DC’s Flood of History:
Recalling the Past Flooding
in Washington, DC
Jason Elliott
Senior Service Hydrologist
DC Flood Summit
September 8, 2016

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned
to repeat it.”
-George Santayana (1905)
This quote has been
re-interpreted in many
ways since…

Image adapted from
DeepLifeQuotes on Flickr.
Used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
license.
National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington
Freshwater
Interior /
Urban
Tidal
Images above are public domain.
--Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington

Did you know?
Flood History in this region dates back to at least
1748!
◦ Per historical accounts, as a young
surveyor, George Washington was
“blocked by flooding of the Potomac,
which had been caused by the sudden
runoff of snowmelt high in the
Appalachians” (Randall, 1998).
National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington
Did you know?
Five of the seven biggest floods in the Potomac region have
decadal anniversaries within a one year period
(Nov 2015 – Oct 2016):

October 1896
March 1936
November 1985
January 1996
September 1996
120 years ago
80 years ago
30 years ago
20 years ago
20 years ago
Also major anniversary this year:
June 2006 (flash flood)
10 years ago
National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington

Our history is of defying mother nature!
Map #1
adapted
from
Mitchell,
1850.
Public
domain
image.
--Map #2 ©
OpenStreetMap
contributors.
Slash
Run
C&O
Canal
Extension
Tiber
Creek
Wash.
City
Canal
James
Creek
Canal
National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington

Our history is of defying mother nature!
Map #1
adapted
from
Mitchell,
1850.
Public
domain
image.
--Map #2 ©
OpenStreetMap
contributors.
Slash
Run
C&O
Canal
Extension
Tiber
Creek
Wash.
City
Canal
James
Creek
Canal
National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington
10/17/1942 Freshwater
3/19/1936 Freshwater
Isabel (2003) Tidal
1933 Hurricane Tidal
Agnes (1972) Freshwater
4/28/1937 Freshwater
Fran (1996) Freshwater
January 1996 Snowmelt
Election Day (1985) Tidal
Fran (1996) Tidal
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington
10.5
11
11.5

“The stream was nearly twice its normal width, and
flowed six feet and more deep through the streets
along the river front…. The loss was enormous.”
Flood of June 1, 1889 on
14th Street in Washington,
DC.
Image and quote from W.F.
Johnson, 1889, a publication
which is in the public domain.
National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington

Most significant flood on the Potomac to that time.
◦ Led to the “Flood Control Act of 1936”
Photos from Library
of Congress and U.S.
Naval History &
Heritage Command.
No known restrictions
on usage.
National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington

Record flood, which still stands today
Photos from NOAA
Library and U.S.
Naval History &
Heritage Command.
No known restrictions
on usage.
National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington

Significant flood on the
Potomac
◦ Flood of record on SB Potomac
and headwaters of Shenandoah
Hains Point, DC – 1985
Photo from Library of Congress
National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington

Flood Frequency Study conducted by NWS Baltimore/
Washington shows major floods are fairly frequent:
◦
◦
◦
◦
Location
Little Falls
Georgetown
SW Waterfront
Interior Flooding
Avg. Frequency
Every 7 years
Every 8 years
Every 6 years
**
Last Major
1996
2010*
2003
2006/2012
* In March 2010, the peak of a moderate freshwater flood coincided with high
tide, leading to exceeding major flood level at Georgetown.
** Interior flooding frequency varies at any given location. Rock Creek
experiences major flooding about once every 14 years, on average. Other spots
may have only seen significant interior flooding once or twice in history.
National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington

According to 2010 census data, 16.8% of persons in
Washington, DC are under the age of 18. These
people have never seen the Potomac in a major
freshwater flood.
◦ The percentage is even higher in the suburbs.
◦ Anyone under the age of 13 was not here for the Isabel tidal
flood either.

Additionally, tens of thousands of adults have moved
into this area during that time.
National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington

Floods are the Mid-Atlantic’s #1 weather killer
◦ Turn Around Don’t Drown®


A major flood on the Potomac is overdue
Know your flood risk
Questions?
Jason Elliott
Senior Service Hydrologist
National Weather Service
Baltimore/Washington
[email protected]
National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington