Preliminary Peak Stage and Streamflow Data at Selected 

U.S. Geological Survey Streamgages for Flooding in 

the Central and Southeastern United States during 

December 2015 and January 2016

Open-File Report 2016–1092

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
Cover. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) hydrographers and hydrologist making a measurement of 

streamflow on the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri near the crest of the flood on 

December 31, 2015. Photograph by Jennifer LaVista, USGS.
Preliminary Peak Stage and Streamflow 

Data at Selected U.S. Geological Survey 

Streamgages for Flooding in the Central 

and Southeastern United States during 

December 2015 and January 2016

By Robert R. Holmes, Jr., Kara M. Watson, and Thomas E. Harris

Open-File Report 2016–1092

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

SALLY JEWELL, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Suzette M. Kimball, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2016

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Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials 

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Suggested citation:

Holmes, R.R., Jr., Watson, K.M., and Harris, T.E., 2016, Preliminary peak stage and streamflow data at selected 

U.S. Geological Survey streamgages for flooding in the central and southeastern United States during December 2015 

and January 2016: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2016–1092, 27 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20161092.

ISSN 2331-1258 (online)
iii

Contents

Abstract...........................................................................................................................................................1

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1

Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................1

Study Area..............................................................................................................................................1

General Weather Conditions and Precipitation Causing Flooding........................................................4

Methods.........................................................................................................................................................18

Peak Streamflows and Stages ..................................................................................................................19

Summary........................................................................................................................................................20

References Cited..........................................................................................................................................20

Figures

1. Map showing major river basins in the central and southeast United States along

with other selected locations affected by flooding streams in December 2015 and

January 2016..................................................................................................................................2

2. Map showing the eastern United States with cumulative rainfall from 7:00 AM,

December 12 to 7:00 AM, December 31, 2015, along with selected streamgages

with more than 20 years of record that recorded a peak flow in December 2015 or

January 2016 ranked in the top 5 in the period of record ......................................................3

3. Photograph looking north at flood water from the Meramec River (background)

inundating both the east-west Interstate 44 and north-south Highway 141 in 

Valley Park, Missouri on December 31, 2015 ...........................................................................4

4. Map showing statewide precipitation ranks for November 2015 ........................................5

5. Map showing streamflow conditions at U.S. Geological Survey streamgages

across the United States on December 17, 2015.....................................................................6

6. Maps showing daily surface weather maps at 7:00 AM Eastern Standard Time 

from December 21 to December 29, 2015 .................................................................................7

7. Map showing 500-millibar height contours at 7:00 AM Eastern Standard Time on

December 27, 2015, demonstrating cut off upper level low in west Texas allowing

for flow of moist air coming from the Pacific Ocean............................................................16

8. Map showing cumulative precipitation totals from 7:00 AM December 26 to 

7:00 AM December 29, 2015, and locations of selected U.S. Geological Survey

streamgages by rank of peak streamflow reported in December 2015.............................17

9. Graph showing rating curve for Gasconade River at Jerome, Missouri 

(USGS streamgage 06933500)...................................................................................................18

10. Photograph showing U.S. Geological Survey hydrographer making a direct

streamflow measurement on December 30, 2015, on Spring River at Carthage,

Missouri (USGS streamgage 07185765)..................................................................................19

11. Graph showing streamflow measurements made during the summer 2015 and

December 2015–January 2016 floods at the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri

(USGS streamgage 07010000)...................................................................................................20

Table

1. Preliminary peak stage and streamflow data at streamgages in the central and

southeastern United States for the floods of December 2015 and January 2016............22
iv

Conversion Factors

U.S. customary units to International System of Units

Multiply By To obtain

Length

inch (in) 2.54 centimeter (cm)

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m)

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)

Area

square mile (mi2) 259.0 hectare (ha)

square mile (mi2) 2.590 square kilometer (km2) 

Flow rate

foot per second (ft/s) 0.3048 meter per second (m/s)

cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second (m3/s)
Preliminary Peak Stage and Streamflow Data at Selected 

U.S. Geological Survey Streamgages for Flooding in the 

Central and Southeastern United States during 

December 2015 and January 2016

By Robert R. Holmes, Jr., Kara M. Watson, and Thomas E. Harris

Abstract

Flooding occurred in the central and southeastern United 

States during December 2015 and January 2016. The flooding was the result of more than 20 inches of rain falling in 

a 19 day period from December 12 to December 31, 2015. 

U.S. Geological Survey streamgages recorded 23 peaks 

of record during the subsequent flooding, with a total of 

172 streamgages recording peaks that ranked in the top 5 all 

time for the period of record. 

Introduction

Excessive heavy rainfall resulted in major flooding in 

parts of the central and southeastern United States (fig. 1) 

during December 2015 and January 2016. During the month 

of December, there were widespread areas where more than 

10 inches of rainfall fell in large parts of the central and southeastern United States with bands of as much as 20 inches of 

rain in certain locations (fig. 2). The flooding in the southeastern United States was mainly caused by heavy rainfall from 

December 22 to December 26, 2015, whereas the flooding in 

the central United States (Mississippi River Basin) was driven 

by the heavy precipitation occurring from December 27 to 

December 29, 2015. Total damages from these floods has not 

been determined at this time (March 2016), but will be in the 

millions of dollars, particularly in Missouri (fig. 3), which 

had 16 fatalities caused by flooding and 37 counties and the 

City of St. Louis declared Federal Disaster Areas (http://www.

missourinet.com/2016/02/10/fema-approves-nixons-requestto-expand-missouris-federal-disaster-declaration/, accessed 

February 10, 2016).

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collects and disseminates streamflow data at more than 8,100 streamgages 

nationwide. Streamflow data collection serves a variety of purposes including understanding, forecasting, and documenting 

flooding. Leading up to and during flooding, streamflow data 

are vital for flood warning, forecasting, and emergency management. The long-term systematic streamflow data are used 

to mitigate for the impacts of floods in the design or repair 

of infrastructure (for example, roads, bridges, reservoirs, and 

pipelines), houses, and buildings.

Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this report is to document the peak 

streamflows and stages for rivers and streams in the central 

and southeastern United States impacted by flooding during December 2015 and January 2016. This includes USGS 

streamgages as well as selected non-USGS streamgages. The 

flood peak flows are placed into context by ranking each flood 

peak flow with the annual peak floods for the period of record 

at each streamgage, as well as historic floods that might precede the systematic records.

Study Area

The streamgage data (peak stage and streamflow) documented in this report are located in the Missouri, upper Mississippi, Ohio, lower Mississippi, Arkansas-White-Red, and 

Tennessee River Basins (fig. 1) along with smaller river basins 

in eastern Texas that are referred in the report as the TexasGulf region and the south and southeast United States that are 

referred in the report as the South Atlantic-Gulf region (fig. 1). 

Most of these rivers drain into the Gulf of Mexico, with the 

remaining rivers in the southeast United States draining into 

the Atlantic Ocean. 
Figure 1.

Major river basins in the central and southeast United States along with other selected locations affected by flooding streams in Decembe

TEXAS

UTAH

MONTANA

ARIZONA

IDAHO

IOWA

COLORADO

KANSAS

WYOMING

NEW MEXICO

ILLINOIS

OHIO

MISSOURI

MINNESOTA

FLORIDA

NEBRASKA

NEVADA

GEORGIA

OKLAHOMA

ALABAMA

SOUTH DAKOTA

ARKANSAS

WISCONSIN

NORTH DAKOTA

VIRGINIA

NEW

YORK

INDIANA

LOUISIANA

MICHIGAN

MISSISSIPPI

KENTUCKY

TENNESSEE

PENNSYLVANIA

NORTH 

SOUTH CAROLIN

WEST

VIRGINIA

VERMONT

MARYLAND

NEW HAMPSHIR

MASSACHUSETTS

D

DIS

110° 100° 90° 80° 

45°40°35°30°25°

CANADA

UNITED STATES

ATLA

GULF OF MEXICO

Lake

Superior

Lake Michigan Lake Huron

Lake Erie

Lake Ontario

Base from U.S. Geological Survey digital data, variously dated, various scalesAlbers Equal-Area Conic projection, North American Datum of 1983

Basin boundaries from U.S. Geological Survey

National Hydrography Dataset, 2012

0 200 400 600 MILES0 200 400 600 KILOMETERS

MEXICO

Missouri

River

Osage River

Gasconade River

Meramec River

Des Moines River

Ceda r River Mississippi River

Illinois River

Kankakee River

Kask askia River

Wabash River

Ohio River

Cumb erland River

Tennessee River

St. Francis R

Black R

White River

Arkansas River

Red River

Mississippi

River

Lake Pontchartrain

Tombigbee Rive r

Alabama R

Apalachicola

River

Oconee R iver

Broad R

Savannah River

Great Pee Dee River Cape Fear River

Chattahooche e River

New Orleans

Atlanta

Memphis

Charlotte

St. Louis

Troy

Dallas

El Paso

Buffalo

Columbia

San Antonio

Valley Park

Trinity River

Brazos River

Colorado River

San Antonio R
Introduction 3

Lake Pontchartrain

Mississippi River

Ohio River

Red River

White R

River

Oconee

Tennessee River

Cumberland

River

Savannah River

Kankakee River

Alabama River

Tombigbee River

Pearl River

Cedar River

Broad

River

Great Pee Dee River

LAKE ERIE

LAKE MICHIGAN

LAKE 

HURON LAKE ONTARIO

Des Moines River

Missouri River

Illinois River

Mississippi River

Wabash River

Kaskaskia

River

Osage River

St. Francis R

Black Riv e r

Arkansas River

White R

Cape Fear Ri ver

Chattahoochee River

Apalachicola River

Gasconade

River

Meramec

River

5

1 2

3

4

8 6

7

26

27

112

55

92

49

95

17 14 56

71

109

116

98

99

62

66 73

108

20

111

9

25

31

113

44

96

33

57

39

60

114

64

30

74

89

58

82

10

50

76

110

48

63

59

41

54

90

69

68

67

37

97

79

21

86

94

72

46

11

36

81

83

80

153

118

142

135

151

119

166

161

123

138

163

128

125

117

143

150

132

127

168

121

162

155

144

141

147

164

156

146

149

157

140

148

169

120

134

137

126

129

136

145

152

133

122

130

139

154

124

131

165

158

160

159

75

61

70

15 16 19 18

47

40

43

45

51

53

38

52

107 170

174

175

173

171

172 104

100

102

103

101

105

106 167

115

22

13 12

32

34

35

28

29

78

77

88

84

85

93 91

9

23

42

87

EXPLANATION

95° 90° 85° 80° 75°

45°

40°

35°

30°

Precipitation, in inches—Interval 1, 2, and 4 inches (National Weather Service, 2015)

