#RAIN TOTALS FOR TODAY WILLIAMSON COUNTY PROFESSIONAL#

East Cumberland was hardest hit with several homes and businesses flooded. The Tri-Cities of Cumberland, Benham and Lynch were hard hit, although flooding here was not as extensive or severe as in the 1957 flood. Historical Flood Crests for Locations on the Cumberland River in Kentucky 1įlooding on the Cumberland began first in Harlan County on April 4th with widespread damage to infrastructure, homes and businesses. (photo copyright Louisville Courier-Journal)Īs of the time of the creation of this article in 2016, the flood of April 1977 remains the flood of record at several points along the Cumberland River. reduction estimated on the Levisa Fork at Pikeville as a result of flood control operations on upstream reservoirs. Army Corp of Engineers estimated that peak stages on the Russell Fork at Elkhorn City were reduced by 1.2 feet, with a 13 ft. Historical Flood Crests for Locations Russell, Levisa and Tug Forks of the Big Sandy River 1Ĭrests would likely have been much higher compared to the 1957 flood but substantial reductions in peak stages likely occurred as a result of reservoir storage in Fishtrap Lake, North Fork Pound Lake and John W. For example, flood waters reached a depth of 9 feet on Main Street in Martin, KY and countywide there was one death, 117 businesses destroyed or severely damaged and almost 1,000 families suffered loss.Īs of the time of the creation of this article in 2016, the April 1977 flood is the greatest flood on record upstream from Pikeville with crests close to the 1957 flood at Pikeville and further downstream. Downstream, Floyd County was also hard hit. In Kentucky, the city of Pikeville alone was estimated to have received over $71 million dollars worth of damages and lost revenue from the floods. The torrential rains resulted in record damages on the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River with major damage occurring on the Levisa Forks and Russell Forks of the Big Sandy. (photo courtesy of Charleston Daily Mail) (photo copyright United Press International)

#RAIN TOTALS FOR TODAY WILLIAMSON COUNTY PROFESSIONAL#

Rainfall measurements used to create the above map were obtained from a blend of official records and unoffical records, including measurements taken from bucket surveys which were included in the 'Flood of April 1977 in the Appalachian Region of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia' Geological Survey Professional Publication. This axis of heaviest rain, in some cases exceeding 8 inches, extended northeastward over the headwaters of the Cumberland and Big Sandy Rivers. In fact, Middlesboro received over 6 inches of rain in 24 hours between 6 pm April 3rd and 6 pm April 4th. Rainfall rates under the axis of heaviest rain were on the order of 1/4 to 1/2 inch per hour for several hours.

GOES Satellite Infrared Image from 0300 EST April 4, 1977 Daily Weather Maps of the 1977 Appalachian Flood (click image to open pdf) This second round of rain fell heavily and almost continuously. A cold front associated with this low pressure system moved through the central Appalachians producing mainly light rainfall amounts, which acted to saturate the ground for the next and much heavier round of rain which was to arrive during the evening of April 3rd and last into the morning hours of April 5th. The meteorological setup for the flood event featured a low pressure system progressing northeastward across the Great Lakes into southern Quebec by the morning of Sunday April 3, 1977. Pikeville, KY during the 1977 Flood (top) and Today (bottom)

This article will discuss the meteorology behind the disaster and highlight the impacts from the flooding on the Big Sandy and Cumberland Rivers, which were the hardest hit areas in Kentucky. The floods killed 10 people in east Kentucky and 22 people in the four state area affected, with damages estimated at $175 million at the time, or roughly $711 million in 2016 dollars. Fifteen Kentucky counties were declared disaster areas, including Bell, Breathitt, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Lawrence, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Perry, Pike and Whitley. Record floods occurred on the Tug and Levisa Forks of the Big Sandy River, the upper Cumberland River, the Guyandotte River, and the Clinch and Powell Rivers, with severe flooding occurring on the North Fork of the Kentucky River and on the Holston River. Torrential rains fell from April 2-5, 1977 causing devastating flooding across southeast Kentucky and adjacent areas of southern West Virginia, southwest Virginia and parts of Tennessee.

Rain totals for today williamson county