protecting the lllinois side of the river opposite Davenport, Iowa, gave way,
and on May 4 the levees protecting Muscatine Island, on
the Iowa side of the river, also gave wtly. By rcasoii of these breaks and the fact that the river coatinuod nt n
rolatively high stago for nearly a month, the iiiundatioii roved disastrous to the occupants of thc lowlands on goth sides of the river. Ap >rosimately 60,000 acres of agiculturctl land was iiiun d ated in the Davenport clistrict, in plilcrs to L dt?pth of 12 feet. In a subsequent part of this ruport the np- rosimate value of the loss occasionnd by these floods will
[e iven. &e water which caused tho flooc~s in qucstion cnnio principally from the he:Lclwntt>rs of tlic ninin stremi, hi1 t a very considerable part was coiit-iibutecl by tho Wiscon- sin River. In the stretch betwcwn Keokuk, Iown, iiiid
Louisiana, Mo. , the flood conditions were ats tinim intensi- tied by local rains in northeastern Missouri aiid rtiljacent portions of Illinois, specially on the 13th ant1 14th. thus prolon4ng the period of hgh water much beyond tho usual &ration of sprin floods.
hr between Keokuk, Iowa, ani1 Louisiana, Mo., tlic Ilk- sissippi at St. Louis, Mo., about 100 niiles below Louisiana, did not reach the flood stage until the end of tho month, as may be seen by the statistics of Table 1.
dpploxiniute loss due to fEoods ihe Upper ilIississippi, r l pril- Juiw, 1316.
Tangilde property, levees, hi hways, l.ridgvs, fitctorivs, ctc. - 51 G4.241
Tangible property of rdrozufs.. . . - -. - - - - -. . -. . -. - - -. . - - - - 133, OOO
F m property, crol)s (matured) ___.______ __ . - - -. . . -. - -. . . . 110. 2On
Farm property, crops (prospective wrcng. 120.llp). . -. -. . 93,950
Live stock and other movd~le farm property, inr.liidiiig buildings.. -. - - - -. . - - - - -. . . - - - -. . - -. - -. -. . . . - -. . -. - - - - 57,100 Suspension of bulliness _____.. ______.__ _.. . .___. . - __ .____ - - SO, 150
Total ._.__. -. ____. -. . .__ .____. - -. -. - -. . - - .__. _. . ._ 1,515,641
Estimated saving by warnings.. . . ___ -. . -. - - - -. . . . - - - -. . . . 1,395,700
OF Ids.
B y W. E. BABEON, Section Director.
[Dated: Weather Bumau office, Vlcksburg, Miss., June 10,1916.]
First &e.-The relatively high stiqva tliitt 1 ircvailed iii the hliwisippi River during the summer of 1915 were the su1,jert of inwh c*onini~~nt: and the lowest stages rewhed in the autumn were 14.4 feet at Arkmisiw ('ity. November 15; 10 feet at Greenville, NovemLcr 15 arid 16; and 11.5 feet at Vickshurg. November 17. A rise then set iu whidi cul- minated early in Decemher. followed by a full to 21 feet at Arkansas City, on December 17 and 18; 15.7 feet at Greenville, on December 18
Notwithstanding the 7 ong-continund period of high wa-
FLOOD IN TEE LOWER YISSISSIPPI VICKSBURO DISTRICT), SPaLzpO
and 19; and 15.2 feet at Vickslnwg.. on Decemher 30 and 21. The rise that immediutdy followed came out of the Ohio. (.'umberland, and
Tennessee Rivers. On January 1, 1316, the following stages obtained i n the Vicksliurg district: Arkansas ('ity, Ark., 40 feet; Greenville,
Afisu.. 53.4 feet; Vicksburg, Miss., 35.6 feet. Thew m unusually high stages for the o ening of the year. The rise continued without inter- ruption until &e crest stages were reached, in February. being aug- mented 1)y two additional rises from the Ohio. one each irom the
( 'uml~erland and Tennessee, one from the Mimasippi above ~'airo, and
n awcession of rises in the Arkansas and White Rivers, which delivered
a great quitiitity of water to the Mississippi in advance of the arrival of the crest, of the main stream. The stages that resulted were the high- est lrnow:i, viz., 56.4 feet at Arlianw ( ity. V e l ~a r y 10 and 11; 50.7
feet at Cireeiiville. February 11 to 14: 45.8 feet at Lake Providence, La.. I"c.lmiary 15: and 53.9 feet at Vicksluirg. Felwuary 15. Thew stages esceeded those of 1912 hy 1 foot at Arkansas ('ity. 0.1 foot at Cireeiiville,
O.ri foot at Lake Providence, and 1.S feet at Vickshrg. and thosc of 1913 hy 1.3 feet at Arkanma ('ity, 0.3 foot at Cireenville, 0.S foot at
Lake Providence, and 1.6 feet at Vicksl)urg. The highest stage pre- viously recorded a t Vicksburg, that of 1897. was overtopped l ~y 1.4 fcct. The river w.78 above flood stage at Arl;anms ('ity (42 feet) from J a n u y 4 to March 15, 72 days:.at Greenville ($2 feet) ironi January 1s to 3 arch 5. 45 days; and at V~vkslmrg (45 feet), from January 17 to March 16. BO clays.