3 to 4

4 to 5

5 to 6

6 to 8

8 to 10

0 to 1 10 to 12

1 to 2

2 to 3

12 to 14

14 to 16

16 to 20

20 to 24

Rank of peak streamflow among all peak streamflows in streamgage 

period of record—Labeled with map site number from table 1

1 2 to 5

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and 

is used herein under license. Copyright © 2014 Esri 

and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone15N

Precipitation data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration, National Weather Service, 2015

0 100 200 MILES

0 100 200 KILOMETERS

TEXAS

VIRGINIA

WEST 

VIRGINIA

OHIO

MICHIGAN

WISCONSIN

PENNSYLVANIA

MARYLAND

NEBRASKA

NEW YORK

SOUTH MINNESOTA

DAKOTA

CANADA

IOWA

KANSAS

ILLINOIS

MISSOURI

FLORIDA

GEORGIA

OKLAHOMA

ALABAMA

ARKANSAS

INDIANA

LOUISIANA

KENTUCKY

MISSISSIPPI

TENNESSEE

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH

CAROLINA

Memphis

Atlanta

Charlotte

St. Louis

New Orleans

GULF OF MEXICO

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

Greater than 5

Figure 2. The eastern United States with cumulative rainfall 

from 7:00 AM, December 12 to 7:00 AM, December 31, 2015, along 

with selected streamgages with more than 20 years of record that 

recorded a peak flow in December 2015 or January 2016 ranked 

in the top 5 in the period of record. (Source: Rainfall data from 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2016a).
4 Preliminary Flood Data in the Central and Southeastern United States, December 2015 through January 2016

Figure 3. Looking north at flood water from the Meramec River (background) inundating both the east-west Interstate 44 and northsouth Highway 141 in Valley Park, Missouri on December 31, 2015. (Photograph source: Civil Air Patrol, 2015).

General Weather Conditions and 

Precipitation Causing Flooding

November and early to mid-December 2015 saw above 

average precipitation in a large part of the eastern United 

States, with November 2015 ranking as the wettest November 

on record in Arkansas and Missouri (fig. 4) (National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Agency, 2016b). As a result of this above 

average precipitation, streamflow was well above normal 

conditions at many streamgages leading into the latter part of 

December 2015 (fig. 5) when the intense rains began, which 

resulted in most of the major flooding. Over the 19 day period 

from 7:00 AM December 12 to 7:00 AM December 31, more 

than 20 inches of rain fell in parts of the central and southeastern United States (fig. 2).

A surface low pressure system located in southeast Iowa 

on December 21, 2015, moved north into the Great Lakes by 

December 22, 2015, while the attached cold front was positioned from middle Kentucky and Tennessee to northern Louisiana (figs. 6A and 6B). A strong push of moist, warm air from 

the Gulf of Mexico surged ahead of the cold front causing 

the cold front to become stationary and eventually wash out 

over central South Carolina, central Georgia, and southeastern 

Alabama by December 23, 2015 (fig. 6C). During this period, 

the jet stream was meridional (flowing at sharper angles to 

the latitude lines of the earth or flowing more in a north-south 

orientation), with persistent flow parallel to the old frontal 

boundary and provided enough instability at the upper levels 

of the atmosphere for areas of the southeast to receive precipitation for 4 consecutive days. Two-day precipitation totals 

for Columbia, South Carolina (December 22–23, 2015) and 

Atlanta, Georgia (December 23–24, 2015) were 4.19 inches 

and 5.19 inches of rain, respectively, while Troy, Alabama 

received a total of 7.66 inches of rain December 22–24, 2015. 

By December 24, 2015 (fig. 6D), the jet stream became 

slightly more zonal (flowing more parallel to the latitude lines 

of the earth or flowing more in an east-west orientation) and a 

new surface low pressure center developed in eastern Kansas, 

which ushered in a new push of cold air that moved southeast, 

setting up another frontal boundary that stretched into the 

southeast United States. To the southeast of this frontal boundary, the flow of warm air to the north continued, where Boston, 

Massachusetts, recorded a high temperature of 69 Fahrenheit 

on Christmas Eve, while heavy rain fell in western Virginia, 

western North and South Carolina and northern Georgia. As 
General Weather Conditions and Precipitation Causing Flooding 5

120° 110° 100° 90° 80° 70°

45°

40°

35°

30°

25°

16

9

12

20

21

14

23

37 24

67 52

92 36

120

118

116

108

47

90

78

85

108

108 111

114

110

116

115

121

121

116 113

120

114

112

97

69 60

74

50

53

72

50

91

77

66

104

80

CANADA

MEXICO

Base from U.S. Geological Survey digital data, 

variously dated, various scales

Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

Precipitation data from National Aeronautic

and Atmospheric Administration, 2015

Statewide precipitation rank

Record wettest (121)

Much above average

Above average

Near average

Below average

Much below average

EXPLANATION

0 200 400 600 MILES

0 200 400 600 KILOMETERS

Figure 4. Statewide precipitation ranks for November 2015

(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2016b).

the frontal system, originating on December 24, 2015, stalled 

once again, another low pressure system, centered in north 

central Arizona on Christmas Day, 2015 (fig. 6E) intensified 

and moved into western Texas and southern New Mexico by 

December 26, 2015 (fig. 6F). A frontal boundary located from 

northern Louisiana through central Kentucky on December 

24–26 and ahead of the low pressure, was aided by deep 

moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to produce heavy rain. Rain 

amounts recorded on at 7:00 AM Central Time on December 

26, 2015, over northern Alabama were as much as 6 inches 

more than the previous 24-hour period, with widespread 

5-inch amounts over the northern one-third of the State. The 

upper level low pressure in western Texas and southern New 

Mexico was cut off from the main upper level flow around 

December 26 and continued to move slowly east across 

Texas over the next 24 hours, while a surface stationary front 

established itself from San Antonio, Texas, northeastward to 

Buffalo, New York. A series of surface low pressure systems 

rode along the stationary boundary for approximately the next 

36 hours (fig. 6F–6G). 

Ahead of the stationary front, a direct flow of warm moist 

air at the Earth’s surface stretching from Texas to Florida 

clashed with arctic air that extended below the southern border 

of the United States. Additionally, the upper level low, already 

cut off from the main atmospheric flow, was being fueled by 

the subtropical jet stream that brought in additional moist air 

at the upper levels from the abnormally warm eastern Pacific 

Ocean (fig. 7). The differences in these two air masses was 

dramatic as temperatures were in the low 80s from southern 

Texas to extreme southern South Carolina, whereas El Paso, 

Texas, was getting 8 inches of snow and blizzard conditions 

with drifts as much as 10 feet were prevalent in the Texas 

panhandle and eastern New Mexico (National Weather Service, 2016b). Severe weather along the diffluent upper level 

windflow of northeast Texas produced an Enhanced Fujita 

scale 4 (EF4) tornado that ripped through the Dallas, Texas, 
6 Preliminary Flood Data in the Central and Southeastern United States, December 2015 through January 2016

0 100 200 MILES

0 100 200 KILOMETERS

0 600 1,200 MILES

0 600 1,200 KILOMETERS

0 100 200 MILES

0 100 200 KILOMETERS

EXPLANATION

Low Much above High

normal

Much below

normal Normal Abovenormal

Below

normal

Percentile classes

Less than 10 10 to 24 25 to 75 76 to 90 Greater than 90

0 300 600 MILES

0 300 600 KILOMETERS ALASKA

HAWAII

PUERTO RICO

Figure 5. Streamflow conditions at 

U.S. Geological Survey streamgages 

across the United States on 

December 17, 2015 (U.S. Geological 

Survey, 2015).

suburbs. Further north, the convergence of warm moist air 

and arctic air caused torrential rain in northeastern Oklahoma, 

Missouri, and northwest Arkansas, with areas across southern Missouri receiving 9 to 12 inches of precipitation in less 

than 48 hours from mid-day December 26 to early morning 

December 28, 2015. Total rainfall over the 72 hour period 

from 7:00 AM December 26 to 7:00 AM December 28, 2015, 

is shown in figure 8. 

The arctic air pushed the entire system slowly east so that 

by the morning of December 29, 2015, the cold front evolving from the stationary front was located from the central 

panhandle of Florida to western North Carolina (fig. 6I). 

Precipitation amounts of 2 to 3 inches were reported in east 

central Alabama, west central Georgia through the Atlanta 

area, and into the mountains of South and North Carolina. For 

the next 24 to 36 hours, the front became stationary and actually retrograded back west dumping an additional 3 to 4 inches 

of precipitation over parts of Florida, Alabama, and South 

Carolina. By January 1, 2016, the colder air eventually pushed 

the front into central Florida and precipitation finally ended for 

the southeastern States.
Figure 6. Daily surface weather maps at 7:00 AM Eastern Standard Time from December 21 to December 29, 2015 (National Oceanic and Atmospher

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

NORTH DAKOTA

SOUTH DAKOTA

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBRASKA

KANSAS MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

NEW MEXICO ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA UTAH COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

OHIO WEST VIRGINIA V

NORTH 

S

CA

PENNSY

NEW 

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

Base from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, 2015

Weather dat

Admin

1,024

1,016

996

992

1,000

1,004 1,008

1,020

1,012

1,020

1,024

1,020

1,004 1,008 1,016 1,000

1,004

1,012

1,016

1,0121,008

0 200 400 600 MILES0 200 400 600 KILOMETERS

130° 120° 110° 100° 90° 80° 

40°

30°

H

HH

L

L

H

L CANADA UNITED STATES

MEXICO

GULF OF MEXICO

PACIFIC

OCEAN

L

Precipitation areaIsobar and valueFrontal line between 

high- and lowpressure systems High-pressure area

Low-pressure area

1,024

H

L

Polar jet streamSubtropical jet stream

EXPLANATION

A. December 21, 2015
Figure 6. Daily surface weather maps at 7:00 AM Eastern Standard Time from December 21 to December 29, 2015 (National Oceanic and AtmospherContinued.

