• USGS Internet flood resources

• June flood updates

• March flood summary

• February flood summary

• February flood updates

• January flood summary

• January 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)

For information and guidance on addressing flood damage in agricultural lands visit the NRCS site: http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/EWP/EWPhomepage.html

JUNE 2008

Flood Updates

June 13: This morning 13 USGS streamgages remain above flood stage in Indiana. The Wabash River at Mount Carmel, Illinois is forecast by the National Weather Service (NWS) to peak at a record stage of 34 feet.  USGS crews today will make streamflow measurements on the lower Wabash River to assist the NWS with flood forecasts. During large floods like the one occurring now, NWS and USGS personnel work together to ensure emergency managers and the public are getting timely flood information. USGS personnel use the NWS Advanced Hydrologic Predictive Service (AHPS) to help determine where to route flood crews. The NWS uses streamgage data for AHPS river forecasts. With more heavy rain on the way, USGS and NWS personnel in Indiana are sure to be busy keeping up with the flood.

USGS crews reported that the Wabash River was miles wide near New Harmony, Indiana.

USGS Wabash at Mount Carmel streamgage
National Weather Service AHPS forecast for Mount Carmel

June 12: This morning 14 USGS streamgages remain above flood stage, all on the White, East Fork White, or Wabash River. The Wabash River at Mount Carmel, Illinois is forecast by the National Weather Service to peak just below the historic 2005 crest. The peak stage from this flood will be higher than the 1913 flood peak, but the streamflow will be less than that of the 1913 flood. USGS crews will continue to make streamflow measurements and set high-water marks to document the flood. Flooding of roads in southern Indiana is making it difficult for USGS crews to get around.

Water flowing across a road creates standing waves of water.

For information about USGS activities across the entire Midwest region affected by flooding,  a Web page has been produced that consolidates all of the news releases, images captured so far, and real-time data and WSC links for affected states at: http://www.usgs.gov/homepage/science_features/flooding_june08.asp

June 11: USGS crews continue to work long hours to provide critical data to Federal, state, and local emergency managers and to the National Weather Service in the wake of heavy rains and severed flooding in Indiana. This morning 16 USGS streamgages remain above flood stage. The flooding so far has caused three fatalities, hundreds of evacuations, numerous road and highway closures, and widespread utility outages. Flooding has receded in areas like Columbus and Seymour, but flood peaks have not yet occurred on the lower White River near Petersburg and the lower Wabash River south of Vincennes. USGS crews will be on station in these areas to ensure that flood data continues to get to the National Weather Service for flood forecasts and warnings. The crews will be making streamflow measurements on the swollen White and Wabash Rivers on a USGS flood boat rigged with high-tech sonar flowmeters, GPS units, and the latest in safety gear.
While several USGS crews make measurements and service streamgages in southern Indiana, other crews are out setting high-water marks in areas where the flood has peaked. The high-water marks will be vital to document floods and impacts to Hoosiers as emergency managers move from response to recovery and mitigation activities. High-water marks will be used for various purposes, such as documenting the severity of the flood on streams with no streamgages, calculating damage estimates, and validating floodplain maps.

June 10: Record flooding continues across southern Indiana from storms that dropped up to 10 inches of rain across south-central Indiana. Preliminarily, it appears that 100-year floods occurred at the following USGS streamgages:

• White River at Newberry
• Youngs Creek near Edinburg
• Sugar Creek near Edinburg
• Flatock River at Columbus
• Clifty Creek at Hartsville
• EFK White River at Seymour

Provisional peak flood information is provided in the attached table (Excel file). Today USGS will continue to make streamflow measurements to provide data critical to emergency response activities. As flood waters begin to recede in some areas,USGS crews also will begin setting “high-water marks” to document the flood for disaster recovery purposes. High-water marks are debris and mud lines that indicate the highest extent of flood waters. These post-flood surveys are used to estimate maximum flows at sites that could not be reached during the floods and also to map the areas covered by the floods.

Want more information on what “100-year flood” means? This USGS Web page explains.

