This report provides a review of four major weather events of the
spring of 1997:
- An outbreak of tornadoes and flooding on March 1.
- A severe snowstorm in the northeast on March 31-April 1.
- Severe flooding in the northern plains in April.
- A violent tornado outbreak in Texas on May 27.
These four events resulted in an estimated 107 deaths and at least
$2-3 billion in damages.
Note: For a full-color copy of this report by mail, please call 704-271-4800,
or email 'orders@ncdc.noaa.gov'. Cost is $10 + $5 shipping/handling.
On March 1, 1997, a severe weather situation with tornadoes and very
heavy rainfall erupted along a nearly stationary front from Texas to
West Virginia. At mid-afternoon on Saturday, an outbreak of strong to
violent tornadoes in Arkansas, northern Mississippi, and western
Tennessee resulted in 29 deaths, including 26 in Arkansas. Several of
the tornadoes have been estimated as Fujita scale F4 intensity, with
winds in the 207-260 mph range. This was the deadliest U.S. outbreak
since March 27, 1994, when 42 people were killed in Alabama, Georgia,
and South Carolina. Fortunately in this outbreak, the National
Weather Service issued tornado warnings from 10 to 32 minutes before
the tornadoes struck, using NEXRAD radar to provide much more lead
time than previously possible.
This event also produced unusually heavy rainfall from northeast
Arkansas through western Tennessee and southeast Missouri, and into
much of Kentucky, southern Indiana and Ohio, and West Virginia. In
many areas, the rains fell on nearly saturated ground left by the
snows and rainfall of the past few months. In parts of northern
Kentucky, rainfall rates averaged at least one inch per hour for a
12-hour period on March 1.
Following is a state-by-state account of the impact:
Arkansas--26 people killed by tornadoes; 18 counties declared federal
disaster areas; approximately 1200 homes damaged or destroyed.
Arkadelphia was hardest hit with sections completely destroyed.
Following is the preliminary tornado track information for the most
deadly of the F4 tornadoes:
Tornado path began in the southwest part of Clark County with major
damage and loss of life in Arkadelphia. Damage path width of .25 to
.60 miles in this area with some F4 damage. Tornado continued through
Hot Spring County and much of Saline County, and reached F4 intensity
across a .80 mile damage path as it moved through the Shannon Hills
area and finally into Pulaski County. Total path length was 80 miles.
16 people were killed by this storm.
Texas--Two killed by severe thunderstorms and high winds.
Mississippi--Two deaths as a result of tornadoes. The Mississippi
River exceeded flood stage at several points, including Vicksburg, due
to incoming water from the Ohio River.
Tennessee--Six people killed by tornadoes and flooding; 12 counties
declared federal disaster areas; about 900 homes damaged or destroyed.
Kentucky--21 people killed by flooding; 101 counties declared federal
disaster areas; over 75,000 homes damaged or destroyed, and $250-500
million in damage. The Ohio River crested on March 7 in Louisville at
about 16 feet above flood stage. The town of Falmouth (population
2700) was almost totally destroyed, with water over 8 feet deep in
town. The 24-hour rainfall amount of 10.48 inches in Louisville
erased the previous state record of 10.40 set in Dunmor on June 28,
1960. Louisville's storm total of 13.04 was also the greatest of any
of the reporting stations with data available thus far.
Ohio--Five people killed by flooding; 17 counties declared federal
disaster areas; over 5500 homes damaged or destroyed, and over $200
million in damage.
Indiana--One death due to flooding; 13 counties declared federal
disaster areas.
Missouri--One death due to flooding.
West Virginia--Three people killed in flooding; 16 counties declared
federal disaster areas; over 4000 homes damaged or destroyed.
The above damage estimates are preliminary and subject to revision,
and several states have yet to provide final estimates. A total of 67
deaths have been attributed to this event, with damages estimated at
approximately $1 billion overall. The last significant flooding along
the Ohio River occurred in 1964, resulting in 11 deaths and about $50
million damage. Since that time, a great deal of development and
increased population on the region's flood plains have increased the
vulnerability for some of the people in the area. Prior to 1964, the
"great flood of 1937" was even more severe, with some towns erecting
flood walls shortly thereafter. These flood walls (including one
protecting Louisville) prevented this year's flooding from taking an
even greater toll.
