INDIANA FLOOD PAGE

This page will provide up-to-date information regarding USGS Indiana District activities relating to floods. Information includes

• a flood summary
• flood updates
• flood photographs taken by USGS field crews
• flood-related links
• frequently asked questions about the USGS and floods (this link will take you to a different page)
• Indiana Flood Hydrograph page (this link will take you to a different page)

Because information posted here is intended to be timely, all data and information are preliminary and subject to revision.

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To access real-time stream and river levels and streamflow data go to: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/in/nwis/rt

To access a map of flood and high flow conditions in Indiana go to: http://water.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/waterwatch?state=in&map_type=flood&web_type=map

To view a table of the most recent flow and stage for rivers in Indiana with flooding rivers highlighted in red go to: http://water.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/waterwatch?state=in&map_type=flood&web_type=table

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JANUARY 2005

Flood Summary

During the first 6 days of January, moderate to heavy rains fell on soils already saturated from snowmelt. Rainfall totals for January 1 through 6 ranged from more than 2 inches in north-central Indiana to more than 6 inches in south-central Indiana. Significant flooding occurred on Indiana rivers and streams, particularly in central and southern Indiana. Rivers affected included the Big Blue River, White River, East Fork White River, and Wabash River. More moderate to heavy rains on January 11 and January 13 brought rivers and streams across Indiana up again.

 

Flood Updates

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January 26: River levels are above flood stage but receding at 10 USGS Indiana streamflow-gaging stations: Kankakee River at Shelby, Tippecanoe River at Ora, and the eight Wabash River stations including Lafayette and downstream from Lafayette. Today a new feature was added to the Indiana Flood Page: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the USGS and Floods. This flood FAQ page answers common questions our office received during the past several weeks.

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January 21: Rivers across Indiana continue to recede. Levels are still above flood stage at 19 streamflow-gaging stations in the Indiana station network; most stations above flood stage are on the Wabash River at Lafayette and downstream from Lafayette. USGS personnel are processing streamflow data collected at more than 40 gaging stations. It is estimated that USGS crews in Indiana drove 5,000 miles during this flooding to make streamflow measurements and keep gages operating.

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January 20: River levels at all stations in the USGS Indiana streamflow-gaging-station network are receding. The following Indiana network stations remained above flood stage:

St. Joseph River near Newville, IN
Kankakee River, all four stations
Tippecanoe River near Ora and at Winamac
East Fork White River at Bedford and Shoals
White River at Newberry and Petersburg
Patoka River near Princeton
Wabash River at Wabash
Wabash River at Lafayette and all stations downstream of Lafayette

To see Indiana stations above flood stage at a glance, go to: http://water.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/waterwatch?state=in&map_type=flood&web_type=map.

USGS crews made streamflow measurements at the Wabash River stations near Riverton and at Vincennes yesterday. Crews are now done making streamflow measurements for this flood. USGS personnel will now concentrate on processing data collected during the flood.

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January 19: While river levels are above flood stage at about 25 streamflow-gaging stations in the Indiana network, nearly all stations show the flood waters to be receding. Rivers still above flood stage include the Kankakee, Iroquois, Tippecanoe, Maumee, and St. Joseph in northern Indiana and the East Fork White, White, and Wabash in southern Indiana. USGS crews will measure streamflow on the Wabash River at Riverton today to confirm the accuracy of streamflow data computed from this station.

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January 18: Five days after the last rain, rivers across Indiana remain above flood stage. In northern Indiana, rivers above flood stage include the Kankakee, Iroquois, Yellow, Maumee, Tippecanoe, St. Joseph, and St. Marys, Eel, and Wabash. In west-central and southern Indiana, rivers above flood stage include the Patoka, White, and Wabash. On Saturday January 15, the Wabash River at Terre Haute peaked at the highest level since 1958. USGS crews worked through the weekend to ensure critical gaging stations remained operational and to make streamflow measurements. Crews will measure streamflow at the Wabash River at Terre Haute station today and the Wabash River at Riverton station tomorrow.

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January 13: The Wabash River at Mt Carmel streamflow-gaging station recorded a river level of 33.95 this morning at 7:00 am; this level is nearly one foot above the 1913 crest of 33.00 feet. The lower White River was receding in the Petersburg area this morning; however, the White River on the north side of Indianapolis was rising in response to Tuesday's rainfall. Levels this morning at the White River at Noblesville station exceeded levels recorded during the flooding that occurred on January 6 and 7. Moderate to heavy rain was falling across much of Indiana this morning, causing small streams to begin to rise. This morning, USGS crews were dispatched to Fort Wayne, Crawfordsville, and Arcadia in northern Hamilton County to make streamflow measurements at gaging stations. Crews plan to make measurements at Stony Creek near Noblesville and White River at Noblesville this afternoon.

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January 12: At 7:00 am, automated equipment at the USGS Wabash River at Mt Carmel streamflow-gaging station recorded a river level of 33.85 feet, the highest level ever recorded at this station. The current river level is 0.85 feet above the 1913 flood peak. USGS crews will be measuring streamflow at the Mt Carmel station today to verify the accuracy of data from the station. Yesterday crews measured streamflow at the White River at Petersburg and Wabash River at Riverton stations.

Some smaller streams in central Indiana peaked last night because of heavy rains at similar levels to last week (January 5 and 6). USGS crews have been focusing on southwestern Indiana the last several days but will move north this evening in case central or northern Indiana receive heavy rains tonight.

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January 11: Automated equipment at the USGS streamflow-gaging station Wabash at Mt. Carmel today recorded a historic river level of 33.08 feet--the highest river level measured since the 1913 flood peak of 33.00 feet. The 33.08 level was recorded at 3:00 am on January 11 and the river was still rising. This level is the highest in the history of this station (records date back to 1875).

USGS crews today will make streamflow measurements at the White River at Petersburg and Wabash River at Riverton stations as levels peak, then will head to Mt. Carmel to make a measurement late today or early tomorrow. Yesterday crews made measurements at the streamflow-gaging stations East Fork White River near Bedford and East Fork White River at Shoals and confirmed the accuracy of the discharge data from those stations. Accurate discharge data are vital to the National Weather Service for forecasting flood crests.

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More Flood Links

 

USGS Indiana real-time data: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/in/nwis/rt

USGS Indiana press releases http://in.water.usgs.gov/press_release/

Environmental Science and Technology Online article, Funding woes eroding national stream gage network: http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2005/jan/science/kc_stream.html

USGS United States map of flood and high flow conditions: http://water.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/dailyMainW?state=us&map_type=flood&web_type=map

National Weather Service Forecast Office, Indianapolis: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ind/

National Weather Service River Forecasts: http://www.weather.gov/rivers_tab.php

Indiana State Emergency Management Agency: http://www.in.gov/sema/emerg_mgt/

USGS Surface Water Information Pages: http://water.usgs.gov/osw/