June 9: Heavy rainfall of up to 10 inches from thunderstorms on June 6 and 7 has caused record flooding in central and southern Indiana. This morning water levels were above flood stage at 19 streamflow-gaging stations in Indiana. USGS flood crews have been working over the weekend and have been dispatched this morning to Columbus and Newberry to verify the accuracy of flood information needed by emergency managers for response operations and the National Weather Service for flood warnings and forecasts. The Columbus streamgage is not transmitting data because phone lines in the area are not working. A USGS crew will be installing a satellite data transmitter to get the data flowing again.
New record stages and/or streamflows have occurred at 8 streamgages:

• Young Creek near Edinburg
• Sugar Creek near Edinburg:
• Flatrock River at Columbus:
• EFK White River at Seymour
• Mill Creek near Cataract
• EFK White River at Columbus
• Clifty Creek near Hartsville
• Little Buck Creek near Indianapolis

Flood Photographs

June 9, 2009 Press Release

June 5: Rainfall from heavy thunderstorms on June 3rd and 4th caused flash flooding across central Indiana. There was one fatality reported in Rush County caused by a motorist that drove into flood waters. This morning 26 USGS streamflow-gaging stations were above flood stage. A new streamflow peak-of-record occurred at the Whitewater River near Economy streamflow-gaging station yesterday. The current streamflow at Fall Creek at Fortville preliminarily appears be greater than a 10-year flood streamflow. Most other rivers and streams have flood magnitudes that are less than a 10-year flood. USGS flood crews have been making streamflow measurements at streamgages in central Indiana. Accurate streamflow data is critical to National Weather Service flood forecasts and warnings.
Most flood fatalities in Indiana are caused by people attempting to drive through flood waters. Turn Around Don't Drown™ (TADD) TADD is a NOAA National Weather Service campaign to warn people of the hazards of walking or driving a vehicle through flood waters. See the National Weather Service TADD Web page for more information.

National Weather Service Rainfall 1-day observed precipitation valid June 4 at 0800 EDT

---

MARCH 2008

March 27: Today 15 USGS Indiana streamgages remained above floodstage. Yesterday a USGS crew was busy setting high-water marks on Pigeon Creek in and near Evansville. With more rain possible into next week, USGS crews will remain on stand by and this Web page will remain active.

Here is a summary of the Indiana March flooding to date:
Heavy rains concentrated in southern Indiana caused moderate to major flooding. The National Weather Service 7-day observed precipitation analysis map shows the areas of heaviest rain:

Courtesy of National Weather Service

By March 20, 46 USGS Indiana streamgages were above floodstage. USGS field crews were dispatched to make streamflow measurements at streamgages and to set high-water marks for flood documentation. Accurate streamflow data is critical to National Weather Service flood forecasts. Provisional data indicates that new record stage and/or streamflows occurred at streamgages on the Blue River in southern Indiana, Clifty Creek near Columbus, and Big Creek near Wadesville. Provisional determinations indicate that the recurrence interval of flooding reached 100 years or greater on the Blue River at Fredericksburg, Clifty Creek near Columbus, and Big Creek Wadesville. Fifty-year floods occurred on the Muskatatuck River near Deputy and the Blue River near White Cloud.

The March flood follows major flooding that occurred in Northern Indiana in January and again in February.

USGS field crews have been taking photos of the flooding. See the Flood Photographs Section to see some photos of the March floods.

 A USGS hydrographer sets a high-water mark near West Baden Springs in Orange County, Indiana.

Flood Discharge Measurements March 2008 ** Data are provisional and subject to revision **
Date	USGS Site Number	Site Name	Measurement Stage in Feet	Measurement Discharge (CFS)
3/19/2008	03351072	Williams Ck @ 96th St @ Indianapolis	6.45	640
3/19/2008	03364650	Clifty Ck near Columbus	17.70	19,900
3/19/2008	03353910	E Fork White Lick Ck @ Mooresville	11.40	2,500
3/19/2008	03378550	Big Ck near Wadesville	19.73	10,000
3/19/2008	03369500	Vernon Fk Muscatatuck R @ Vernon	20.30	17,700
3/19/2008	03366500	Muscatatuck R @ Deputy	28.86	31,200
3/19/2008	03373508	Beaver Ck near Shoals	9.01	2,200
3/20/2008	03302800	Blue R @ Fredericksburg	22.48	12,900
3/20/2008	03303000	Blue R near White Cloud	24.05	31,000
3/20/2008	03294000	Silver Ck near Sellersburg	24.74	8,120
3/20/2008	03375500	Patoka R @ Jasper	16.90	6,540
3/25/2008	03376500	Patoka R near Princeton	23.97	10,300

March 20: Flooding continues in southern Indiana from heavy rain that fell March 17-19. This morning river levels were above flood stage at 46 USGS Indiana streamflow-gaging stations. New peaks of record occurred at:

March 19: According to the National Weather Service, rain of 4 to more than 6 inches has fallen in much of southern Indiana south of Interstate 70. This morning river levels were above flood stage at 30 USGS Indiana streamflow-gaging stations. Crews have been dispatched to verify critical streamflow data collected at the stations; these data are used for flood warnings and forecasts.

