Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Washington D.C. Aqueduct Bridge after ice-jam breakup in 1918

By Chesapeake Bay Activities 2025 (approx.)
Photo of aqueduct bridge after ice-jam wiht chart below photo.
Original Thumbnail Medium

Detailed Description

Historic flood records from Washington D.C.  (Top) Photograph of the Aqueduct Bridge after ice-jam breakup in 1918. Flood crest visible from abrasion scars on the bridge piers. The ice jam during March 1784 would likely have overtopped piers. (Bottom) Combined instrumental and historic observations of Potomac floods at Washington. Gray bars with open and closed circles show the maximum flood heights for warm and cold season floods, respectively, at Georgetown (NW DC). Dark gray and black bars show the peak annual and mean high water levels, respectively, at NOAA tidal station 8594900. Light gray bars show the maximum annual rainfall (cm/day), across the Potomac watershed, derived from the NOAA-20th Century Reanalysis. Blue snowflakes show winters when 50% (small) or 75% (large) of Chesapeake was frozen.

Sources/Usage

Public Domain.

The full study is published online with open access: https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL118329.

Related

Nick Giro at Potomac River overlooking Washington, DC

500 Years of Extreme Potomac Floods at Washington D.C.

Large floods on the Potomac River in Washington D.C. can be documented as early as 1784, and based on historical data and recent measurements, have occurred with increasing frequency since the mid-19th century. Human modifications to the Potomac estuary since Washington D.C. was established as the Federal capital, as well as increasingly heavy rainfall and land clearance in the watershed, likely...
By
Chesapeake Bay Activities, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
500 Years of Extreme Potomac Floods at Washington D.C.

500 Years of Extreme Potomac Floods at Washington D.C.

Large floods on the Potomac River in Washington D.C. can be documented as early as 1784, and based on historical data and recent measurements, have occurred with increasing frequency since the mid-19th century. Human modifications to the Potomac estuary since Washington D.C. was established as the Federal capital, as well as increasingly heavy rainfall and land clearance in the watershed, likely...
Learn More

Related

Nick Giro at Potomac River overlooking Washington, DC

500 Years of Extreme Potomac Floods at Washington D.C.

Large floods on the Potomac River in Washington D.C. can be documented as early as 1784, and based on historical data and recent measurements, have occurred with increasing frequency since the mid-19th century. Human modifications to the Potomac estuary since Washington D.C. was established as the Federal capital, as well as increasingly heavy rainfall and land clearance in the watershed, likely...
By
Chesapeake Bay Activities, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
500 Years of Extreme Potomac Floods at Washington D.C.

500 Years of Extreme Potomac Floods at Washington D.C.

Large floods on the Potomac River in Washington D.C. can be documented as early as 1784, and based on historical data and recent measurements, have occurred with increasing frequency since the mid-19th century. Human modifications to the Potomac estuary since Washington D.C. was established as the Federal capital, as well as increasingly heavy rainfall and land clearance in the watershed, likely...
Learn More
Was this page helpful?