May 2011 Memphis, Tennessee Flood
Science Center Objects
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the May 2011 flood in Memphis, Tennessee, including deploying emergency real-time surface-water stage gages at critical locations in Shelby County.
The USGS Tennessee Water-Science Center worked in cooperation with FEMA, USACE, National Weather Service, and local agencies to provide emergency real-time surface-water stage gages at critical locations in Shelby County. The emergency gages included a replacement gage on the Mississippi River at Memphis and other critical locations. Information from the gages assisted the National Weather Service and the Emergency Management agencies in flood forecasts as the crest of the Mississippi river flooding approached and passed Memphis, Tennessee.
The USGS Tennessee Water-Science Center sent four additional crews deployed to the FEMA emergency designated areas, Stewart, Lake, Dyer, and Shelby Counties in Tennessee to document high-water levels in the flooded areas. Six transducers were also deployed to monitor the flood rise, peak levels, and recession. The combination of the high-water marks, transducers, and the emergency gaging are being used to develop flood inundation maps for FEMA.
USGS Activities in the News:
Historical Flooding
The USGS provides practical, unbiased information about the Nation's rivers and streams that is crucial in mitigating hazards associated with floods. This site provides information about the USGS activities, data, and services provided during regional high-flow events, such as hurricanes or multi-state flooding events. The USGS response to these events is typically managed by the National...
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Date published: February 26, 2019Status: CompletedTropical Storm Lee
During and after Tropical Storm Lee, the USGS made stream flow measurements, sampled suspended sediment, and repaired gages in Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and other states in the region.
Attribution: Water Resources, Floods and Droughts -
Date published: February 26, 2019Status: CompletedHurricane Irene
Hurricane Irene, peaking as a Category 3 hurricane, battered Carribean Islands and U.S. states all along the eastern seaboard from South Carolina to Maine on August 21-29, 2011.
Attribution: Water Resources, Floods and Droughts -
Date published: February 25, 2019Status: Completed2011 - The Year of the Flood
2011 proved to be another record-breaking flood year in the United States. USGS Water Science Center personnel from North Dakota to Louisiana measured springtime floods on the Red River of the North, the Ohio River, the Mississippi River, and many tributaries. The Missouri River and its tributaries saw record-breaking snow-melt runoff through the summer, followed closely by Hurricane Irene and...
Attribution: Water Resources, Floods and Droughts -
Date published: February 25, 2019Status: CompletedSummer 2011 Missouri River Basin flood
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the 2011 Missouri River Basin Flood resulting from higher-than-average snowmelt runoff combined with heavy spring rains.
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Date published: February 25, 2019Status: CompletedSpring/Summer 2011 Mississippi River Basin Floods
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the Spring/Summer 2011 floods throughout the Mississippi River Basin.
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Date published: February 25, 2019Status: CompletedMay 2011 Louisiana flood
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the May 2011 flood in Louisiana, including additional real-time monitoring for the Morganza and Bonnet Carre Spillways which were opened to release floodwaters into the Mississippi River.
Attribution: Water Resources, Region 4: Mississippi Basin -
Date published: February 25, 2019Status: CompletedMay 2011 New Madrid Floodway
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the May 2011 New Madrid Floodway breaches.
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Date published: February 25, 2019Status: CompletedApril 2011 Arkansas Flood
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the April 2011 Arkansas Flood.
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Date published: February 25, 2019Status: CompletedApril 2011 North Dakota Flood
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the April 2011 North Dakota Flood resulting from sudden winter snowmelt due to warmer-than-expected temperatures and rain.
Ecosystem effects in the Lower Mississippi River Basin
The 2011 Mississippi River flood in the Lower Mississippi River Basin was one of the largest flood events in recorded history, producing the largest or next to largest peak streamflow for the period of record at a number of streamgages on the lower Mississippi River. Ecosystem effects include changes to wetlands, nutrient transport, and land...
Turnipseed, D. Phil; Allen, Yvonne C.; Couvillion, Brady R.; McKee, Karen L.; Vervaeke, William C.
Monitoring of levees, bridges, pipelines, and other critical infrastructure during the 2011 flooding in the Mississippi River Basin: Chapter J in 2011 floods of the central United States
During the 2011 Mississippi River Basin flood, the U.S. Geological Survey evaluated aspects of critical river infrastructure at the request of and in support of local, State, and Federal Agencies. Geotechnical and hydrographic data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey at numerous locations were able to provide needed information about 2011...
Densmore, Brenda K.; Burton, Bethany L.; Dietsch, Benjamin J.; Cannia, James C.; Huizinga, Richard J.
Annual exceedance probabilities and trends for peak streamflows and annual runoff volumes for the Central United States during the 2011 floods
During 2011, excess precipitation resulted in widespread flooding in the Central United States with 33 fatalities and approximately $4.2 billion in damages reported in the Red River of the North, Souris, and Mississippi River Basins. At different times from late February 2011 through September 2011, various rivers in these basins had major...
Driscoll, Daniel G.; Southard, Rodney E.; Koenig, Todd A.; Bender, David A.; Holmes, Robert R.
Assessment of floodplain vulnerability during extreme Mississippi River flood 2011
Regional change in the variability and magnitude of flooding could be a major consequence of future global climate change. Extreme floods have the capacity to rapidly transform landscapes and expose landscape vulnerabilities through highly variable spatial patterns of inundation, erosion, and deposition. We use the historic activation of the Birds...
Goodwell, Allison E.; Zhu, Zhenduo; Dutta, Debsunder; Greenberg, Jonathan A.; Kumar, Praveen; Garcia, Marcelo H.; Rhoads, Bruce L.; Holmes, Robert R.; Parker, Gary; Berretta, David P.; Jacobson, Robert B.
2011 floods of the central United States
The Central United States experienced record-setting flooding during 2011, with floods that extended from headwater streams in the Rocky Mountains, to transboundary rivers in the upper Midwest and Northern Plains, to the deep and wide sand-bedded lower Mississippi River. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), as part of its mission, collected...
Streamflow characterization and summary of water-quality data collection during the Mississippi River flood, April through July 2011
From April through July 2011, the U.S. Geological Survey collected surface-water samples from 69 water-quality stations and 3 flood-control structures in 4 major subbasins of the Mississippi River Basin to characterize the water quality during the 2011 Mississippi River flood. Most stations were sampled at least monthly for field parameters...
Welch, Heather L.; Barnes, Kimberlee K.
Peak streamflows and runoff volumes for the Central United States, February through September, 2011: Chapter C in 2011 floods of the central United States
During 2011, excessive precipitation resulted in widespread flooding in the Central United States with 33 fatalities and approximately $4.2 billion in damages reported in the Souris/Red River of the North (Souris/Red) and Mississippi River Basins. At different times, beginning in late February 2011 and extending through September 2011, various...
Holmes, Robert R.; Wiche, Gregg J.; Koenig, Todd A.; Sando, Steven K.