FEBRUARY 2008

Flood Summary

February 7: This morning river water levels were above flood stage at 65 USGS streamflow-gaging stations. USGS crews have been out capturing vital flood information so that accurate flood data can be provided from the streamgage network 24/7. One of the most important measures for flood forecasts is streamflow, also called “discharge.” The discharge of the river is the volume of water that passes the streamgage every second, measured in cubic feet per second. Yesterday USGS crews made discharge measurements at the following streamgages:

• East Fork White Lick Creek at Mooresville

• Eagle Creek at Clermont

• White Lick Creek at Mooresville

• Cicero Creek at Tipton

• Killbuck Creek at Anderson

• White Lick Creek at Mooresville

• Fish Creek at Hamilton

Today crews will make measurements at:

• Little River near Huntington

• Wabash River at Lynn Grove

• Eel River at North Manchester

• Eel River at Logansport

• White River at Muncie

• White River at Anderson

• Busseron Creek near Carlisle

To get current USGS streamgage data visit http://waterdata.usgs.gov/in/nwis/rt

To get flood peak predictions and forecasts, visit the National Weather Service Advanced Hydologic Prediction Service at http://www.weather.gov/ahps/

Flood Updates

February 6: Just one month after a major flood in northern Indiana, heavy rains have once again brought flooding to the State. This morning river and stream levels were above flood stage at 53 USGS streamflow-gaging stations. USGS crews will be out today collecting flood data needed for flood forecasts.

Map of USGS streamflow-gages with water levels above flood stage (black triangles). To obtain this map visit http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/ and select “Flood and High Flow Map” from the “Flood Watch” menu box at the top of the page.

JANUARY 2008

Flood Summary

During January 7^th and 8^th, moderate to heavy rains fell on soils already saturated from snowmelt in northern Indiana causing significant flooding on rivers and streams including the Tippecanoe River, Kankakee River, Iroquois River, and Wabash River.

Flood Updates

Video: To see a video from The Weather Channel of a USGS streamflow measurement at the Kankakee River at Davis streamgage, click here.

January 18: River levels remain above flood stage at 16 USGS streamgages. Levels are receding on the Tippecanoe, St. Joseph, Kankakee, and Pigeon Rivers in northern Indiana and on the Wabash River upstream of Riverton, Indiana. The Wabash River is yet to crest at the Vincennes, Mt. Carmel, and New Harmony streamgages.

January 17: Today river levels were above flood stage at 19 USGS streamgages. Rivers above flood stage include the Kankakee, Pigeon, St. Joseph, Tippecanoe, Wabash, and White Rivers. River levels are receding on all rivers except for the Wabash River downstream of the Terre Haute streamgage. The Wabash River at Riverton, Indiana is forecast to crest today; the Wabash River at Mt. Carmel, Illinois is forecast to crest early Saturday. A USGS field crew was interviewed and photographed yesterday by The Weather Channel as they made a streamflow measurement at the Kankakee River at Dunns Bridge streamgage; the footage aired on The Weather Channel’s “Abrams & Bettes” program yesterday evening. USGS field crews have made 50 streamflow measurements during this flood and logged thousands of road miles as they “chased” floods across the state.

January 15: This morning river levels were above flood stage at 23 USGS streamgages. The Kankakee River in northern Indiana appears to be slowly receding at locations with streamgages but remains substantially above flood stage. At current stages, extensive agricultural flooding and flooding of many local roads is occurring. The Wabash River downstream of Terre Haute is still rising. The National Weather Service (NWS) is forecasting the Wabash River to peak at Riverton, Indiana tomorrow; at Vincennes, Indiana on Thursday; and at Mt. Carmel, Illinois, on Friday. At forecast peak stages the Wabash River will cause extensive flooding of lowlands, some town and city parks, and local roads. USGS crews will continue to make streamflow measurements, focusing on northern Indiana today and tomorrow. This flood highlights the close collaboration between the USGS and NWS during floods. Streamgage data provided by the USGS helps the NWS provide flood forecasts through the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS); in turn, the USGS uses AHPS to determine when flood peaks will occur so that crews can be effectively routed to streamgages to collect critical data. A link to AHPS is provided in the Flood-related Links section of this Web page.

January 14: This morning river levels were above flood stage at 25 USGS streamgages. Rivers with levels above flood stage included the Kankakee, Tippecanoe, Pigeon, St. Joseph, Iroquois, White, East Fork White, and Wabash Rivers. Rivers in northern Indiana were receding. The Wabash River downstream of Terre Haute is still rising. USGS crews will make streamflow measurements today in northern Indiana to verify streamflows reported from streamgages on the Kankakee, Iroquois, and St. Joseph Rivers.