Total Precipitation (inches, amounts of 3.00 or more), February 28 -
March 3, 1997, as reported in National Weather Service bulletins:
Lat. Lon.
St Station dg mn dg mn Precip.
AL Alabaster 33 15 86 49 3.49
AL Gadsden 33 58 86 5 4.72
AL Muscle Shoals 34 45 87 37 3.55
AR Jonesboro 35 50 90 39 3.12
GA Gainesville 34 18 83 51 3.15
GA Peachtree City 33 22 84 34 3.24
GA Rome 34 21 85 10 3.02
IL Brookport 37 8 88 38 5.27
IL Metropolis 37 9 88 43 7.25
IL Shawneetown 37 43 88 10 4.87
IN Boonville 38 3 87 16 3.68
IN Evansville 38 3 87 32 3.40
IN New Albany 38 18 85 50 9.07
KY Barkley Lake 37 1 88 13 7.96
KY Bowling Green 36 58 86 25 8.28
KY Cadiz 36 52 87 49 7.41
KY Cannelton Lock 37 53 86 46 10.40
KY Cobb 36 59 87 46 6.03
KY Dawson Springs 37 10 87 41 6.65
KY Dixon 37 31 87 41 6.75
KY Elk Creek 38 6 85 22 8.86
KY Elkton 36 49 87 9 7.40
KY Fort Campbell 36 39 87 28 8.61
KY Fort Knox 37 53 85 58 9.90
KY Frankfort 38 11 84 52 9.28
KY Fredonia 37 13 88 4 9.53
KY Fulton 36 31 88 53 3.37
KY Grayson 2E 38 20 82 54 5.94
KY Grayson 3SW 38 18 82 58 6.56
KY Hickman 36 34 89 11 3.65
KY Jackson 37 36 83 19 3.97
KY Kentucky Lake 37 1 88 16 6.35
KY Lexington 38 2 84 36 8.26
KY Louisville 38 11 85 44 13.04
KY Madisonville 37 20 87 30 6.20
KY Marion 37 20 88 5 8.17
KY Paducah 37 4 88 46 6.76
KY Paradise 37 16 86 59 8.39
KY Princeton 37 6 87 53 9.35
KY Prospect 38 21 85 37 9.53
KY Providence 37 24 87 45 9.23
KY Rough River Lake 37 37 86 30 9.70
KY Sebree 37 36 87 32 7.54
KY Shepherdsville 37 59 85 43 10.53
KY Smithland 37 8 88 24 4.36
MO Cape Girardeau 37 14 89 34 3.54
MO Charleston 36 55 89 20 5.66
MO New Madrid 36 35 89 33 4.53
MO Sikeston 36 53 89 35 6.10
MS Greenwood 33 30 90 5 3.24
MS Natchez 31 37 91 18 3.92
MS Tupelo 34 16 88 46 5.51
OH Beverly 39 33 81 38 3.77
OH Carpenter 39 8 82 12 6.58
OH Jackson 39 3 82 38 6.67
OH Marietta 39 25 81 27 4.84
OH McArthur 39 15 82 29 5.55
OH McConnelsville 39 39 81 51 6.83
OH Nelsonville 39 28 82 14 4.48
OH Patriot 38 44 82 20 8.20
OH Salem Center 39 3 82 16 6.21
OH South Point 38 25 82 34 6.44
TN Bradford 36 4 88 49 6.31
TN Cades Cove 35 34 83 51 3.51
TN Camden 36 4 88 6 6.05
TN Crossville 35 57 85 5 4.04
TN Dyersburg 36 0 89 24 7.51
TN Humboldt 35 49 88 54 5.25
TN Huntington 36 1 88 25 3.57
TN Jackson 35 36 88 55 5.30
TN Medon 35 28 88 52 6.79
TN Memphis 35 3 90 0 5.50
TN Morristown 36 10 83 24 3.71
TN Mt. Leconte 35 39 83 26 4.92
TN Nashville 36 8 86 41 4.51
TN Newfound Gap 35 34 83 25 5.80
TN Rutherford 36 8 89 0 10.52
TN Sugarland Center 35 41 83 32 3.13
WV Alexander 38 47 80 13 4.15
WV Buffalo 38 37 81 59 6.83
WV Cairo 39 12 81 9 4.32
WV Charleston 38 21 81 38 4.89
WV Clarksburg 39 18 80 14 3.41
WV Creston 38 57 81 17 5.12
