Many Arkansas residents got an unwelcome Christmas present last month. The US Geological Survey (USGS) is now reporting that the flooding that began on Christmas weekend was the most severe since 1990, and the water levels in many rivers are still high.
Up to 10 inches of rain fell in parts of the state that weekend, increasing water levels by as much as 40 feet in places. The USGS operates 170 stream gages throughout the state, and the water levels at more than 30 of them were high enough to rank among the 10 highest flood events ever recorded at those locations. (Real-time and historical data are available here.)
Many Arkansas residents got an unwelcome Christmas present last month. The US Geological Survey (USGS) is now reporting that the flooding that began on Christmas weekend was the most severe since 1990, and the water levels in many rivers are still high. Up to 10 inches of rain fell in parts of the state that weekend, increasing water levels by as much as 40 feet in places. The USGS operates 170 stream gages throughout the state, and the water levels at more than 30 of them were high enough to rank among the 10 highest flood events ever recorded at those locations. (Real-time and historical data are available here.) [text_ad] From the USGS:- Floods at many gauging stations had only a 2–4% chance of being exceeded in any given year (50- to 25-year flood events).
- Based on historical data, the most extreme floods occurred on the far west side of the state.
- Based on provisional data collected by the USGS, the Arkansas River neared the levels experienced in 1990.
From the USGS:
- Floods at many gauging stations had only a 2–4% chance of being exceeded in any given year (50- to 25-year flood events).
- Based on historical data, the most extreme floods occurred on the far west side of the state.
- Based on provisional data collected by the USGS, the Arkansas River neared the levels experienced in 1990.
Additional evaluation and field work will be required to finalize flood peak water levels, streamflow, and the percent chance of the flood happening during any given year.
The USGS operates more than 8,100 stream gages nationwide; the National Weather Service and the US Army Corps of Engineers, among others, use the real-time data to forecast flooding and issue emergency warnings. Does your stormwater or flood control program rely directly on USGS stream gage data? What sort of emergency warning and response system is in place?