The Tallahatchie River at Swan Lake, Miss., reached flFd st e
(35 feet) cluring January 9, and continued above flood stage until M a 13. The crest was 29.1 feet, February 11 to 14. This rise was due to rains that fell over the Tallahatchie Watershed simultaneously with those over the Missiasi pi River and tributaries. In the Y m o River, the highest stage at $reenwood. Niss., which is situated four milw below the coduence of the Tallahatche and Yalobusha Rivera, waa
31.4 feet, or 1.6 feet under the flood stage, February 13 to 17. At Yazoo City, where the run-off from the river is retarded by the backwater effect of the Mississippi, the river reached flood stage (35 feet) on Jan- uary 25, and continued above flood stage hll March 20, a period of 53
days. The higheat atage was 39.9 feet, on February 18. The first flood warning waa issued for Arkansas +ty on December 28,
1915. Wami of stages of 47 feet at Arkansas City, 40 feet or more at Cireenville, anyabout 45 feet (flood stage) at Vichburg were issued on January 3, 1916. On January 5, it waa rssible to forecast stages of 48
to 49 feet at Arkansas City, 42 feet (floo stage) or more at Greenville, and close to 47 feet at Vicksburg. 11. forecast was made that the water then in the rivers woiil~>~~~%!lowing stages: Arkan- sm City, 49 to 50 feet; Greenville, 43 to 44 feet; Vicksburg, 47 to 48 feet. Had these stages been the limit there would have bg.en no marked flood. At the time, ractically all of the upper Musksippi and the tributaries were falling, g u t general rains and snows were in progreea, and on the following day (January 12), with a fresh rise in pro,uress throughout the length of the Ohio, the public waa advised that these rams would Give hi her stages than those previously forecast. aud ielay the crest into F&rumy; also, that flood &age would be passed at Vicksbug three days later.
011 January 15, the Ohio River having reached its crest at Cincinnati, a warning was isslird that the M i k i p i would pass 49 fret at Arkansas
( 'ity, and flood stage at Greenville and7'icksburg by Monday, the 17th,
mid continue rising until February 3 to 7, reaching 53 feet or more at Arlianw City. 46 to 47 feet at Greenville, and 50 to 51 feetat Vicksburg. On January 19. this was modiEed by the statement that without further rains it waa probable that the lower Egures named would not be ex- ceeded. However, heavy rains fell over Arkansas on January 21 and
22, and this estimate waa increased approximately one foot at each place. Another wet period that set in on January 27 over the Arkansas and White Rivers and later spread to the u per rivers further altered the situation, and the forecast was changed E m day to clay until Monday, January 31, when the public was advised that the continued heavy rains over the watersheds would prolong the nse and g1v.e increased stages. passing 55 feet at Arkansas C'ity, 50 feet as Greenville, and 52 feet at Vicksburg. The next day, it waa explained that these atages would be reached February 8 to 10, and that a deEnite forecast of the
crest stage waa not et racticable.
Barring breaks in the main line levees, the Miss& pi will PSSS 56 feet at Arkansas City, 50.5 feet at Greenville, and 52.5 g e t at Vicka- b u g by February 8 to 10, and continue rising.'!
2 n February 3, tKe bowing warning waa issued:
MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW.
In other words, t,he public was warned that the flood in progres would overtop all previous hgh water stages at points in the dislrict. Ueyond
these stages, tlie situation w a complicated by tlie discharge 01 water around the upper end of the Mississippi River levees int.o the lipper
Tensas Basin, augmented by breaks in the Arkansas River levees on February 1 aud subsequent dates, as well as by tlie mikno~vn effect uf
tlie backwater overflow into the lower Yazoo bmin. Hence, nn 1 W I -
ruary 5, t,he infiinnatieu was given out t.liat with tlie lnrgc amount. 01
water then passiiig out above-the cwd of the hlississippi River 1evc.c.s
in Arkansas, the crest nt Arkanw City would not IN. over 51; to 56.5
feet, about February 17, a d that. if the levew I~rld, Cirecnrille mtriiltl crest at 50.6 to 51 Ieet. aboiit. FeLrirary 1s. aiid Virksliurg at RY 53.5
feet, about February 20. This Eitrccast. was chaii~cd on 1'c.briiary s t.o
56 feet or slightly over at Arkansas c5ty Ly l+briiary 17, 51 fret itr slightly over at Ureeiiville by l+bruary Is, mcl clrisc t,o 5.1 feet at.