WV Cross Lanes 38 26 81 46 5.92
WV Elkins 38 53 79 51 3.47
WV Fellowsville 39 20 79 50 3.33
WV Glady 38 48 79 43 3.48
WV Hamlin 38 17 82 6 5.56
WV Huntington 38 22 82 33 5.19
WV Mannington 39 32 80 20 4.00
WV Parkersburg 39 21 81 26 4.49
WV Philippi 39 9 80 3 3.98
WV Rock Cave 38 50 80 20 4.18
WV Sandyville 38 54 81 40 4.77
WV Spencer 38 48 81 21 6.23
WV Terra Alta 39 27 79 33 3.08
WV Valley Head 38 33 80 2 3.07
WV Webster Springs 38 32 80 25 4.70
WV West Union 39 18 80 47 3.79
WV Weston 39 2 80 28 4.38
Note: Data for numerous additional stations are available from the
National Climatic Data Center (contact information shown at end of
report).
Description of Figures (times are UTC, subtract 5 hours for Eastern
Standard Time, 6 hours for Central Standard Time):
Figure 1: GOES (geostationary) colorized infrared image at 0915 UTC
on March 1, 1997, showing thunderstorm development from northern
Mississippi northeastward through the Ohio Valley. The coldest
(strongest) thunderstorm tops appear dark red.
Figure 2: GOES visible image at 1515 UTC on March 1, 1997, showing
thunderstorm development expanding southwestward into Arkansas.
Figure 3: GOES visible image at 2045 UTC on March 1, 1997, showing
tornadic thunderstorms over Arkansas (arrow shows tornadic cell near
Arkadelphia).
Figure 4: Rainfall analysis (contour) for February 28 - March 3,
1997.
Figure 5: POES (polar orbiting) AVHRR enhanced image showing Ohio
River flooding on March 10, 1997.
On March 31 - April 1, the northeast was hit by a major
snowstorm/nor'easter that produced 1 to 3-foot snowfall totals over a
large area of southern New England into southeastern New York. Boston
recorded its third-heaviest snowfall on record with 25 inches. This
amount roughly equaled what had fallen thus far during the 1996-1997
winter season in Boston (as contrasted with over 100 inches for the
1995-1996 winter season).
Several hundred thousand customers were without electricity during and
after the storm due to the heavy/wet nature of the snow. This
included approximately 250,000 customers in Massachusetts, over
100,000 in New York, and about 85,000 in Connecticut. Damage to trees
in the area was extensive. High winds were also a problem with gusts
in the 50 to 70 mile per hour range common along the coast. In Boston
Harbor, the tip of one of the masts of the USS Constitution ("Old
Ironsides") was sheared off by the winds. Blue Hill Observatory
reported a wind gust of 72 mph.
Several locations which reported their water equivalent for the
precipitation included (values shown in inches): MA--Fairhaven
(3.53), Hull (5.32); RI--Providence (3.06), Tiverton (3.08), N. Foster
(3.58).