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

NORTH DAKOTA

SOUTH DAKOTA

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBRASKA

KANSAS MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

NEW MEXICO ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA UTAH COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

OHIO WEST VIRGINIA V

NORTH 

S

CA

PENNSY

NEW 

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

Base from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, 2015

Weather dat

Admin

0 200 400 600 MILES0 200 400 600 KILOMETERS

130° 120° 110° 100° 90° 80° 

40°

30°

CANADA UNITED STATES

MEXICO

GULF OF MEXICO

PACIFIC

OCEAN

1,008

1,020

988

1,012

1,016

1,012

1,012

1,012

1,

992

996

1,004

1,004

1,008

1,008

1,012

1,000

1,000

H

H

L L

L

L

Precipitation areaIsobar and valueFrontal line between 

high- and lowpressure systems High-pressure area

Low-pressure area

1,024

H

L

Polar jet streamSubtropical jet stream

EXPLANATION

B. December 22, 2015
Figure 6. Daily surface weather maps at 7:00 AM Eastern Standard Time from December 21 to December 29, 2015 (National Oceanic and AtmospherContinued.

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

NORTH DAKOTA

SOUTH DAKOTA

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS

INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

OHIO

WEST

VIRGINIA

V

NORTH 

S

CA

PENNSY

NEW 

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

Base from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, 2015

Weather dat

Admin

0 200 400 600 MILES0 200 400 600 KILOMETERS

130° 120° 110° 100° 90° 80° 

40°

30°

CANADA

UNITED STATES

MEXICO

GULF OF MEXICO

PACIFIC

OCEAN

996

1,000

1,004

1,004

1,004

1,004

996

992

988

1,000

1,004

1,000

1,008

1,008

1,008

992

1,000

992

1,020

1,016

1,012

1,020

1,016

1,012

H

H

H

L

L

L

L

L

L

1,012

1,000

Precipitation areaIsobar and valueFrontal line between 

high- and lowpressure systems High-pressure area

Low-pressure area

1,024

H

L

Polar jet streamSubtropical jet stream

EXPLANATION

C. December 23, 2015
Figure 6. Daily surface weather maps at 7:00 AM Eastern Standard Time from December 21 to December 29, 2015 (National Oceanic and AtmospherContinued.

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

NORTH DAKOTA

SOUTH DAKOTA

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS

INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

OHIO

WEST

VIRGINIA

V

NORTH 

S

CA

PENNSY

NEW 

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

Base from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, 2015

Weather dat

Admin

0 200 400 600 MILES0 200 400 600 KILOMETERS

130° 120° 110° 100° 90° 80° 

40°

30°

CANADA

UNITED STATES

MEXICO

GULF OF MEXICO

PACIFIC

OCEAN

1,020 1,016

1,012

1,016

1,016

988

984

992

996

1,000

1,008

1,000

1,004

1,012

1,016

1,012

1,004

1,008

1,008

1,008

1,008

980

H

H

H

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

1,012

1,004

1,008

976

Precipitation areaIsobar and valueFrontal line between 

high- and lowpressure systems High-pressure area

Low-pressure area

1,024

H

L

Polar jet streamSubtropical jet stream

EXPLANATION

D. December 24, 2015
Figure 6. Daily surface weather maps at 7:00 AM Eastern Standard Time from December 21 to December 29, 2015 (National Oceanic and AtmospherContinued.

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

NORTH DAKOTA

SOUTH DAKOTA

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS

INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

OHIO

WEST

VIRGINIA

V

NORTH 

S

CA

PENNSY

NEW 

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

Base from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, 2015

Weather dat

Admin

0 200 400 600 MILES0 200 400 600 KILOMETERS

130° 120° 110° 100° 90° 80° 

40°

30°

CANADA

UNITED STATES

MEXICO

GULF OF MEXICO

PACIFIC

OCEAN

H

H

L

L

L

L

1,024

1,020

1,016

1,020

1,012

1,020

1,016

1,020

1,016

1,020

1,024

1,004

1,008

1,012

1,016

1,012

Precipitation areaIsobar and valueFrontal line between 

high- and lowpressure systems High-pressure area

Low-pressure area

1,024

H

L

Polar jet streamSubtropical jet stream

EXPLANATION

E. December 25, 2015
Figure 6. Daily surface weather maps at 7:00 AM Eastern Standard Time from December 21 to December 29, 2015 (National Oceanic and AtmospherContinued.

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

NORTH DAKOTA

SOUTH DAKOTA

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS

INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

OHIO

WEST

VIRGINIA

V

NORTH 

S

CA

PENNSY

NEW 

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

Base from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, 2015

Weather dat

Admin

0 200 400 600 MILES0 200 400 600 KILOMETERS

130° 120° 110° 100° 90° 80° 

40°

30°

CANADA

UNITED STATES

MEXICO

GULF OF MEXICO

PACIFIC

OCEAN

1,020

1,012

1

1,016

1,02

1,020

1,008

1,012

1,012

1,028

1,028

1,040

1,024

1,024

1,016

1,016

1,028

1,032

1,032

1,008

1,004

1,036

1,036

1,036

1,032

1,032

H

H

H

H

H

L

L

Precipitation areaIsobar and valueFrontal line between 

high- and lowpressure systems High-pressure area

Low-pressure area

1,024

H

L

Polar jet streamSubtropical jet stream

EXPLANATION

F. December 26, 2015
Figure 6. Daily surface weather maps at 7:00 AM Eastern Standard Time from December 21 to December 29, 2015 (National Oceanic and AtmospherContinued.

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

NORTH DAKOTA

SOUTH DAKOTA

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS

INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

OHIO

WEST

VIRGINIA

V

NORTH 

S

CA

PENNSY

NEW 

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

Base from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, 2015

Weather dat

Admin

0 200 400 600 MILES0 200 400 600 KILOMETERS

130° 120° 110° 100° 90° 80° 

40°

30°

CANADA

UNITED STATES

MEXICO

GULF OF MEXICO

PACIFIC

OCEAN

H

H

H

H

L

L

L

L

L

L

1,012

1,012

1,016

1,020

1,020

1,024

1,024

1,028

1,028

1,024

1,024

1,016

1,004

1,004

1,020

1,040

1,008

1,008

1,000

1,000

1,032

1,032

1,040

1,012

1,028

1,036

1,036

1,036

1,012

1,032

1,024

Precipitation areaIsobar and valueFrontal line between 

high- and lowpressure systems High-pressure area

Low-pressure area

1,024

H

L

Polar jet streamSubtropical jet stream

EXPLANATION

G. December 27, 2015
Figure 6. Daily surface weather maps at 7:00 AM Eastern Standard Time from December 21 to December 29, 2015 (National Oceanic and AtmospherContinued.

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

NORTH DAKOTA

SOUTH DAKOTA

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS

INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

OHIO

WEST

VIRGINIA

V

NORTH 

S

CA

PENNSY

NEW 

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

Base from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, 2015

Weather dat

Admin

0 200 400 600 MILES0 200 400 600 KILOMETERS

130° 120° 110° 100° 90° 80° 

40°

30°

CANADA

UNITED STATES

MEXICO

GULF OF MEXICO

PACIFIC

OCEAN

H

H

L

L

L

L

H

H

1,000

1,008

1,012

1,016

1,024

1,032

1,004

1,012

1,012

1,040

1,020

1,016

1,016

1,020

1,024

1,028

1,036

1,040

1,036

1,008

1,020

1,016

1,020

1,024

1,004

1,016

1,028

Precipitation areaIsobar and valueFrontal line between 

high- and lowpressure systems High-pressure area

Low-pressure area

1,024

H

L

Polar jet streamSubtropical jet stream

EXPLANATION

H. December 28, 2015
Figure 6. Daily surface weather maps at 7:00 AM Eastern Standard Time from December 21 to December 29, 2015 (National Oceanic and AtmospherContinued.

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

NORTH DAKOTA

SOUTH DAKOTA

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS

INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

OHIO

WEST

VIRGINIA

V

NORTH 

S

CA

PENNSY

NEW 

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

Base from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, 2015

Weather dat

Admin

0 200 400 600 MILES0 200 400 600 KILOMETERS

130° 120° 110° 100° 90° 80° 

40°

30°

CANADA

UNITED STATES

MEXICO

GULF OF MEXICO

PACIFIC

OCEAN

H

H

L

L

L

L

H

L

L

H

H

1,012

1,012

1,016

1,020

1,020

1,024

1,032

Precipitation areaIsobar and valueFrontal line between 

high- and lowpressure systems High-pressure area

Low-pressure area

1,016

H

L

Polar jet streamSubtropical jet stream

EXPLANATION

1,008

1,012

1,016

1,016

1,028

1,024

1,020

1,016

1,012

1,008

1

0

I. December 29, 2015
16 Preliminary Flood Data in the Central and Southeastern United States, December 2015 through January 2016

Figure 7. 500-millibar height contours at 7:00 AM Eastern Standard Time on December 27, 2015, demonstrating cut off upper level 

low in west Texas allowing for flow of moist air coming from the Pacific Ocean (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

2016c).

120° 110° 100° 90° 80°

522

534

546

546

558

558

570

582

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

NORTH DAKOTA

SOUTH DAKOTA

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS

INDIANA

OKLAHOMA ARKANSAS TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

OHIO

WEST

VIRGINIA

VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

MD

NJ

DE

NEW YORK

VT

NH

MA

CT

RI

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

DC

130° 70°

40°

30°

500-millibar height contour and value—

Contour interval 6 meters

EXPLANATION

570

0 200 400 600 MILES

0 200 400 600 KILOMETERS

Base from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

National Weather Service, 2015

Weather data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration, National Weather Service, 2015 588

576

564

552

570

582

576

564

528

540

552

516
General Weather Conditions and Precipitation Causing Flooding 17

95° 90° 85°

40°

35°

30°

32

8

28 11

24

12

25 23

21

26

27

112

56

92

13

49

95

15

55

17

5

71

93

98 99

62

73

1

2

69

108

20

111

9

31 36

113

43

4

96

33

3

57

40

60

114

18

64,65

30

74

85

58

83

10

50

76

52

110

48

63

59

41

44

54

6

75

88

66

68

70

34

67

37

97

79

22

7

38

39

86

19 16

94

14

51

72

46

45

42

80 81

47

29

61

53

35

174

175

173

170 107

105

104 172

171

100

102

103

101

93

78

77

91

87

89

90

84

82

106

Lake Pontchartrain

Mississippi

River

Illinois River River

Ohio River

Red River

Missouri River

River

River

Cumberland

River

Kankakee River

Alabama River

Tombigbee River

Pearl River

Cedar River

Chattahoochee River

Des Moines

Mississippi

Kaskaskia

River

Wabash

St. Francis River

Black River

Meramec

River

Gasconade River

Osage River

Arkansas River

White River

White River

Apalachicola

River

Oconee

River

Tennessee River

GULF OF MEXICO

EXPLANATION

Precipitation, in inches—Interval 1, 2, and 3 inches (National Weather Service, 2015)

3 to 4

4 to 5

5 to 6

0 to 1 6 to 8

1 to 2

2 to 3

8 to 10

10 to 13

Rank of peak streamflow among all peak streamflows in streamgage 

period of record—Labeled with map site number from table 1

1 2 to 5

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and 

is used herein under license. Copyright © 2014 Esri 

and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone15N

Precipitation data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration, National Weather Service, 2015

Greater than 5

0 50 100 150 MILES

0 50 100 150 KILOMETERS

TEXAS

OHIO

MICHIGAN

NEBRASKA

Memphis

Atlanta

St. Louis

New Orleans

IOWA

KANSAS

ILLINOIS

MISSOURI

GEORGIA

OKLAHOMA

ALABAMA

ARKANSAS

INDIANA

LOUISIANA

KENTUCKY

MISSISSIPPI

TENNESSEE

Figure 8. Cumulative precipitation totals from 7:00 AM December 

26 to 7:00 AM December 29, 2015, and locations of selected U.S. 

Geological Survey streamgages by rank of peak streamflow 

reported in December 2015. (Source: Rainfall data from National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2016a).
18 Preliminary Flood Data in the Central and Southeastern United States, December 2015 through January 2016

Methods

In this report, streamflow data refer to both stage and 

volumetric streamflow (streamflow). These data were collected 

either systematically at streamgages or from periodical/intermittent field observations of streamflow at locations where no 

streamgage was present. 

U.S. Geological Survey streamgages operate autonomously by collecting data at some frequency (typically either 

5 or 15 minutes) dependent on watershed size and concomitant 

flashiness of the stream. The typical streamgage automatically 

makes observations of stage data. The stage data are collected using a variety of methods (float, submersible pressure 

transducer, nonsubmersible pressure transducer, or noncontact radar). Although stage data are important, streamflow is 

commonly more important for such purposes as streamflow 

forecasting, water quality loading, flood frequency analysis, 

and flood mitigation planning. Derivation of streamflow from 

stage data at a streamgage requires periodic measurements of 

streamflow to develop a relation that will convert the stage 

data to streamflow data. 

All rivers and streams have some form of hysteresis (loop 

effect) in the relation between stage and discharge (referred to 

generally as rating complexity), whereby for the same stage, 

the streamflow is greater on the rising limb of the hydrograph 

(as the flood wave approaches) than on the falling limb of 

the hydrograph (as the flood wave has passed and the flood 

recedes). The presence of hysteresis is particularly apparent 

when overbank storage is large, but this hysteresis occurs even 

in prismatic channels with no floodplain simply because of the 

hydrodynamics of an unsteady flood wave passing through. 

Natural channels often have mobile beds, which cause additional complexity because of the bed changes. In many cases, 

the complexity is small enough that the relation between stage 

and discharge can be represented by a monotonic singlevalued stage-streamflow rating curve (rating curve) (fig. 9). 

On site direct measurements are done by USGS personnel 

(fig. 10) making physical observations of stream velocity and 

stream depth to determine streamflow (Turnipseed and Sauer, 

2010) and develop rating curves. After construction of the 

rating curve, continued periodic measurements of streamflow 

are required at various stages to calibrate and validate the 

accuracy of the rating curve. The rating curve allows for the 

determination of the streamflow from the stage data when 

USGS personnel are not physically present at the streamgage 

to make a streamflow measurement. 

EXPLANATION

0.1

1

10

100

100 1,000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000

Stage, in feet

Streamflow, in cubic feet per second

Rating 9

Historic measurement above 60,000 cubic feet per second

December 2015 streamflow measurement

Figure 9. Rating curve for Gasconade River at Jerome, Missouri (USGS streamgage 06933500).
Peak Streamflows and Stages 19

Figure 10. U.S. Geological Survey hydrographer making a direct 

streamflow measurement on December 30, 2015, on Spring River 

at Carthage, Missouri (USGS streamgage 07185765) (photograph 

by Rose Freeman, USGS).

In some cases, direct measurements of streamflow during 

a flood are not possible or are impractical. In those instances, 

indirect measurement methods are used (Benson and Dalrymple, 1967), whereby water surface profiles determined by high 

water marks and channel geometry are used in hydraulic equations based on the principles of conservation of energy, conservation of momentum, and continuity to compute the peak 

streamflow for that particular flood. The high water marks 

and channel geometry are determined by field survey. The 

USGS assigns uncertainty/accuracy estimates to each indirect 

measurement based on the hydraulic and channel geometry 

conditions found at each field site (Benson and Dalrymple, 

1967; Matthai, 1967; Bodhaine, 1968; Dalrymple and Benson, 

1967; and Hulsing, 1967). 

All rivers have rating complexity to some degree. For 

many locations, the complexity is minor and can largely be 

ignored; however, for lower gradient rivers, the rating complexity can sometimes be too large to ignore. The Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri, streamgage demonstrates 

rating complexity (fig. 11). For two separate periods (period 1 

is summer 2015 and period 2 is December 2015 and January 2016), direct measurements of streamflow made on the 

rising limb of the hydrograph plot to the right of those direct 

measurements made on the falling limb of the hydrograph. To 

accommodate for the complexity at this location, numerous 

measurements are made to allow the monotonic single-value 

Rating 17 to be shifted to match the measurements on the rising and falling limbs for both floods. 

Figure 11 shows that the rising limb measurements for 

the December 2015 and January 2016 flood plot to the right 

of the falling limb measurements for the summer 2015 flood, 

meaning for the same stage, more water is conveyed through 

the channel (channel is more efficient) for the winter flood 

than the summer flood. This increased efficiency is likely due 

to the bedforms being smaller in the December 2015–January 2016 flood compared to the summer 2015 floods, which 

is likely due to the colder water temperatures for the later 

flooding. Shen and others (1978) demonstrated this same 

phenomenon on the Missouri River and attributed the cause 

to the colder water having higher viscosity enabling more 

suspended-sediment transport, which in turn dampened the 

magnitude of the bedforms. 

Peak Streamflows and Stages

Peak streamflow and stage data during the December 

2015–January 2016 flooding for 175 locations in the central 

and eastern United States are listed in table 1 (at the end 

of this report), with their locations shown in figure 2. The 

streamgages and periodic/intermittent sites included in table 1 

were chosen because (1) the December 2015–January 2016 

peak streamflow for those locations ranked in the top 5 peak 

flows for the period of record, (2) the site was a periodic/intermittent location where the peak streamflow was determined, or 

(3) the site was included to allow comparison with past major 

floods. 

The rank for the December 2015–January 2016 streamflow peak at selected streamgages for the period of record are 

presented in table 1. Of the 175 locations listed, 23 USGS 

streamgages had peaks of record for streamflow and 172 had 

peaks that ranked in the top 5 for the period of record. 

The peak stage and streamflow are not always coincident in time for the locations in this report, particularly for 

those streams and rivers that have complexity in the relation 

between stage and streamflow. 
20 Preliminary Flood Data in the Central and Southeastern United States, December 2015 through January 2016

EXPLANATION

20

25

30

35

40

45

400,000 500,000 600,000 700,000 800,000 900,000 1,000,000

Stage, in feet

Discharge, in cubic feet per second

Rating 17

Rising limb measurement—Summer 2015

Falling limb measurement—Summer 2015

Rising limb measurement—December 2015–January 2016

Falling limb measurement—December 2015–January 2016

Figure 11. Streamflow measurements made during the summer 2015 and December 2015–January 2016 floods at the Mississippi River 

at St. Louis, Missouri (USGS streamgage 07010000).

Summary

During December 2015 and January 2016, flooding on 

numerous streams and rivers in the central and southeastern 

United States resulted in at least 16 fatalities and millions of 

dollars in damages. The floods were the result of excess rainfall, with rainfall amounts of more than 20 inches in a 19 day 

period from December 12 to December 31, 2015. 

Peak streamflow and stage data are documented in this 

report. Peak streamflow records were broken at 23 USGS 

streamgages, with 172 USGS streamgages having peaks in the 

top 5 for the period of record. 

References Cited

Benson, M.A., and Dalrymple, Tate, 1967, General field and 

office procedures for indirect measurements: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, 

book 3, chap. A1, 30 p. [Also available at http://pubs.usgs.

gov/twri/twri3-a1/.]

Bodhaine, G.L, 1968, Measurement of peak discharge at 

culverts by indirect methods: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 3, chap. A3, 

60 p. [Also available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/twri/twri3-a3/.]

Dalrymple, Tate, and Benson, M.A., 1967, Measurement of 

peak discharge by the slope-area method; U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water Resources Investigations, 

book 3, chap. A2, 12 p. [Also available at http://pubs.usgs.

gov/twri/twri3-a2/.]

Hulsing, Harry, 1967, Measurement of peak discharge at dams 

by indirect method: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of 

Water-Resources Investigations, book 3, chap. A5, 29 p. 

[Also available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/twri/twri3-a5/.]

Matthai, H.F., 1967, Measurement of peak discharge at width 

contractions by indirect methods: U.S. Geological Survey 

Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 3, 

chap. A4, 44 p. [Also available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/twri/

twri3-a4/.]