January 11: Record flooding is occurring along portions of the Tippecanoe River. The Tippecanoe River at the Ora streamflow-gaging station was at a record stage of 15.59 feet this morning. The Tippecanoe River at Winamac was at a stage of 14.77 feet at 8:00 am EST this morning and was rising. According to the National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS), at stages above 11.00 feet “extensive residential flooding is in progress.” The Kankakee River at Davis streamflow-gaging station was at a record stage this morning. The Kankakee River stations Dunns Bridge, Kouts, and Shelby were showing rising stages. For the Tippecanoe River at Delphi streamflow-gaging station, downstream of Oakdale Dam, provisional data indicates a record peak stage of 17.8 feet and record peak streamflow of approximately 37,600 cubic feet per second that occurred on January 8. For Indiana, 36 streamflow-gaging stations showed river levels that were above flood stage this morning. USGS hydrographer teams are traveling to streamflow-gaging stations on the Tippecanoe and Yellow Rivers to verify streamflow data needed for NWS flood forecasts.

January 10: River levels are above flood stage at 38 USGS Indiana streamflow-gaging stations. New stage and streamflow peaks of record occurred at the Tippecanoe River at Delphi and Tippecanoe River at Ora. USGS teams of hydrographers have been traveling to the flooded areas. The hydrographers measure the river stage and flow to provide data for river forecasters, engineers, and emergency managers who rely on the USGS Indiana data network of more than 160 streamflow-gaging stations. The stations are equipped to transmit real-time stage and streamflow data. Transmitted data are received by National Weather Service personnel who use the data to prepare forecasts and warnings--a key element in protecting lives and property. Rivers with levels above flood stage include

• Tippecanoe River

• Elkhart River

• St. Joseph River

• Yellow River

• Maumee River

• Eel River

• Wabash River

• Little Calumet River

• White River

• East Fork White River

• Big Blue River

• Kankakee River

• Iroquois River

Flood Photographs

Click on a photo for a larger size.

June 2008 Flood
A USGS hydrographer prepares to make a flood measurement.	USGS streamgaging station Wabash River near Riverton, IN.	USGS streamgaging station Little Buck Creek near Indianapolis during a record flood peak.	USGS hydrographers launch their flood boat.
Tools of the trade: deploying a Doppler sonar unit to measure streamflow.	USGS hydrographers raised instruments inside the White River at Newberry streamgage so that the gage would keep transmitting even while it was flooded.	USGS hydrographers raised instruments inside the White River at Newberry streamgage so that the gage would keep transmitting even while it was flooded.	USGS hydrographers raised instruments inside the White River at Newberry streamgage so that the gage would keep transmitting even while it was flooded.
USGS crews are encountering flooded roads and communities in their travels.	USGS crews are encountering flooded roads and communities in their travels.	USGS crews are encountering flooded roads and communities in their travels.	USGS crews are encountering flooded roads and communities in their travels.
USGS crews are encountering flooded roads and communities in their travels.	A USGS hydrographer documenting high-water marks.	Wabash River at Riverton Indiana Streamgage during the current flood (left) compared to the January 2005 flood (right).
A flooded house.

January 2008 Flood
Flooding at the Sugar Creek near Eden, Indiana streamflow-gaging station. Click here for real-time data from this station.	A USGS hydrographer making a streamflow measurement at Nameless Creek near Stringtown, Indiana. Click here for real-time data from this station.	Streamflow-gaging station Tippecanoe River at Delphi, Indiana during record flooding. The station is located downstream of the Oakdale Dam. Click here for real-time data from this station.	Unmanned Doppler sonar boat used to make a streamflow measurement at the Tippecanoe River at Delphi station. Click here for real-time data from this station.
A highwater mark set by USGS hydrographers to document flooding that took place on Big Monon Creek, a tributary of the Tippecanoe River that flows into the river above Oakdale Dam.	Schematic of a typical USGS streamflow-gaging station.	USGS field crews photographed flooding on the Tippecanoe River near Buffalo, Indiana.	USGS field crews photographed flooding on the Tippecanoe River near Buffalo. Indiana.
This schematic illustrates how the National Weather Service generates flood forecasts. USGS streamgage data is an essential element in those forecasts.	USGS streamgage: Beaver Creek near Shoals, Indiana. The gage is surrounded by flood waters but instruments that record water levels remain safely above the flood and continue to transmit vital data. Click here for real-time data from this station.	Flooded roads created a challenge for USGS hydrographers as they traveled to streamgages to collect flood data.

Flood-Related Links

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

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 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/

StreamStats: A Web-based tool that allows users to obtain streamflow statistics, drainage-basin characteristics, and other information for user-selected sites on streams. A StreamStats application for flood-frequency in Indiana is available at: http://water.usgs.gov/osw/streamstats/ssonline.html