Snowfall (amounts of at least 20 inches), March 30-April 1, 1997,
as reported in National Weather Service bulletins:
Lat. Lon. Snowfall
St Station dg mn dg mn (inches)
NY East Jewett 42 14 74 8 37
MA Milford 42 10 71 31 36
NY Platte Clove 42 10 74 9 35
MA Worcester 42 16 71 52 33
RI Burrillville 41 53 71 23 31
MA Shrewsbury 42 18 71 43 30
MA Blue Hill Obs 42 13 71 7 30
MA East Woburn 42 29 71 6 30
MA Marlborough 42 21 71 33 30
MA Northbridge 42 7 71 41 30
NY Windham 42 18 74 12 30
MA Acton 42 29 71 26 29
MA Grafton 42 12 71 41 29
NY Prattsville 42 19 74 26 29
NY Broome 42 28 74 21 28
NY Gilboa 42 24 74 27 28
MA Newton 42 20 71 12 27
MA North Woburn 42 32 71 9 27
MA Randolph 42 11 71 3 27
MA West Townsend 42 41 71 44 27
MA Hingham 42 14 70 55 26
MA Littleton 42 32 71 28 26
NH Wilton 42 51 71 44 26
NY Berne 42 35 74 11 26
MA North Cambridge 42 24 71 8 26
MA Boston-Logan Arpt 42 22 71 2 25
MA Wakefield 42 30 71 4 25
NY Westerlo 42 31 74 3 25
MA Maynard 42 26 71 27 25
RI North Foster 41 51 71 44 25
MA Manchester 42 35 70 46 25
MA Hull 42 18 70 53 24
MA West Boylston 42 22 71 47 24
MA Worthington 42 25 72 56 24
NJ West Milford 41 6 74 24 24
NY Stamford 42 24 74 38 24
PA Christiana 39 57 76 0 24
RI Cumberland 41 54 71 23 24
RI West Cranston 41 46 71 31 24
VT Stratton Mtn. Ski Area 43 6 72 52 24
MA Winthrop 42 23 70 58 24
MA Taunton-NWSFO 41 57 71 8 23
MA Dalton 42 28 73 10 23
NY Slide Mountain 42 1 74 25 23
VT West Wardsboro 43 2 72 51 23
MA Norton 41 58 71 11 23
MA Milton 42 15 71 5 23
MA Walpole 42 10 71 15 23
MA Attleboro 41 56 71 18 22
NJ Wantage 41 15 74 33 22
RI Woonsocket 41 59 71 30 22
NY Claryville 41 55 74 34 22
MA Swampscott 42 28 70 54 21
CT Norfolk 41 58 73 13 21
CT Putnam 41 55 71 55 21
MA Lynnfield 42 32 71 2 21
MA Monterey 42 11 73 13 21
MA Mansfield 42 1 71 13 20
MA Lenox 42 21 73 17 20
MA Marshfield 42 5 70 42 20
MA Tyngsboro 42 41 71 26 20
MA West Framingham 42 17 71 28 20
MA Woburn 42 29 71 9 20
NH Francestown 42 59 71 49 20
NY Stormville 41 32 73 44 20
VT Bromley Mtn. Ski Area 43 12 72 55 20
NH Weare 43 5 71 44 20
RI Providence 41 49 71 25 20
Note: Data for numerous additional stations are available from the
National Climatic Data Center (contact information shown at end of
report).
Description of Figures (times are UTC, subtract 5 hours for Eastern
Standard Time, 6 hours for Central Standard Time):
Figure 6: GOES visible image at 2045 UTC on March 31, 1997, showing
well-developed nor'easter.
Figure 7: GOES visible image at 1302 UTC on April 2, 1997, showing
the snow cover left by the storm (note the Finger Lakes in central NY
state).
Figure 8: Snowfall analysis (contour) for March 31 - April 1, 1997.
A long winter of numerous heavy snowstorms and the ensuing spring
snowmelt accounted for this disaster. Also, an early April blizzard
which dumped up to 3 feet of snow in parts of the northern plains made
river level forecasting even more difficult, as the water content and
rate of melting of this new snow added another variable to the
equation. Several records set by the Red River included:
Wahpeton--19.2 feet
Fargo--39.6 feet
Grand Forks--54.0 feet
Pembina--54.9 feet
The Red River broke a 100 year flood crest record of 39.1 feet at
Fargo, ND on Thursday, April 17th, 1997, when the river crested at
39.6 feet (22.6 feet above flood stage). Federal disaster aid was
made available for people and communities in the Dakotas and portions
of Minnesota. The declaration covered damage resulting from flooding,
severe winter storms, high winds, heavy spring rain, rapid snow melt,
and ice jams.
North Dakota reported seven deaths, while Minnesota reported four
deaths due to the flooding. Approximately 90 percent of Grand Forks
was under water at one point as the Red River crested at 26 feet above
flood stage and remained near that level for several days.
Approximately 60,000 residents were forced to evacuate Grand Forks and
East Grand Forks. In the Grand Forks area alone, overall damages and
cleanup costs were estimated in the $1-2 billion range.