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2016a, 

Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service—Precipitation: 

Web site accessed January 28, 2016, at http://water.weather.

gov/precip/.
References Cited 21

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2016b, 

National Temperature and Precipitation Maps: Web site 

accessed February 10, 2016, at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/

temp-and-precip/us-maps/.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2016c, 

Daily Weather Maps: Web site accessed January 14, 2016, 

at http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/dailywxmap/.

National Weather Service, 2016a, National Weather Service 

Weather Forecast Office: Web site accessed January 14, 

2016, at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/epz.

National Weather Service, 2016b, National Weather Service 

Weather Forecast Office: Web site accessed January 14, 

2016, at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ama.

National Weather Service, 2016c, National Weather Service 

Weather Forecast Office: Web site accessed January 14, 

2016, at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lzk.

National Weather Service, 2016d, National Weather Service 

Weather Forecast Office: Web site assessed January 15, 

2016, at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lsx.

Shen, H.W., Mellema, W.J., and Harrison, A.S., 1978, Tem-

perature and Missouri River stages near Omaha: Journal of 

the Hydraulics Division, v. 104, no. HY1, p. 1–20.

Turnipseed, D.P., and Sauer, V.B., 2010, Discharge measure-

ments at gaging stations: U.S. Geological Survey Tech-

niques and Methods book 3, chap. A8, 87 p. [Also available 

at http://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/tm3-a8/.]

U.S. Geological Survey, 2015, WaterWatch—Current water 

resources conditions, map of real-time streamflow com-

pared to historical streamflow for the day of the year 

(United States): U.S. Geological Survey Web site accessed 

February 10, 2016, at http://waterwatch.usgs.gov.
22 Preliminary Flood Data in the Central and Southeastern United States, December 2015 through January 2016

Table 1. Preliminary peak stage and streamflow data at streamgages in the central and southeastern United States for the floods of December 2015 and January 2016.

[mi2, square mile; ft, foot; ft3/s, cubic foot per second; ---, data not available]

Map site 

number 

(figs. 2 

and 8)

Station 

number Station name

Contributing 

drainage area 

(mi2)

Flood data

National 

Weather 

Service 

flood stage 

(ft)

Remarks

Previous maximum streamflow

Beginning 

and ending water 

year1 for period 

of record

Flooding during December 2015 and January 2016

Date of peak 

streamflow

Peak stage 

(ft)

Peak 

streamflow 

(ft3/s)

Rank2/Number 

of annual peak 

streamflows in 

record (unless 

otherwise noted 

in remarks)

Date of peak 

streamflow

Peak stage 

(ft)

Peak 

streamflow 

(ft3/s)

Upper Mississippi River Basin

1 05453520 Iowa River below Coralville Dam near Coralville, Iowa 3,115 06/15/2008 68.09 339,900 1993–2014 5/22 12/23/2015 56.14 310,600 -- Date of peak streamflow 12/22/2015; regulated, 

below U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam.

2 05488110 Des Moines River near Pella, Iowa 12,330 07/12/1993 109.71 3105,000 1993–2014 4/22 1/10/2016 96.37 332,200 -- Regulated, below U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

dam.

3 05530000 Weller Creek at Des Plaines, Illinois 13.2 06/10/1967 15.09 1,590 1951–2014 4/64 12/19/2015 18.51 1,410 --

4 05554500 Vermilion River at Pontiac, Illinois 579 01/09/2008 19.18 413,200 1933–2014 4/72 12/29/2015 17.36 11,100 14

5 05558300 Illinois River at Henry, Illinois 13,544 04/20/2013 530.86 6161,000 1982–2014 5/33 12/31/2015 29.78 107,000 -- Date of peak stage 1/2/2016.

6 05573540 Sangamon River at Route 48 at Decatur, Illinois 938 09/14/2008 24.43 4,621,500 1983–2014 3/32 12/29/2015 23.13 18,400 --

7 05576000 South Fork Sangamon River near Rochester (base), 

Illinois

867 04/14/1994 32.40 720,300 1950–2014 1/65 12/29/2015 36.68 24,400 --

8 05576500 Sangamon River at Riverton, Illinois 2,618 05/19/1943 31.52 68,700 1908–2014 2/101 12/31/2015 30 57,600 23

9 05583000 Sangamon River near Oakford, Illinois 5,093 05/20/1943 25.63 123,000 1910–2014 4/97 1/1/2016 24.84 74,100 18.12

10 05586100 Illinois River at Valley City, Illinois 26,743 05/26/1943 828.61 7123,000 1921–2014 3/93 1/5/2016 25.72 116,000 14 Date of peak stage 1/4/2016.

11 05587000 Macoupin Creek near Kane, Illinois 868 04/12/1994 28.32 40,100 1921–2014 1/87 12/29/2015 28.87 42,700 --

12 05587900 Cahokia Creek Edwardsville, Illinois 212 05/26/2009 23.07 9,280 1969–2014 1/46 12/27/2015 27.17 16,100 --

13 05588000 Indian Creek at Wanda, Illinois 37 08/15/1946 20.41 9,340 1941–2014 5/74 12/27/2015 17.98 5,770 --

14 05590800 Lake Fork at Atwood, Illinois 149 03/05/1979 14.03 4,030 1973–2014 5/42 12/29/2015 15.76 3,660 --

15 05590950 Kaskaskia at Chesterville, Illinois 358 06/07/2008 46.64 10,800 1995–2014 2/20 12/29/2015 46.61 10,100 --

16 05591200 Kaskaskia River at Cooks Mills, Illinois 473 06/07/2008 20.41 14,100 1971–2014 2/44 12/29/2015 19.28 12,400 --

17 05591700 West Okaw River near Lovington, Illinois 112 05/08/1996 16.40 10,300 1980–2014 5/35 12/28/2015 15.45 7,700 --

18 05592050 Robinson Creek near Shelbyville, Illinois 93.1 06/28/1957 16.80 9,1026,400 1957–2014 3/36 12/27/2015 14.92 10,700 --

19 05592100 Kaskaskia River near Cowden, Illinois 1,330 05/12/2002 20.36 625,300 1971–2014 2/44 12/28/2015 19.8 21,700 15

20 05592500 Kaskaskia River at Vandalia, Illinois 1,940 06/29/1957 525.67 62,700 1908–2014 4/104 12/29/2015 27.8 41,900 18 Date of peak stage 12/27/2015

21 05593945 Shoal Creek near Pierron, Illinois 678 05/08/2002 60.85 24,000 1995–2014 1/20 12/29/2015 63.09 40,800 --

22 05594000 Shoal Creek near Breese, Illinois 735 05/19/1943 25.60 1052,000 1910–2014 2/74 12/29/2015 24.82 37,300 --

23 05594100 Kaskaskia River near Venedy Station, Illinois 4,393 05/19/1995 25.79 650,300 1970–2014 1/45 12/30/2015 26.21 61,900 --

24 05594450 Silver Creek near Troy, Illinois 154 04/12/1979 17.52 10,600 1967–2014 1/48 12/27/2015 20.32 14,700 --

25 05594800 Silver Creek near Freeburg, Illinois 464 05/19/1995 25.38 15,300 1971–2014 1/44 12/30/2015 26.00 19,600 --

26 06607500 Little Sioux River near Turin, Iowa 3,526 06/22/1996 26.99 32,000 1940–2014 3/75 1/11/2016 29 31,400 25

27 06817000 Nodaway River at Clarinda, Iowa 762 06/05/2008 26.61 47,900 1903–2014 3/88 12/14/2015 24.83 36,400 23

28 07010000 Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri 697,000 08/01/1993 49.58 71,080,000 1844–2015 12/154 1/1/2016 42.52 833,000 30

29 07010086 Deer Creek at Maplewood, Missouri 37 09/14/2008 21.53 10,300 1996–2015 2/20 12/26/2015 17.51 6,820 --

30 07010350 Meramec River at Cook Station, Missouri 199 02/10/1966 17.74 34,900 1966–2015 4/24 12/28/2015 15.74 18,100 --

31 07014500 Meramec River near Sullivan, Missouri 1,475 08/01/1915 33.50 10,1190,000 1915–2015 5/85 12/29/2015 31.46 66,000 11

32 07016500 Bourbeuse River at Union, Missouri 808 12/05/1982 33.80 73,300 1897, 1915–2015 2/102 12/29/2015 34.31 64,000 15

33 07018100 Big River near Richwoods, Missouri 735 09/23/1993 30.33 59,800 1950–2015 4/66 12/28/2015 28.73 51,400 --
Table 1 23

Map site 

number 

(figs. 2 

and 8)

Station 

number Station name

Contributing 

drainage area 

(mi2)

Flood data

National 

Weather 

Service 

flood stage 

(ft)

Remarks

Previous maximum streamflow

Beginning 

and ending water 

year1 for period 

of record

Flooding during December 2015 and January 2016

Date of peak 

streamflow

Peak stage 

(ft)

Peak 

streamflow 

(ft3/s)

Rank2/Number 

of annual peak 

streamflows in 

record (unless 

otherwise noted 

in remarks)

Date of peak 

streamflow

Peak stage 

(ft)

Peak 

streamflow 

(ft3/s)

Upper Mississippi River Basin—Continued

34 07019000 Meramec River near Eureka, Missouri 3,788 08/22/1915 40.20 10175,000 1904–2015 2/98 12/30/2015 46.06 162,000 18

35 07019120 Fishpot Creek at Valley Park, Missouri 10 04/11/1979 12.00 6,200 1972–2015 2/27 12/31/2015 14.21 5,460 -- Peak stage is backwater impacted

36 07020500 Mississippi River at Chester, Illinois 708,600 04/27/1927 34.40 7,121,060,000 1844, 1926–2015 4/91 1/1/2016 45.99 953,000 27

37 07022000 Mississippi River at Thebes, Illinois 713,200 07/04/1844 -- 6,101,075,000 1844, 1933–2015 2/84 1/2/2016 47.74 1,050,000 33

Missouri River Basin

38 06910750 Moreau River near Jefferson City, Missouri 561 02/22/1985 30.61 33,000 1949–2015 2/56 12/28/2015 33.52 32,700 17

39 06918440 Sac River near Dadeville, Missouri 257 09/25/1993 27.56 36,100 1965–2015 2/51 12/27/2015 25.07 25,900 --

40 06918460 Turnback Creek above Greenfield, Missouri 252 09/25/1993 26.34 42,700 1966–2015 4/50 12/27/2015 23.37 27,100 --