\5clishurg by 1~'ebrnary 19 or 20. The forecast of Feliruary 5 prow11
to be the bWcr for Arkansas City and Grccnvillc, and that I -I ~ 1~'vIiriiwy
8 the better for Vickslwrg. though the dat.es mere plncid :I litile t.ii~i h r ahead. As t,he &a q ~s flyini Arkaiiras City t,u Viclishr!: w'c'rc t.lirii al~normally high as compared with the st,ages at, Iilc~npl lis a.i i d 1 It~leiin. the rise that was continuiiig at t.llose points dit1 nut, li:iviA its 1iilrni:t.l
effect, and t.he crests at. Arkansas City ancl Circenvillc wero nlinost
coiucideiit wit.li t.lie crest. at Helena, when ordinarily they would liaw occurrccl several days Ia.t.er. The rise had alniost, spent it.self at. Vic1;sbug when a imxwse rw-
curred on Fel)riiarv 15, in the BlI(-.li Ridgc Invce, 25
burg, in t.he New 'Orlenm tliet.rirt.. The tliscllarge t,he slopc of the water between this crcvwqe and \
dured a fdl of ouc-t,ent.li nf a fwt. 11y t .1 ~ iollowiug u this readjust.ment. t.hc Itige rlun1itit.y cif wstw ill the l o \n ~ Y:tzi~ii 1-1:i.siii helil t.lic river at \.icksl.iurg skxt,iilii:iry for two dq-s I J C T m ' n r;t.r.nily h !I commenced. Scetnrd &-.-Ey the 1st of April t.hc Mississippi had rewdcd t.1, :H.6
feet at Arliansas City, when aiil:it.her rise 1 tegan, tlie result. <i f siluult.:i- neous rises in tlie Ohin. iipper hIisr;isaippi, Arktiisas. and \Vliit*: Rivciw. The following stages were rcnrhed: Arkaiiwils (.Sty. 47 fet!t,. April 20--22:
Greenville. Wfeet,. A lril21-2: Vit.kslsurg. 45.2 feet,. April 23-3. l'ho river was above tlood fitage a t lirliansm c'ity ($2 feet) irnui -1prilg tn Ma 7 5, inclusive, and a t Virlislliirg (45 feet') friiiii April 52 t,ci 25. Ample and accurate warnings for this rise were issued well in advance. Crwa.wes and oosrj/ort-.-@n the riglit bank south of the Arliansas River, the whole of this district is prot,ected by tlie Arkansas and Ilissis- sippi River levees, with the exception of a gap of 2.9 miles het,wc!i.Il them, through whirh Cy lress Creck flows into the Mississi~-q>i River. South of Cy~J~eaS creek there is a ridge of comparatively 1iigli grounc~ about 1'2 miles long, 1ini:irrn as Amos U:tyou Ridge. Under present. cnn-
ditions water I)egiiis to flow over this ridge int,o the upper Tensas Basin at a &age between 51 and 52 feet on t.he Arliausas City gauge. Thcra were no crevasses in t,he Mississippi River levees, but. several occurred a l o q the Arkans.zs. Two or three occurred on Fellruary 1 in the st,reta.h between Commings and South Beiid. Lincoln County; aniither on the 3d somewhat ftirthar down a t Penclleton, Ilesha Coi1nt.y. ihally. one
occurred at Rosemary. on L%ke Jefferson. a.lmut 5 milev Ihove the open end of the Arkansas River levee. As tlie territory behind t,his levee u'u.9
already overtlowed, this crevme hac1 little effcct. b l o n ~ the Arkansas, nljove the end of t,he levees maintained by t.hc Mississippi River Commission. the overflow from the crevasses amoiinted to 194 squnre miles. The water from thme crevasses. mingled wit.11 tlie backwater from t.he Cyprws Creek gap, was clisc!iargecl over Anios Rixyou Ridge and spread southward hetween t.he Mississip i River and t,he Little Rock and 81exandria line of the 8t. Louis, Yron Mountain L Southern Railwav, following the courses of the Rceuf River a d BayOU Lafourche into the Ouchita, and of B:I~UU Macon. into the Tensis, theuce into thc Blnck and lowcr Red Rivers. The most iniporktiit towns affoikl were .4rkansa.q City, Desha Coimty, ancl Lalie Village. Chicot. <!ouuty, ;irk. At i\rl~ansas City the v.-:tt.er from this civi~rlli.iw
reached :L height wl~iivalent~ to D stage (Jf 4f.S feet on tlie river gauqe :it
that ~minl;, or 1.8 feet higher t,liaii was rearlied in I.!r13. Tllo watt:r W:IS
6 to S feet. deep in t.he st,reet.s. The arcy thus nvrrl-lnntd from Iim:k- wat.er mis 2.247 s~~iinremile.~ as ttcimpared to 1,591 ~qu:i.re milrs in 191:1.
making a t.ot.al overtlnw of 2,341 square miles' 011 t.lie riglit lrnlili frmi t,lic Arkailsaa River t,o the lower 1iniit.s of this district,.