The Minnesota River also caused a great deal of damage, although less
extensive than the Red River. Finally, North Dakota's Devils Lake
expanded to more than twice its normal size, which caused local
flooding in the area.
This was the third major flood event of the past five months in the
U.S. The first two were the California and northwest flooding of late
December - early January, followed by the Ohio Valley flooding in
early March. Damages for these events (combined) probably exceeded $4
billion.
Description of Figure (times are UTC, subtract 5 hours for Eastern
Standard Time, 6 hours for Central Standard Time):
Figure 9: POES AVHRR visible image at 1947 UTC on April 12, 1997,
showing the extensive snow cover and swollen rivers in the area.
On May 27, 1997, unstable conditions developed aloft as an upper level
system moved over Texas from the west. At the surface, a cool front
moving south was intersected by an outflow boundary from a
thunderstorm moving southwest in central Texas. Conditions in this
part of Texas were warm and humid with a southerly flow and dew points
in the mid to upper 70's. Violent thunderstorms then erupted over
central and south central Texas during the afternoon, producing at
least six tornadoes which decimated parts of four counties from Waco
to Austin.
One tornado destroyed an entire subdivision in Jarrell, Texas, in
Williamson County where at least 27 people died and dozens more were
hurt. Also, two people were killed in Austin (one by flash flooding),
bringing the overall death toll to 29. A tornado warning for
Williamson County was issued by the National Weather Service 35
minutes before the tornado struck Jarrell. Damages were estimated to
be in the $50-$100 million range. Other locations that received very
high thunderstorm-produced winds included Austin with a 71 mph gust
and Kelly AFB with a 122 mph gust.
The Jarrell tornado was probably a Fujita scale F5 tornado according
to National Weather Service officials who surveyed the area. Less
than one percent of all tornadoes are rated that severe. Last year's
only F5 hit Oakfield, WI on July 18. As of May 28, 1997, 67
tornado-related deaths had been reported nationwide versus 24 for all
of 1996. All 67 of these deaths have occurred in tornado watch areas
(i.e., watch active at the time).
Historical tornadoes in Texas that were even more deadly include:
Saragosa - May 1987 - 30 killed.
Wichita Falls - April 1979 - 42 killed.
Waco - May 1953 - 114 killed.
Description of Figures (times are UTC, subtract 5 hours for Eastern
Standard Time, 6 hours for Central Standard Time):
Figure 10: GOES colorized infrared image at 2045 UTC on May 27, 1997,
showing explosive thunderstorm development over parts of Texas. The
coldest (strongest) thunderstorm tops appear dark red.
Figure 11: GOES visible image at 2045 UTC on May 27, 1997, showing
close-up of thunderstorm development over Texas.
Figure 12: GOES colorized infrared image at 2345 UTC on May 27, 1997,
showing continued expansion of thunderstorms over Texas.
Figure 13: NEXRAD base reflectivity image of the Jarrell, TX tornado
event taken from level II data from the Austin, TX WSR-88D radar site.
Figure 14: NEXRAD base velocity image at 2043Z on May 28, 1997. The
color green has been assigned to the winds moving toward the radar
site and red for winds moving away from the radar site. The more
intense the colors, the greater the wind velocity. Cyclonic rotation
occurs when the maximum inbound wind is to the left (as seen from the
radar) and the maximum outbound wind is to the right. Note the
intense gate-to-gate (side-by-side) azimuthal shear indicated by the
arrow. These images were obtained using NEXRAD level II data from the
Austin, TX WSR-88D radar site.
Additional satellite images, movie loops, and NEXRAD images are
available on NCDC's WWW pages for these events--accessible at
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/satellite-data. Additional data
(surface observations, precipitation amounts, upper air data,
satellite images, and NEXRAD data) are available from NCDC as follows:
Phone: 704-271-4800
Fax: 704-271-4876
Email: ncdc.orders@noaa.gov
The authors of this report are:
Bob Boreman, NCDC
Axel Graumann, NCDC
Neal Lott, NCDC
Doug Ross, NCDC
Tom Ross, NCDC
Matthew Sittel, Orkand Corporation
Optional Formats:
Image Files (GIF):
Top of Page