41 06918740 Little Sac River near Morrisville, Missouri 237 08/20/2007 25.54 33,700 1969–2015 3/47 12/27/2015 23.61 28,600 --

42 06919020 Sac River at highway J below Stockton, Missouri 1,292 09/25/1993 23.71 6,1213,300 1974–2015 1/42 12/27/2015 23.86 13,700 --

43 06919500 Cedar Creek near Pleasant View, Missouri 420 07/17/1958 27.35 37,000 1909–2015 4/73 12/28/2015 26.65 32,600 20

44 06919900 Sac River near Caplinger Mills, Missouri 1,810 04/12/1994 30.95 661,500 1975–2015 3/41 12/28/2015 30.83 49,600 16

45 06921070 Pomme de Terre River near Polk, Missouri 276 09/24/1993 27.1 34,300 1969–2015 1/47 12/27/2015 27.81 38,200 --

46 06923500 Bennett Spring at Bennett Springs, Missouri 100 05/26/2009 9.27 13,600 1929–2014 1/51 12/26/2015 10.06 17,800 5 Date of peak stage 12/27/2015

47 06923950 Niangua River at Tunnel Dam near Macks Creek, 

Missouri

598 03/19/2008 17.06 32,600 1996–2015 1/20 12/27/2015 23.45 51,200 --

48 06927000 Maries River at Westphalia, Missouri 257 09/26/1998 24.84 1056,000 1937–2015 3/61 12/27/2015 23.35 43,100 10

49 06928000 Gasconade River near Hazelgreen, Missouri 1,250 01/01/1916 30.6 10,1190,000 1915–2015 5/71 12/28/2015 33.72 82,900 21

50 06930000 Big Piney River near Big Piney, Missouri 560 12/04/1982 24.5 81,200 1922–2015 3/86 12/29/2015 23.18 57,700 8.5

51 06933500 Gasconade River at Jerome, Missouri 2,840 08/07/2013 31.81 138,000 1897–2015 1/98 12/29/2015 31.92 140,000 15

52 06934000 Gasconade River near Rich Fountain, Missouri 3,180 08/08/2013 34.39 135,000 1922–2015 3/76 12/30/2015 34.56 143,000 20

53 06934500 Missouri River at Hermann, Missouri 522,500 07/31/1993 36.97 7750,000 1844–2015 12/88 12/29/2015 34.84 469,000 21

Ohio River Basin

54 03324200 Salamonie River at Portland, Indiana 85.6 07/02/1993 16.21 4,190 1960– 1993 3/34 12/27/2015 14.07 3,400 --

55 03336645 Middle Fork Vermilion River above Oakwood, Illinois 432 03/01/1939 -- 9,10,1129,000 1939, 1956, 

1979–2014

5/38 12/29/2015 15.83 12,100 10

56 03339000 Vermilion River near Danville, Illinois 1,290 03/13/1939 28.59 748,700 1915–2014 5/93 12/29/2015 26.65 37,500 18

57 03343400 Embarras River near Camargo, Illinois 186 04/12/1994 17.33 8,040 1961–2015 4/55 12/29/2015 17.08 6,910 --

58 03345500 Embarras River at Ste. Marie, Illinois 1,516 06/07/2008 28.06 60,400 1908–2014 3/104 12/29/2015 26.85 40,500 19 Date of Peak stage 12/30/2015

59 03378635 Little Wabash River near Effingham, Illinois 240 05/12/2002 24.27 731,500 1967–2014 3/48 12/27/2015 21.06 15,200 16

60 03382100 South Fork Saline River near Carrier Mills, Illinois 147 03/19/2008 18.41 24,300 1966–2014 4/49 12/29/2015 16.04 7,210 --

61 03611500 Ohio River at Metropolis, Illinois 203,000 02/01/1937 -- 6,121,850,000 1913–2013 29/86 12/30/2015 49.46 6,12978,000 -- Date of peak stage 1/4/2016

Table 1. Preliminary peak stage and streamflow data at streamgages in the central and southeastern United States for the floods of December 2015 and January 2016.—Continued

[mi2, square mile; ft, foot; ft3/s, cubic foot per second; ---, data not available]
24 Preliminary Flood Data in the Central and Southeastern United States, December 2015 through January 2016

Map site 

number 

(figs. 2 

and 8)

Station 

number Station name

Contributing 

drainage area 

(mi2)

Flood data

National 

Weather 

Service 

flood stage 

(ft)

Remarks

Previous maximum streamflow

Beginning 

and ending water 

year1 for period 

of record

Flooding during December 2015 and January 2016

Date of peak 

streamflow

Peak stage 

(ft)

Peak 

streamflow 

(ft3/s)

Rank2/Number 

of annual peak 

streamflows in 

record (unless 

otherwise noted 

in remarks)

Date of peak 

streamflow

Peak stage 

(ft)

Peak 

streamflow 

(ft3/s)

Arkansas-White-Red River Basin

62 07048550 West Fork White River east of Fayetteville, Arkansas 123 04/24/2004 26.33 59,900 1938–2014 5/22 12/27/2015 24.61 33,100 --

63 07049000 War Eagle Creek near Hindsville, Arkansas 263 05/10/1943 28.1 1050,000 1943–2014 3/56 12/27/2015 26.73 43,100 --

64 07052000 Wilson Creek at Springfield, Missouri 17.8 07/12/2000 12.7 6,750 1933–2015 4/24 12/26/2015 11.24 4,240 13

65 07052100 Wilson Creek near Springfield, Missouri 31.4 06/13/2008 9.99 6,410 1973–2015 1/27 12/26/2015 10.16 6,710 7

66 07052250 James River near Boaz, Missouri 462 03/19/2008 23.55 741,900 1973–2015 3/22 12/27/2015 22.1 37,100 --

67 07052500 James River at Galena, Missouri 987 03/19/2008 35.96 85,100 1922–2015 2/94 12/28/2015 34.1 78,100 15

68 07053250 Yocum Creek near Oak Grove, Arkansas 52.8 06/06/2014 16.12 12,900 1994–2014 3/21 12/27/2015 14.7 10,300 --

69 07053810 Bull Creek near Walnut Shade, Missouri 191 05/08/2002 14.41 32,200 1995–2015 5/20 12/27/2015 16.49 24,000 9.5

70 07054080 Beaver Creek at Bradleyville, Missouri 298 04/25/2011 19.63 36,400 1995–2015 3/21 12/28/2015 18.64 31,100 --

71 07055607 Crooked Creek at Kelly Crossing at Yellville, Arkansas 398 05/03/1990 25.2 38,500 1985–2015 5/31 12/27/2015 33.63 34,000 -- Date of peak stage 12/28/2015

72 07057500 North Fork River near Tecumseh, Missouri 561 11/19/1985 28.1 133,000 1945–2015 3/71 12/28/2015 24.59 81,100 20

73 07061900 Logan Creek at Ellington, Missouri 139 10/30/2009 13.75 18,400 1994–2015 5/22 12/28/2015 12.56 14,000 --

74 07065495 Jacks Fork at Alley Spring, Missouri 298 11/14/1993 21.97 48,700 1994–2015 4/22 12/28/2015 14.67 25,400 9

75 07074420 Black River at Elgin Ferry, Arkansas 8,420 04/28/2011 5,1333.66 212,000 1982–2014 3/29 12/31/2015 30.46 120,000 --

76 07074850 White River near Augusta, Arkansas 20,500 05/05/2011 40.7 6262,000 1933–2014 3/76 01/01/2016 36.69 175,000 26

77 07178000 Bird Creek near Owasso, Oklahoma 1022 05/11/1993 26.94 729,200 1909–2015 3/38 12/28/2015 24.01 23,100 18

78 07178200 Bird Creek at State Highway 266 near Catoosa, 

Oklahoma

1103 05/11/1993 33.22 727,400 1989–2015 3/27 12/28/2015 29.33 22,600 --

79 07185095 Tar Creek at 22nd Street Bridge at Miami, Oklahoma 44.7 09/25/1993 14.7 712,400 1984–2015 5/21 12/27/2015 13.96 4,790 --

80 07185700 Spring River at La Russell, Missouri 306 11/01/1972 17.58 22,500 1957–2015 1/33 12/27/2015 15.7 27,800 --

81 07185765 Spring River at Carthage, Missouri 425 03/19/2008 18.38 29,000 1967–2015 1/28 12/28/2015 20.33 40,600 10 Date of peak stage 12/27/2015

82 07186000 Spring River near Waco, Missouri 1,164 09/26/1993 34.06 151,000 1923–2015 3/93 12/28/2015 30.82 81,100 19

83 07188000 Spring River near Quapaw, Oklahoma 2510 09/26/1993 46.6 7230,000 1935–2015 3/77 12/29/2015 39.84 151,000 20

84 07189000 Elk River near Tiff City, Missouri 872 04/19/1941 28.4 137,000 1940–2014 2/75 12/27/2015 27.37 107,000 15

85 07194800 Illinois River at Savoy, Arkansas 167 04/25/2011 24.66 86,900 1980–2014 4/21 12/27/2015 19.65 30,200 --

86 07195000 Osage Creek near Elm Springs, Arkansas 130 04/25/2011 18.7 438,000 1950–2014 2/49 12/27/2015 16.84 23,900 --

87 07195855 Flint Creek near West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma 59.8 04/25/2011 13.88 615,900 1985–2014 3/27 12/27/2015 14.05 6,990 --

88 07196000 Flint Creek near Kansas, Oklahoma 110 06/08/1974 19.42 44,400 1956–2015 2/56 12/27/2015 16.04 23,700 11

89 07196500 Illinois River near Tahlequah, Oklahoma 959 05/10/1950 27.94 150,000 1916–2015 2/83 12/28/2015 30.69 120,000 11

90 07197000 Baron Fork at Eldon, Oklahoma 307 04/25/2011 28.51 763,400 1945–2015 5/69 12/27/2015 25.44 48,300 18

91 07247000 Poteau River at Cauthron, Arkansas 203 05/20/1960 23.76 32,200 1935–2014 5/77 12/28/2015 22.83 26,100 --

92 07247250 Black Fork below Big Creek near Page, Oklahoma 74.4 11/21/2011 23.64 36,000 1993–2015 4/23 12/27/2015 23.16 33,500 --