While the ewess of the Anid heights of 1916 over Ihow of vtwitms yews may 11e i%t.triliut,eil to t.lie large quant.ity of water at-lcled i i a Arkansas and Wlii t,c* Rivtw wit.h thc levees Iiolcliiig frim c'airti t.ti ~JB!I~W
Viclisburg. it can n4.d l ~e said that the dt.im:tt,e stages have liven rciwhcd
1 As repurted by United States Engineer officers.
in this district, owing to the fact that thc fiaps :it. Ckpress Creek and at tlie lower end of t,he Tazoo Basin have cft'ert.s sindin to those of open crov:isses. Shndd tho cypress creel: gap ?le rlosctl. or should the levees in Mississippi 1 le esteilded, muge heights from Arkansas City to Vicks- IN,^ a o n ~ Iie nitire i J r less incra::mxI. Alt.hoougli t.lii:re were no crev:isses in t,he Mississippi 'River levees in this t1istrii.t.. nncl the comniunit,ies siiliject.ed t.o overliew had aniple rnmiinq :ind ti;qwrt.uiiity to prtitect much c ~f their Iiriiperty. t,hc lowes novortlielws xcre grmtl and much incmvc.nient.c rodulted. Thou.sands of a w s ol' tivc!rflo\vi.d territory werc! fert.ilc f:inii lands. At. Arliansas (.!it.!.. .Irk.. the \wt.vr xis I; 1.0 S fee! tl.t-cp in the r,t,rccts, i d tlie wlttcr
:tiid 1 iglit. plniits were out. of co~nilssltjli.
( )pliositc t,lio Iirctlis alrtug thc Ark~~liiL~ Rixv the Pt. Louis. Iron N1liiiit:tiii k Soubl~i:r~i lbiilway -,xis out. nC c:oian~ixsioii Ili:tween Grady :tiid hm:i,:, it dist:ini,e of 19 Iniles, froin l~'cl~ruary 1. t,ii 1Wiriia.ry 10.
l%rtliw aiiiitli in t.he Iiackwat~er diHtrivt., the .4rliallsis City I:wiinch of t.lirt wnc! r;dn ~s d w s imt. ill npcixt.i~~ii l.wtwctm 'l'rilqi Junction aiid Arkins,is (!it.y (7 niilwi, frmi J~c!bru:iry 1 t.o I.'ol.~ro:wy 28, and from Dcwutit,t, t,., 1l:illey (,I; iuilesi fro111 I ~' e l m ~~y 4 t i > I~'e11ruory '"i; tho Ham-
I I I I ~ I miii.di frlmi 3loiit.nssc to T m i c i L:uitling (,la ruilcs) i'rrini l.'dmnry
I t.1 11:irr:li 25; nliile the liuu running sclritli fri.iin Alt:(.ielwe, Ark., t.0
Liiku Pro\ it1elic:c. La., known foriuerly :is the Miirgan. Helena & Louis- i:mi. wm out from hlcC;ehee t,o Lalio Village, Mi., fr1.11n I'c1,ruary 4 to hlnn*h -1: :rlitl :it tiiucs m f i n stiuhli as the 1xmisi:ina line, a ilisitancc of 50 inilvs. A s the. makr front at Vicl~sl~i~rg, fili:s.. is unprutcct.et1 by peminnent
Icvccs, anil t,iie st.a:Se wa.q higher tlxtii ever before. tlie i:la.ni:igc lorally ~:n r r t ~s l ~n i ~~l i i i ~I ~ greltt,tjr. The btnge in tlic Yaxoo (.'ailal nt the Govern- nient Hret., :; miles above thc '\\.c.nt.hcr L;urr.nu gage, was 1.1 feet higher t.h:xn t,liat a t t.hc 1att.er. wliidi is Iielow the cit.y nu the river. Levee Strric4anil t.hu cnt.irc lord yank O T t,hc Yazoo k hlississippi Yallcy Rail- road woulrl have bccn 1. t,o 3 ice% iiniler wat.er l i d not t.he iailroad coni-
liany h i l t teliiporwy levees and l o w r i d t.lir rcc*p:igc~ by yu~nl~ing. Yoor str:tm punips were i n o irration. This cort,ailviI ]nix1 propert.y ltrssea anil c~iablctl many of t1-e warchi.ruses along t.licb liar1 lor front to continue bi~?rincss. liut the railroad ~YJ1111l~ll~ fouliil it. necc-ssary t.o shut t h -n wodt w ~r k a t it.s shops i'roin 14'ebruary 1.1 to h h c h I;, t,hrowing an average of 325 iiieu out of eniplopient. 0t.ht.r inrluyt,rial plants w e d most of t.hcir eniployces in nieasnres for protccting and mving their piaiit,s and sht:lis. At t.he city waterworksl below town, t,lie water was up to t.he tloor in thc pump house. I n the lm*kwatcr c l i h c t of Mississippi. railroatl train aervice was con- thueil as long n~ possi1,le. The Silver (.:it). 1Jrant.h 1-11 t,he Tnzoo k Elississiiipi Valley Railroatl, a line having a lorn grmlc, was closed to t.rallic between l<>lso nml George. Miss.. on February 3. nnc! the service
