Glossary ....................................................... vi
Abstract ........................................................ 1
Introduction .................................................... 1
The Role of the U.S. Geological Survey in Flood Response ........ 4
2008 Flooding: Causes, Chronology, and Magnitude ................ 6
Antecedent Conditions for the 2008 Midwest Flooding ............. 6
Chronology and Magnitude of Flooding: January through
September 2008 .................................................. 9
2008 Flooding: Comparison with Historic Floods ................. 24
2008 Flooding: Annual Exceedance Probability ................... 24
Effects of the 2008 Flooding on Annual Exceedance Probability
Estimates ...................................................... 27
Trends in Flood Maxima ......................................... 29
Summary ........................................................ 32
References Cited ............................................... 32
Tables 1-7 ..................................................... 35
Figures
1. Map showing the United States Midwest and general areas
of flooding streams, January to September, 2008 ........... 2
2. Photograph showing U.S. Geological Survey hydrographer
measuring streamflow on the Platte River near Sharps
Station, Missouri (USGS streamgage 06821190), with an
acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) mounted to
a tethered boat to collect velocity and depth readings
that are sent by radio link to a laptop computer inside
the field vehicle ......................................... 5
3. Graph showing changes in the rating curve for the Platte
River near Kearney, Nebraska (USGS streamgage 06770200),
as a result of on-site direct streamflow measurements
made in May 2008 .......................................... 5
4-5. Maps showing:
4. Streamflow conditions at U.S. Geological Survey
streamgages across the United States on November 30,
2007 ...................................................... 7
5. Observed precipitation across the United States for
the previous 24 hours at 7:00 a.m. Central Standard Time
on January 8, 2008 ........................................ 8
6. Graphs showing cumulative precipitation totals from June
1,2007, to July 31, 2008, in relation to historic
average cumulative precipitation for selected sites in
the Midwest ............................................... 9
7-14. Maps showing:
7. Cumulative precipitation totals for January 7-9,2008,
and locations of U.S. Geological Survey streamgages in
Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan with peak streamflows
that had an annual exceedance probability less than 10
percent .................................................. 10
8. Cumulative precipitation totals for February 3-7,2008,
and locations of U.S. Geological Survey streamgages in
Illinois and Indiana with peak streamflows that had an
annual exceedance probability less than 10 percent ....... 11
9. Streamflow conditions at U.S. Geological Survey
streamgages on February 28, 2008 (U.S. Geological
Survey, 2007) ............................................ 12
10. Cumulative precipitation totals for March 16-20,2008,
and locations of U.S. Geological Survey streamgages in
Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Oklahoma
with peak streamflows that had an annual exceedance
probability less than 10 percent ......................... 13
11. Cumulative precipitation totals for A, April 7-11,2008,
and locations of U.S. Geological Survey streamgages in
Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma with peak streamflows
that had an annual exceedance probability less than 10
percent; and B, cumulative precipitation totals for
April 21-25, 2008, and locations of U.S. Geological
Survey streamgages in Iowa with peak streamflows that
had an annual exceedance probability less than 10
percent .................................................. 14
12. Cumulative precipitation totals for May 21 through June
14, 2008, and locations of U.S. Geological Survey
streamgages in several Midwestern States with peak
streamflows that had an annual exceedance probability
less than 10 percent ..................................... 16
13. Annual exceedance probability for the rainfall total
from May 23, 2008, to June 12, 2008 ...................... 18
14. Streamflow for Wabash River at Riverton, Indiana and
White River at Petersburg, Indiana ....................... 19
15-16.Maps showing:
15. Cumulative precipitation totals for A, July 5-8, 2008,
and locations of U.S. Geological Survey streamgages in
Iowa with peak streamflows that had an annual
exceedance probability less than 10 percent; and B,
cumulative precipitation totals for July 17-28,2008,
and locations of U.S. Geological Survey streamgages in
Iowa and Missouri with peak streamflows that had an
annual exceedance probability less than 10 percent ....... 20
16. Cumulative precipitation totals for A, September 1-5,
2008, the path of the remnants of Hurricane Gustav, and
locations of U.S. Geological Survey streamgages in
Arkansas with peak streamflow that had an annual
exceedance probability less than 10 percent; and B,
cumulative precipitation totals for September 11-15,
2008, the path of the remnants of Hurricane Ike, and
locations of U.S. Geological Survey streamgages in
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri,
and Oklahoma with peak streamflows that had an annual
exceedance probability less than 10 percent .............. 22
17. Map and graphs showing annual peak streamflows for the
period of record up to 2008 and the 1-percent annual
exceedance probability at selected U.S.Geological
Survey streamgages in the Midwest ........................ 25
18-20.Graphs showing:
18. Streamflow for selected U.S. Geological Survey
streamgages for the 2008 flood period and previous
major floods, and the 10-percent annual exceedance
probability for each site ................................ 26
19. Effects of annual peak streamflows on moving
50-percent, 2-percent, and 1-percent unweighted annual
exceedance probability flood quantiles through time at
selected U.S. Geological Survey streamgages .............. 28
20. Increase in the 0.2-percent, 1-percent, and 50-percent
unweighted annual exceedence probability flood
quantiles for unregulated streams in the Midwest with
more than 10 years of record when 2008 peak streamflow
data were included in the flood-probability analysis ..... 29
21-22.Maps showing:
21. Percentage changes in the median annual peak streamflow
values for selected U.S. Geological Survey streamgages
on unregulated streams with data from 1958 to 2007 ....... 30
22. Percentage changes in the median annual peak streamflow
values for selected U.S. Geological Survey streamgages
on unregulated streams with data from 1918 to 2007 ....... 31
Tables
1-7. Summary of peak stages, streamflows, and flood-
probability estimates for selected U.S. Geological
Survey streamgages during:
1. January 2008 ............................................. 36
2. February 2008 ............................................ 38
3. March 2008 ............................................... 40
4. April 2008 ............................................... 44
5. May and June 2008 ........................................ 46
6. July 2008 ................................................ 57
September 2008 ............................................... 59
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