93 07249413 Poteau River near Panama, Oklahoma 1767 05/03/1990 41.59 774,600 1990–2015 2/26 12/30/2015 43.69 52,400 29

94 07250085 Lee Creek at Lee Creek Reservoir near Van Buren, 

Arkansas

432 04/26/2011 27.2 675,900 1993–2015 2/23 12/28/2015 26.99 72,400 401

Table 1. Preliminary peak stage and streamflow data at streamgages in the central and southeastern United States for the floods of December 2015 and January 2016.—Continued

[mi2, square mile; ft, foot; ft3/s, cubic foot per second; ---, data not available]
Table 1 25

Map site 

number 

(figs. 2 

and 8)

Station 

number Station name

Contributing 

drainage area 

(mi2)

Flood data

National 

Weather 

Service 

flood stage 

(ft)

Remarks

Previous maximum streamflow

Beginning 

and ending water 

year1 for period 

of record

Flooding during December 2015 and January 2016

Date of peak 

streamflow

Peak stage 

(ft)

Peak 

streamflow 

(ft3/s)

Rank2/Number 

of annual peak 

streamflows in 

record (unless 

otherwise noted 

in remarks)

Date of peak 

streamflow

Peak stage 

(ft)

Peak 

streamflow 

(ft3/s)

Arkansas-White-Red River Basin—Continued

95 07257500 Illinois Bayou near Scottsville, Arkansas 241 12/03/1982 27.49 130,000 1943–2014 5/67 12/28/2015 23.2 67,300 --

96 07260000 Dutch Creek at Waltreak, Arkansas 81.4 11/22/2011 20.9 26,000 1927–2014 4/70 12/28/2015 20.41 21,200 --

97 07261500 Fourche LaFave River near Gravelly, Arkansas 410 05/31/2013 32.6 195,000 1939–2014 2/76 12/28/2015 31.65 170,000 24

98 07263295 Maumelle River at Williams Junction, Arkansas 46.1 09/03/2008 13.67 12,800 1990–2013 5/24 12/28/2015 10.86 7,240 --

99 07263300 Maumelle River at Maumelle Dam at Natural Steps, 

Arkansas

137 12/25/2009 93.27 65,770 1990–2014 5/24 12/28/2015 92.61 3,880 --

100 07335300 Muddy Boggy Creek near Unger, Oklahoma 2,273 05/06/1990 55.27 776,700 1983–2015 2/33 12/31/2015 51.28 53,200 --

101 07335700 Kiamichi River near Big Cedar, Oklahoma 40.1 05/19/1990 19.6 27,400 1966–2015 2/50 12/27/2015 18.43 22,600 --

102 07336200 Kiamichi River near Antlers, Oklahoma 1,138 05/03/1990 42.65 762,300 1973–2015 2/43 12/28/2015 37.39 57,300 25

103 07337900 Glover River near Glover, Oklahoma 315 12/10/1971 29.72 98,600 1961–2015 4/55 12/27/2015 26.4 71,600 16

104 07342465 South Sulphur River at Commerce, Texas 150 03/19/2008 29.58 15,100 1992–2015 3/24 12/28/2015 28.27 13,500 --

105 07343200 Sulphur River near Talco, Texas 1,405 12/18/2001 30.99 679,800 1957–2015 5/59 12/29/2015 30.26 56,900 --

106 07343500 White Oak Creek near Talco, Texas 494 12/11/1971 21.2 48,000 1950–2015 2/66 12/28/2015 20.39 41,100 16

107 07346050 Little Cypress Creek near Ore City, Texas 383 04/24/1966 20.2 23,500 1963–2015 5/53 12/29/2015 15.62 13,200 13

Lower Mississippi River Basin

108 07032000 Mississippi River at Memphis, Tennessee 932,800 02/08/1937 14 50.4 6,152,020,000 1872– 1994 4/123 01/07/2016 39.59 61,660,000 34 Date of peak stage 1/8/2016.

109 07035800 St. Francis River near Mill Creek, Missouri 505 11/14/1993 33.1 130,000 1987–2015 5/27 12/28/2015 22.24 43,900 16

110 07047950 Languille River at Palestine, Arkansas 786 12/18/2001 1627.48 923,000 1933–2014 3/69 01/11/2016 27.96 15,900 25

111 07076750 White River at Georgetown, Arkansas 22,400 12/08/1982 28.87 6179,000 1913–2014 4/100 01/02/2016 27.97 138,000 21

112 07289000 Mississippi River at Vicksburg, Mississippi 1,140,500 05/17/2011 57.17 6,122,310,000 1858, 1885, 1897– 

98, 1903–2014

5/103 01/15/2016 50.23 61,910,000 -- Date of peak stage 1/16/2016.

113 07381590 Wax Lake outlet at Calumet, Louisiana 17-- 05/27/2011 510.81 323,000 -- 4/73 01/18/2016 8.43 249,000 --

114 07381600 Lower Atchafalaya River at Morgan City, Louisiana -- 05/29/2011 1810.33 512,000 1977–2014 4/38 01/18/2016 8.05 404,000 6

Tennessee River Basin

115 0345577330 West Fork Pigeon River near Retreat, North Carolina 33.5 09/17/2004 14.15 1915,600 1989–2014 5/26 12/29/2015 8.02 5,920 10

116 03456991 Pigeon River near Canton, North Carolina 130 09/17/2004 22.8 1948,000 1984–2014 5/31 12/29/2015 11.56 13,700 10

117 03504000 Nantahala River near Rainbow Springs, North Carolina 51.9 06/16/1949 9.7 6,300 1940–2014 4/75 12/24/2015 8.36 5,010 10

118 03550500 Nottely River near Blairsville, Georgia 74.8 08/23/1967 21.04 12,900 1943–2014 5/65 12/24/2015 14.88 6,840 13

119 03575950 Huntsville Spring Branch at Johnson Road, Huntsville, 

Alabama

41.8 05/06/2003 17.31 414,900 1972–2014 5/26 12/25/2015 15.41 10,900 --

120 03576500 Flint Creek near Falkville, Alabama 86.3 12/23/1991 19.28 9,1030,000 1953–2014 2/32 12/25/2015 17.15 14,300 -- Date of peak streamflow 12/26/2016.

121 03586500 Big Nance Creek at Courtland, Alabama 166 03/16/1973 24.97 26,500 1936–2014 3/68 01/04/2016 24.2 21,900 14

South Atlantic-Gulf Region

122 0210166029 Rocky River at State Route 1300 near Crutchfield 

Crossroads, North Carolina

7.42 09/06/1996 11.91 1,670 1989–2015 1/25 12/30/2015 9.86 1,760 --

123 02132320 Big Shoe Heel Creek near Laurinburg, North Carolina 83.3 09/10/2004 5.52 1,200 1988–2014 5/25 12/25/2015 5.35 690 14

Table 1. Preliminary peak stage and streamflow data at streamgages in the central and southeastern United States for the floods of December 2015 and January 2016.—Continued

[mi2, square mile; ft, foot; ft3/s, cubic foot per second; ---, data not available]
26 Preliminary Flood Data in the Central and Southeastern United States, December 2015 through January 2016

Map site 

number 

(figs. 2 

and 8)

Station 

number Station name

Contributing 

drainage area 

(mi2)

Flood data

National 

Weather 

Service 

flood stage 

(ft)

Remarks

Previous maximum streamflow

Beginning 

and ending water 

year1 for period 

of record

Flooding during December 2015 and January 2016

Date of peak 

streamflow

Peak stage 

(ft)

Peak 

streamflow 

(ft3/s)

Rank2/Number 

of annual peak 

streamflows in 

record (unless 

otherwise noted 

in remarks)

Date of peak 

streamflow

Peak stage 

(ft)

Peak 

streamflow 

(ft3/s)

South Atlantic-Gulf Region—Continued

124 02133624 Lumber River near Maxton, North Carolina 365 03/22/1998 13.52 3,380 1988–2015 2/26 12/27/2015 12.51 3,080 --

125 0214295600 Paw Creek at Wilkinson Boulevard near Charlotte, 

North Carolina

10.8 07/11/2013 12.5 43,625 1995–2014 5/20 12/30/2015 10.92 1,930 12.5

126 02147020 Catawba River below Catawba, South Carolina 3,540 04/11/2003 22.69 654,700 1993–2014 2/22 12/31/2015 21.69 50,500 58

127 02160325 Brushy Creek near Greenville, South Carolina 9.05 07/07/2005 12.05 42,470 1986–2014 4/28 12/24/2015 9.29 1,280 10

128 02160390 Enoree River near Woodruff, South Carolina 249 08/27/1995 29.9 52,200 1994–2014 5/21 12/31/2015 16.1 7,510 18.5

129 02164110 Reedy River above Fork Shoals, South Carolina 110 08/27/1995 21.77 8,200 1994–2014 2/21 12/30/2015 17.48 6,280 20

130 02167450 Little River near Silverstreet, South Carolina 230 04/19/2003 15.73 98,760 1991–2014 1/24 12/31/2015 17.56 11,700 11

131 02167582 Bush River near Prosperity, South Carolina 115 01/15/1995 16.06 5,570 1991–2014 1/24 12/31/2015 17.96 6,860 11

132 02171645 Rediv Canal at Santee River near St. Stephen, South 

Carolina

14,800 11/17/1989 28 6,1231,200 1987–2014 4/28 01/06/2016 29.85 29,400 --

133 02171700 Santee River near Jamestown, South Carolina 10,750 03/09/1987 21.87 6,1289,500 1987–2014 1/27 01/06/2015 22.77 108,000 10 Date of peak stage 1/15/2016.

134 02193340 Kettle Creek near Washington, Georgia 33.9 10/01/1989 17.68 4,150 1987–2014 2/28 12/22/2015 16.76 3,780 14

135 02208450 Alcovy River above Covington, Georgia 185 03/18/1990 14.49 7,620 1973–2014 5/42 12/25/2015 13.34 5,700 12

136 02223056 Oconee River at Avant Mine, near Oconee, Georgia 3,100 03/07/2003 18.57 611,200 1993–2013 2/21 12/19/2015 19.97 11,200 18 Date of peak stage 12/23/2015.