X~EB not resunictl again until Mnrch 28. Nearly all oi t,his 37-mile stretch oi track wc;ty submerged. On the niaiii line of t,he Yazoo & hlissis+pi Valley Railroad train servire s0ut.h i n awl out of Viclisburg was tliscuntinucd from February 10 to 26, on account iif the depth of waber over tlie t,raclrs in se-\wd places. N0rt.h iroiii Vicl.:slmrg t.o Jlulling l'i>rli, Miss., traltic on t.he main line was aliscmtinueil from l'rlmwy 10 to h k w h 1. t,he truck lwing all uniler water from Iledwood t,o 1-tolling Fork, a iliutancc of 32 miles. .ln t.lie deepcat place the water stnotl 57 inches over the rails. It was orw this line t.hat on February
17 hlr. A. 13. Egm, supcrintc?nilcnt of t.he railnjad. a t cnnsideralde linsard, brought. B special t,rain Bearing t.iic. Fli~oil c'ontrol Caiiiniitt.ee of the Natioual JIouse of Representatives, t.hv trip being :i.rrenpd for the purpose of enabling t,he coiunittee to view the courlit.ions obt,aining in the overliowed distrivt. A stateiiient of lossea duc t.0 t.he flood follows.
MAY, 1916. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 297
Misissippi ..... 1 1 0 .. ....... 110.. ....... 1)o.. ....... 110 ......... IJ a. ........ l j n .. .......
110 ......... .no .............. 110 ......... Do.. ....... Do. ........ Do.. ....... 1 Bo. ........ Do. .......... Do ......... 110. ........ Do ......... Do. ........ st. Crois.. ..... Do .............. Illinois. ........ lbo. ........ DO. ............. Nlssourl ........ Nilk. .......... J<lne ............ iGrand .........
Allegheny ...... Sci0t.n.. ........ Miami.. ....... Walmsh.. ..... French l3rn:vi- Cnt.t.oo\voocl. ... Neosho.. ......
PO.. .......
110.. ..........
Much credit ie clue to Maj. J. R. Slattery, in charge of the third dis-
trict office of the MiRpiwippi liiver Comimsaion. for hia able direction
of the long-continued fight to hold the levees in this district. While the efforts of the workers were helped bv generallv favorable weather con-
ditions duing the critical period. it; is concetleh that the successlul out-
come mas due to persistence and tho policy of handling the labor situa-
tion without the free distribution of rations. The fight was continued
until about March 1, when all danger was past.
I
St. Poul. Minn ............ I 1.3 Crtwe \Vis.. .......... I
riulmclue: IO\V:.S.. ..... ..._I
l'rairio dii ~~i i e u , \\-is ..... _I Clinton, Iowa .............. 1)avenport. Iowa .......... Le CI:ure, Iowa ............ mlscatinv. IOUX.. ......... Yeokiik, 1 0 ~3 ............. I
d 0. .................... wmaw, I11 ................ Hnnnibal, Mo- ............ 1.oiiisinua Mn.. ........... Quincy, Iil.. .............. Gnllon, ill.. .............. .-.do.. ................... St. Loois. hlo .............. Arkanscs Citp Ark.. ...... \'irksburg. 1 us ........... Hstou Rou e La Stillwater, Liim-1: :::I:::: do ..................... 1.8 Snlle, Ill ................ Urardstown, 111.. .......... do.. ................... Hermnnn. Mo.. ........... Havre Mnnt.. ............ I<lue linpis,, ";1y ........ Chilllro: e, Ma ......... ..do.. .................. Olean N. Y ............... Circle~llle. Ohio.. ......... Tadmor. Ohio.. ........... La Fayetre, Irid.. ......... Ashnville, N. C ............ Emporia. Iims.. .......... Le lioy, linilv. ............
F'LOODS IN OTHER RIVERS.
