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Historical Disaster Related Events
FLOODS
Chronology of major and other memorable floods in Alabama, 1886-1988
[Recurrence interval: The average interval of time within which streamflow will be greater than a particular value for floods.Sources: Recurrence intervals calculated from U.S. Geological Survey data: other information from U.S. Geological Survey, State and local reports, and newspapers]
Flood or drought | Date | Area affected (fig. 2) | Recurrence interval (years) | Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Flood | Apr. 1886 | Southwest | >100 | Highest stage on Alabama River at Montgomery since 1814. | |
Flood | Sept. 1906 | Coastal | Unknown | Hurricane. Rain, 11 inches. | |
Flood | July 1916 | Coastal | Unknown | Hurricane. Maximum winds, 128 miles per hour. Record tide, 10.8 feet; rain, 19 inches. Damage, $3.5 million. | |
Flood | Sept. 1926 | Coastal | Unknown | Hurricane. Rain, 19 inches. | |
Flood | Mar. 1929 | Southeast | 25 to >100 | Damage, $9 million. | |
Flood | 1936 | West | 10 to 50 | ||
Flood | Feb-Mar. 1961 | West-central | 25 to >100 | Record-breaking discharges and stages; record duration. Damage, $36 million. | |
Flood | Aug. 1969 | Coastal | Unknown | Hurricane Camille. | |
Flood | Mar. 1970 | Central | 10 to 50 | Isolated in greater Birmingham area. | |
Flood | Mar.-Apr. 1973 | Northwest | 25 to >100 | Covered about one-third of State. | |
Flood | Mar.-Apr. 1979 |
|
25 to >100 | Severe in Tombigbee River basin. Some peak discharges were twice that of 100-year recurrence interval. Damage, $75 million. | |
Flood | Sept. 1979 | Coastal | Unknown | Hurricane Frederic. Damage, $2 billion. |
Hurricane Frederic, in September 1979, was one of the more intense hurricanes of record to enter the United States mainland. In terms of property damage, Hurricane Frederic was by far the most destructive; total damage was about $2 billion (Scott and Bohman, 1980a,b).
Maps
May 2003 Historical Flooding in Birmingham
September 2003 Historical Flooding in Birmingham
February 2004 Historical Flooding in Birmingham
September 2004 Historical Flooding in Birmingham