137 02223248 Oconee River near Oconee, Georgia 3,770 03/10/1998 29.9 96,900 1993–2014 2/22 12/26/2015 27.01 68,000 17

138 02336410 Nancy Creek at West Wesley Road, at Atlanta, Georgia 37.7 03/08/1995 2011.96 46,440 1961–2014 5/24 12/24/2015 13.28 3,970 12

139 02338840 Yellowjacket Creek-Hammett Road, below Hogansville, 

Georgia

91 03/11/2010 10.45 4,240 1979–2014 1/21 12/26/2015 13.81 10,900 8 Date of peak stage 12/25/2015.

140 02341800 Upatoi Creek near Columbus, Georgia 342 03/17/1990 32.12 46,300 1969–2014 2/46 12/25/2015 21.65 18,500 --

141 02344350 Flint River near Lovejoy, Georgia 130 07/05/1994 23.6 19,000 1986–2014 3/29 12/25/2015 16.94 8,490 12

142 02350900 Kinchafoonee Creek at Pinewood Road, near Dawson, 

Georgia

527 07/07/1994 26.56 29,500 1943–2014 5/51 12/25/2015 21 11,800 13

143 02358700 Apalachicola River near Blountstown, Florida 17,600 03/13/1998 27.23 6,12266,000 1929–2014 4/58 12/28/2015 25.55 169,000 15 Date of peak stage 12/29/2015.

144 02359170 Apalachicola River near Sumatra, Florida 19,200 03/24/1990 13.82 6179,000 1978–2014 3/37 01/01/2016 13.83 169,000 11

145 02363000 Pea River near Ariton, Alabama 498 03/01/1929 25 9,10,1150,000 1929–2014 1/77 12/25/2015 25.39 50,100 14

146 02364500 Pea River near Samson, Alabama 1,182 03/15/1929 45.3 1058,000 1905–2014 2/61 12/27/2015 42.02 45,800 35

147 02365200 Choctawhatchee River near Pittman, Florida 3,209 01/28/1978 28.56 64,700 1977–2014 3/21 12/29/2015 28.99 59,700 21

148 02374250 Conecuh River at State Highway 41 near Brewton, 

Alabama

2,661 12/20/2009 31.83 72,900 1929–2014 2/43 12/30/2015 30.36 59,400 27

149 02381600 Fausett Creek near Talking Rock, Georgia 9.99 05/27/1973 16.96 3,160 1966–2014 2/49 12/24/2015 17.84 3,110 10

150 02382200 Talking Rock Creek near Hinton, Georgia 119 07/16/2003 15.65 919,000 1964–2014 4/49 12/24/2015 13.36 13,900 10

151 02394820 Euharlee Creek at US 278, at Rockmart, Georgia 42.1 03/04/1979 15 107,000 1961–2014 5/33 12/24/2015 10.75 3,300 9

152 02395120 Two Run Creek near Kingston, Georgia 33.1 07/12/1999 8.65 4,300 1981–2014 1/34 12/24/2015 8.86 4,600 8

153 02398000 Chattooga River at Summerville, Georgia 192 02/16/1990 22.63 30,100 1938–2014 5/76 12/26/2015 20.5 20,700 14

154 02419890 Tallapoosa River near Mont.-Mont. Water Works, 

Alabama

4,646 03/10/1998 34.59 790,800 1961–2014 3/43 12/26/2015 33.65 78,400 25

Table 1. Preliminary peak stage and streamflow data at streamgages in the central and southeastern United States for the floods of December 2015 and January 2016.—Continued

[mi2, square mile; ft, foot; ft3/s, cubic foot per second; ---, data not available]
Table 1 27

Map site 

number 

(figs. 2 

and 8)

Station 

number Station name

Contributing 

drainage area 

(mi2)

Flood data

National 

Weather 

Service 

flood stage 

(ft)

Remarks

Previous maximum streamflow

Beginning 

and ending water 

year1 for period 

of record

Flooding during December 2015 and January 2016

Date of peak 

streamflow

Peak stage 

(ft)

Peak 

streamflow 

(ft3/s)

Rank2/Number 

of annual peak 

streamflows in 

record (unless 

otherwise noted 

in remarks)

Date of peak 

streamflow

Peak stage 

(ft)

Peak 

streamflow 

(ft3/s)

South Atlantic-Gulf Region—Continued

155 02423130 Cahaba River at Trussville, Alabama 19.7 05/07/2003 19 47,350 1989–2014 3/26 12/25/2015 13.1 4,660 --

156 02438000 Buttahatchee River below Hamilton, Alabama 277 03/16/1973 35.49 49,500 1951–2014 2/63 12/25/2015 32.73 40,100 --

157 02439400 Buttahatchee River near Aberdeen, Mississippi 798 03/17/1973 23.48 80,000 1967–2014 2/48 12/27/2015 21.63 48,900 13

158 02449882 Blue Springs Creek near Blountsville, Alabama 13 05/03/1997 11.37 2,470 1993–2014 1/22 12/25/2015 11.77 2,630 --

159 02450180 Mulberry Fork near Arkadelphia, Alabama 487 02/16/1990 42.9 51,700 1977–2014 2/35 12/26/2015 45.43 44,900 --

160 02450250 Sipsey Fork near Grayson, Alabama 92.1 03/16/1973 44.27 20,300 1967–2014 2/48 12/25/2015 41.36 17,100 --

161 02450825 Clear Creek at New Hope Church near Poplar Springs, 

Alabama

101 01/23/1999 17.74 11,500 1946–2014 5/25 12/25/2015 20.77 11,700 -- Date of peak stage 12/26/2015.

162 02453500 Mulberry Fork at Cordova, Alabama 1,916 03/14/1909 41.5 1260,400 1900–2014 3/56 12/27/2015 23.83 50,200 22

163 02454055 Lost Creek above Parrish, Alabama 143 03/28/1994 29.48 10,600 1993–2014 5/22 12/27/2015 25.72 5,820 --

164 02455000 Locust Fork near Cleveland, Alabama 303 12/28/1942 19.2 34,000 1941–2014 2/74 12/26/2015 17.39 27,200 --

165 02455980 Turkey Creek at sewage plant near Pinson, Alabama 27.4 03/11/2000 16.17 410,100 1989–2014 2/26 12/25/2015 15.87 9,900 --

166 02457000 Fivemile Creek at Ketona, Alabama 23.9 05/07/2003 19.14 416,700 1954–2014 3/43 12/25/2015 16.61 7,090 9.5

167 02457595 Fivemile Creek near Republic, Alabama 51.9 05/07/2003 25.41 24,200 1989–2014 5/26 12/25/2015 16.62 10,700 --

168 02458300 Village Creek at 24th Street at Birmingham, Alabama 26 05/07/2003 14.15 45,950 1989–2014 4/26 12/25/2015 13.76 5,680 --

169 02464146 Turkey Creek near Tuscaloosa, Alabama 6.16 12/03/1983 11.98 3,500 1981–2014 2/32 12/25/2015 12.65 3,460 --

Texas-Gulf Region

170 08019500 Big Sandy Creek near Big Sandy, Texas 231 03/31/1945 24.1 24,000 1940–2015 4/76 12/29/2015 22.37 10,900 17

171 08050800 Timber Creek near Collinsville, Texas 38.8 06/18/2007 14.96 21,900 1986–2015 3/30 12/27/2015 13.83 11,100 --

172 08059400 Sister Grove Creek near Blue Ridge, Texas 83.1 05/13/1982 22.5 613,300 1976–2015 3/40 12/28/2015 27.22 3,510 24

173 08063800 Waxahachie Creek near Bardwell, Texas 178 02/09/1965 17.55 62,960 1964–2015 3/52 12/22/2015 24.67 2,040 --

174 08065350 Trinity River near Crockett, Texas 13911 05/10/1990 48.54 6109,000 1942–2015 5/53 01/02/2016 47.17 72,000 41

175 08110430 Big Creek near Freestone, Texas 97.2 10/31/2013 19.88 23,200 1957–2014 4/37 12/28/2015 17.01 9,200 --

Table 1. Preliminary peak stage and streamflow data at streamgages in the central and southeastern United States for the floods of December 2015 and January 2016.—Continued

[mi2, square mile; ft, foot; ft3/s, cubic foot per second; ---, data not available]

1

The U.S. Geological Survey water year begins October 1 of the previous calendar year and ends September 30 of the calendar year. Furthermore, in some cases, the 

peak data for water year 2015 was not updated at time of analysis, so 2014 is listed as the last year. 

2

 Rank of the maximum instantaneous peak streamflow measured during 2011 event compared to all systematic and historic annual peaks. A rank of 1 indicates that the 

2016 peak streamflow was higher than all other recorded annual peaks.

3

 Regulated, below U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam.

4

 All or part of the record is affected by urbanization, mining, agricultural changes, channelization, or other.

5

 Gage height is not maximum for year.

6

 Discharge affected by regulation or diversion.

7

 Streamflow affected to unknown degree by regulation or diversion.

8

 Gage height was measured at a different site and (or) datum.

9

 Streamflow is an estimate.

10 Streamflow is an historic peak.

11 Month or day of occurrence is unknown or not exact.

12 Streamflow is a maximum daily average. 

1

3 Stage is affected by backwater.

14 Source: Mississippi River Commission, 1954, Annual highest and lowest stages of the Mississippi River and its outlets and tributaries to 1953, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 253 p.

15 Source: Mississippi River Commission, 1955, Annual maximum and mean discharges of the Mississippi River and its outlets and tributaries to 1953, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 140 p.

16 Gage height is an estimate.

17 Major river diversions upstream cause these drainage areas to be indeterminate.

18 Stage corresponds to maximum stage for the flood, not the stage when the peak streamflow occurred.

19 Discharge affected by regulation or diversion, discharge due to snowmelt, hurricane, ice-jam or debris dam breakup.

20 Gage datum changed during this year.
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For more information concerning this publication, contact: 

Chief, USGS Office of Surface Water 

415 National Center 

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive 

Reston, VA 20192 

(703) 648-5301

Or visit the Office of Surface Water Web site at: 

http://water.usgs.gov/osw/

Holmes and others—Preliminary Flood Data in the Central and Southeastern United States, December 2015 through January 2016—OFR 2016–1092

ISSN 2331-1258 (online)

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20161092