The rainfall distribution cluring May both in time and spiwe caused a moderate number of relatively uninipor- tant floods, as may be seen from the stdstics given in Tabh 2 to 5. From Tablo 5 i t niay he noted that ndtlier the Colornclo nor the Colunibin wa.s in severe flood a.s B
consequence of the heavy snow cover which overlaid mountain tiibutaries of tliose rivers. Floods in western N e w J.-ork.-As LOW No. 7, Chart 111
(XLIV-57), passed slowly nort,lieast,ward from Iowa, where i t was central on the 14t11, rain fell almost coutrinu- ously over western New York and iuljncent regions for R
period of al>out four days. The rains on tlie 14th and 15th were of nioderato intensity, but on the n,fternoon of the 16th a series of t,li~Iiiclci.showcrs, some of v&c.li were un- usually heiivy , occurred over tho c o n ties of Wyoming, Allegany, Cattarnups, and Livinaston.. Doubtless t,he rains of tlie two previous days 1inB c.oniplet+1v sn,t,ura.t,cd the soil, a i d accordingly a l q e portion of tho storm waters quickly found their way into the streams. Press re orts mdicat.c t.hnt watercourses-iiiero creeks ordinn- ri&rapiclly hecanie swollen rivers, overilowing vilhges, waslung away briclges, cliiiiiaging railrond trtwks and
other propert, . The loss sustnincd, wcording to press
Tho only river- aging station in t.he flooded region was that of Olem, N. %., on the Alleglieny River, wlierc? that river rose 11.6 feet. in t.ha 24 houis cnding on t,he inoriiing of the 17t,li. The Genescc Rivor Valley was in t,Be dircct
course of the s toriiis, and while soiiie apliwliension was felt in the city of Rochester, nevert$eless t.hc fioocl wave
passed into Lake Ont~~rio without doing eelions da.iiin.ge in the lower reaclics of the St.rci1.m.
report.s, was c 9 ose t,o half a niillion clollnls.
14
Ill.
0. i 7
0.iJ6
urn1
0. "I1
I *)
0.M
u. 11
11. I#)
0.11
0.119
u.12
(*I
n.?i 0.11s
0.0ti
IL~I;
Stations.
15
In. 0.39 0.17 0.01
tI.1IS
u.34
1.40
11.3)
0.36
0.u u.w il.32
n.?5
0.61;
0.2s
--
iL 45
n. LW
Western 1ntcau: AiIfr e$... ........................... Allegany ........................... Angelica. ........................... Avim ............................... Bolivar ............................. Haskinville.. ......................
Lautnrhrunnm.. ................... Olean. ............................. Yurk.. .............................
Brnckport ........................... Elba. .............................. Hemlock.. ......................... Perryshug.. ....................... Rorhmter .......................... Shortsrille .........................
Rum ...............................
Great Lakes region:
-.
Frrh 1, 791
1,4411
l ,+I l a,% ~,WIII
1 V'il
I: i z t i
1. ail1 1,402
;MI
537
731
931
1, MI 523
ti411
WJ~, 191G. I
u.21
ILW
0.m
1.44
u. w 11.72 2. :ti
0.54
-.
16
In. 2. Gi 0.3;
2.411
s, "0
1. s4 1. 85
2.53
3. lu
0. Ti
4.61
5.32
1. Fa 4.:H
n. ;II
2.95
1.611
-
-.
_.
@.oil 4 .i i Il.07 1 8.14
0.15 2.sq
'1'. 3.m n.ti:: 4. IKI
0.n.i 4.12
0. 14 Y. I%
0.11 1 6.W
' TO- --
17 I 1s
1
tal'
- ..
0.82
II. 10
0 .E 0. i s
11. I;:
n.In
In. 1
111.
1 2;i3 0.i5 0.05 2.3ti 1.08 3.93
'Y. 3. R7
0. mi :j. 4s
0.112 5.74 0.11) 1.42 '1'. 3. 71
'Y. 2. i s ..
NW~W ......... Do. ........... Trinity.. ...... 110 ......... 1)o. ........ * Included in nest mensuremcnt.
The daily nniount,s of riiiiifall at! coopcrn.t,ivc stations in western New York hsvc been supplied by Prof. W. M. Wilson, of Itliacn, N. Y., and nppca.r in tho sniall t d h
ai.bo.re. Similar diltn for about 100 stations in New York
R O C ~I M ~, 'res.. .......... ..dn. .................... la'ort Worth, Tex. ......... Dallas, Tes ................ Trinidad, Tex. ............
appem- in "Cliinntologicd Dntn, New York Section, May, 1916." The rainfa,ll dntn show, as has often I-,eoii shown before, the increasing iloocl menace wlich attends mocler- tttely heiwy rixins on sitturatccl ground. 1Tnfortunately no twcurat,c record of the rospise of the rivers to tho storin waiteis is avn.ilablc, exce it for the single station hc- fore mentioned, but pri~ctboal\y all 11~\~~spixp~r nccounts (w e in tho stutemeiit that the strcmis rose with remark-
oints on several principal
sclectetl for charting are Keokuk, St. Louis, Memphis, Vichhrg, and New Orleans, on thc Mississippi ; C!incinnati
ant1 CjiLiro, on the Ohio; Nmliville, on thc Cunihcrland; Jolinso.n~-illc, on the Tennessee; Kansas City, on t,he Mis- souri; Little Rock, on the Arkailsas; and Slwcveport, on tlie Red.
IiydrogriL AM for typical
n 7 >IC mpiditx.
rivers arc s 1 iown on Chmt P (X L I V -~~). The stations
TABLE 1.-Floods ,Lib the Mississippi Riear aid tributaries thiri.ng May,
1916.
