Summary of floods in the United States during 1952

Extensive flooding occurred in the basins of the Missouri and upper Mississippi Rivers and the Red River of the North. Other large floods were confined mainly to the States of Texas, Utah, Nevada, and California. The most intense of the large floods was the September flood in south-central Texas, which resulted from rains ranging from 5 to 26 inches in 48 hours on an area of about 1,000 square miles.

Localized floods, in which some streams rose to the highest level in 40 years or more, were widely scattered.

According to the figures compiled by the Weather Bureau, flood losses in the United States in 1952 were about \$254 million, only a fourth of the losses in 1951. Loss of life, however, was slightly higher in 1952 than in 1951.