Summer Midwest flooding could rival 1993 as most expensive in history

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/archive.html?year=2011&month=07

Posted by: JeffMasters, 1:52 PM GMT on July 07, 2011

Heavy rains this summer could trigger floods that would rival America's most expensive flood disaster of all-time, said NOAA in a press release yesterday. The most expensive flood in America occurred in 1993, when torrential summer rains caused a $25 billion flood along the Missouri River and surrounding regions of the Upper Midwest. Record 100-year flooding has already occurred along many stretches of the Missouri, Souris, James, North Platte, and other rivers in the Upper Midwest over the past month. With rivers running high and soils completely saturated this summer, just a small amount of rain could trigger more flooding, including areas that have already seen major to record flooding. "The sponge is fully saturated--there is nowhere for any additional water to go," said Jack Hayes, Ph.D., director of NOAA's National Weather Service. "While unusual for this time of year, all signs point to the flood threat continuing through summer."

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The Army Corps of Engineers announced this week that runoff into the Missouri River Basin above Souix City, Iowa during June was the highest single runoff month since records began in 1898. June 2011 runoff into the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City was 13.8 million acre feet (maf.) The previous record was 13.2 maf in April of 1952; May of this year now holds the record for 3rd greatest runoff, 10.5 maf. The May and June combined runoff totaled 24.3 maf, just short of the normal total annual runoff for the entire basin which is 24.8 maf. Four federal levees and 11 non-federal levees have breached or overtopped across Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri so far this year along the Missouri River.

Oil spill in Yellowstone River likely influenced by flooding
An Exxon Mobil oil pipeline under the Yellowstone River burst on Friday night, spilling at least 42,000 gallons of oil into the river. The prevailing theory among officials and the company is that the raging Yellowstone eroded the riverbed and exposed the line to damaging rocks or debris. The river was rising rapidly the night of the break, and crested at 13.95', the third highest flood in recorded history. Records extend back to 1904 at the site. Crude has been reported as far as 240 miles downstream, although most appears to be concentrated in the first 25 miles. The Yellowstone is a tributary of the Missouri River.

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