I.'ret. 14.1)
l?. n 1nu 1s. II
l l i .(l
15.0 111. I)
hi. 0 1.1.0
14.0
17. 0 1:x 0
12.0
14.0
18.0
18.0
30. 0
45.0 35.0 11.3 11.3 is. n 1 8 0 12. I I
21.0
a. 0 31.0 1s. (I
1s. 0 12. 0 7.0 E. 0
4. 0 19.6 24.0
42. n
11. n
XrON-
--
1 1 1
1 1
3
1 1 1 25
1 1 1
1
5 2s
31 1
...... ...... 1
23 16
1
15
P(I
14
1.4 "5
......
1:
I
P
16 24
31
......
'r 0-
_-
1 6 7 2
111
:I
12 11 1Y 36 18 31 31 30 24
1 ' )
(1)
....... ....... 12
5 3 1
51
14 "1
80
li 9 8
IS
?4
.......
(1)
.......
Crest.
Stage.
-
FlTt. 14.1
19. 2 19. s
1s. 3
15.9
12.1 17.7 16.4 14.1 1Y. 4 113.1 17.5 1% G 20. 7 20. s m. 0 44. 4 44.5 3.1.5 14.0 13.9 19.7
l?. 4 14. 4
3. i 9.3 21.5 27.0 25.1
13.0 9.9 13.2 13.9 4.3 21.4 23.0
is. n
-
Date.
1 1 3 1 5 G 5 7, s 15 3 15 1G 10 15 16
31 31 1 1 4 1 31 lS, 19 1 31 .30
31 14
17 P
17
s 3 10 24 31 30
19: 3
-
1 At or abovo flood stnge a t close of month.
TABLE 2.-Floods in the rivers of Tcms ditn'iig Nuy. 1916.
Station.
I - I Fro+ TO- I stage. I ~a t e .
Frrf. 20.0
20.11 ?5.0 2s. 0
3.0
25.0
24. 0
16.0
11.0
zn. 0
25. 0
23. n
I d ........
1 ;
Apr. 1.1
23 23 26
?I;
Apr. --
' 9 3,
9
15 1
15
......
Ffrt. 5. " ?l. 3
19. s 34. 8
35.9
si. 4
27.2 24.0 22.3 1s. 2 15.3
20. IJ
0 25 a 4 12 1 9 10
23 25 27 14
29; :io
298 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. MAY, 1916
RiW.
TABLE 3.-Floods of the South Btlantic and East GuEf States during
Hay, 1916.
Station.
........... Dan Roanoke ....... Santee ......... Do ......... Saluda ......... \vatarea ....... West Pearl ..... Do ..............
From- To- Stage.
Fed.
Woldon, N. C ............. Rimhl, 8. C ............... a7 23 12.6 Ferguson, S. C ............ 6 ........ 11.9 Pelser 8. G ................ 25 25 7.8
?? 1
12 13.3 Pearl River, La.. ......... do ..................... 26 31 15.2
. - -- -
.............. 2.1 Danville, \'a 3 g ;:::
I
Cam&, S. c .............. 25 24.0
Fret. s. 0 30.0 13.0 12.0 7.0 24.0
13.0 13.0
Fld stage.
Date.
Above flood Crest. stage.
--
From- To- Stage. I Date.
I
24
21;
3s
29 25 35
11.12 27
_I
From-
--
14 8
6 10 7 22
7 23 1
............... ...............
TABLE 4.-Floods in the rivers of Mkhigan and New England d i h g May, 1916.
To-
21 14 13 11 1s 26 7 7 18 25 10
River.
Stage.
Feet. 17.8 17.S u.1 9.2 18.3 15.5 12.2 18.1 15.2 12.7 11.9
18. Y
Station.
Date.
--
17 10,ll 10 10 11 24
7 11 24,25
6 13 0
Tainiiirfii ............ WeiIwelIu ........... IIOHU ............... Fliiiikioiig ........... Hanko\v .............
Ffet. Cass.. ......... \'assar, Mich. ............. 14.0 Tittabwassee.. Midland, Mich.. .......... 12.0 Grand ......... E s t Lansing, Mich ....... 7.5 Do ......... Grand Ledgo, Mich ........ 6.5
0.0 0.0 0.4 0.0 0.2 0.4 1.0 0.8 1.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 1.4 0.6 1.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.4 11.4 0.5 3.1 I .S 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.0 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.7 0.6 1.1; 1.5 1.5 1.0 0.3 0.3 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 1.5 1.8 2.0 1.9 1.0 0.1; 0.6 0.4 0.1
........I .......
Feet. 14.9 12. 6 9.3 0.1
29 11 17 17
C m t i c u t .... White River Junction 1%. . 18.0 IS 17 1 1s ?&rrlmae.. ... .I Franklh Junction, N:H. . .I 13.0 I 1s 18 I :: I li 9 I
TABLE B.-FlOOds in the rivers of the Pactfie slope during Hayl 1916.
Rlver.
colorsdo.. .... Gunkon.. ... Do.. ...... Do.. ...... Columbia.. ... Do.. ...... Clearwater. _. ,
Wlllamtte.. . Do.. ...... Kln .........
Do.. ...... SanYwuin. -
station.
Topock Arin .............
Paonla 0010 .............. Ddtn bolo ............... Vancbuver, Wash.. ...... .... .do.. .................. Ksrniah Idaho ...........
... -.do.. .................. Piedra Cal .............. Fhbabgh Gal_________.
Sapiner'o. COIO.. ..........
Portlmd, oreg.. .........
LSthrOP, CAI.. ............
,.. , I
-
Flood stage.
Feet. 14.0 1s. 0 SO 0.0 15.0 15.0 12.0 15.0 15.0 12.0
12.0 17.0
4
BAINFALL AND FLOODS IN CIIWA.
At the request of the Chinese Governnient the Aiiiericaii Red Cross Society appointed in 1914 a board of engiiieeis, including Col. Williani L. Sibert, Prof. DiLiiiill W. Meade
andMr. A. P. DilViS, to report on a method of preventing or
mitigating the great clamages caused by tvlie floods of the Hwai-ho(w1iich lies between the Hwang nucl the Tringtze rivers). Among the party which visited the dniinngc basin and studied the physical conditions was Mr. S. T. Suen who made a report on the rainfall conditions ovor the basin and has published an abstract of his piper in the Chinese Students' Monthly for bIartrclh, 1915.l
After discussing the causes of rainfall and of floods Mr. Suen takes up the cliiato and rainfall of China, prticu- larly the latter and bases his study upon the st~me compila-
18um, 8. T The causes of nrinIall and floods.in China. Chinese Students' Monthly, Ithaca, N. Y., Mar. 1915, no. 6,10:38$377, with 3 flgures.
tion of data by Louis Froc which Mr. Chu has employed for his study on another page of this issue. Mr. Suen h d s that the Intense summer heat of the subtropical southern portion of China maintains the atmos here there in a state of unstable equilibrium, so
quent tliunderst'ornis is heavy. revailing summer wind is ii,ii eci,st wind heavily loadec s with moisture from the Pacific. This moisture is combed out by the moiiiitain ranges close to nnil mrallcling tho coast, so that tliero is a henvy "oro-
tains niid ii correspondingly drier cliiiiste farther inland. The westward-pointing rain sliadow of thcse ranges is inarked even in the interior. In dclition to the two causes mentioned. and tho most fruit,ful, is the heavy cyclonic rainfall which acoompaiiies the typhoons that frequently visit the southeastern part of China during the summer mid fall months.
In gciicral the summer rainfall is much heavier than tho winter fall; this is shown also by the maps on pages 250-1. This is pai%icul:trly the cme for die estreme southern and northorn regions ; the middle, the Ynngtze
valley, mcl the coast districts have a more uniformly distributecl fall. But a given percentage of the annual fall means three times as much rain in the southern region as it does in the estrtpe north. The wint,er precipitation in northern China IS very smsll aiid usually in the form of snow so that the summer rainfall there, while not as heavy as in the south, niakes a preponderat- ing percentage of the total. Rminjiill and $ood.--Some Chinese stations have ob- serred 20 to 25 inches of rain resulting from B single storm. Such sscessive rain invariably leads to floods. A storm of 5 to 10 inches niay be s d c i e n t to iroduce a flood if
and in the valley of the Hwai-ho floods are fre uently
reason of the imperfect drainage system. An esamina- tion of the ma of China will recall to the reader that the
a temporarily abandoned portion of the delta of the Hwaiig-ho. For esample, the flood of July, 1906, in this valley was accompanied by nu. average fall of 7
iiiches of raiii; in the flood of August, 1910 over the same area, resulting in the famine of 1911, niore than 11 inches of rrtin fell over tho drainage area of the Hwai. In In Anhwci and 10 miles north of Peiygu there was a fall of 25 inclios in 1s hours during this storm of August,
1910. In t8he Ohio flood of 1913, the record for half a cuutury of obsorvations, mi nverti,ge of S inclies of rnin in three clays fell over the Ohio basin. A p e s t ffoocl cmurred in the Sikiiuig valley durin the
been received.
Tanm 1.- Mean rtwnthly mcnrber of slontss acconipanicd by more than 1 inch of rain.
[Jan. 1Feh. [Mar. (Apr. [ ~Ia~.[JunelJiiiy.llu~.~Oct.[Nov.IDac.
that t E ore the convective rainfall accompanying the fre-
gmp 1' iic rr~infttll" on the windward slopos of the moun-
Agniii the
the character of tho drainage area is ! avoridde thereto;
brought about even during years of noma1 ritin ? all, by
lower course o P the Hwai-ho labors t,hrough the maze of
suiiiiiisr of [1914], but so far no rniiifall reports 7 iave
Stations.