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Flood data for 236 streamflow gaging stations and miscellaneous sites are tabulated for floods which occurred during February and March 1990 throughout large parts of Alabama, northwest and west-central Georgia, and northwest Florida. The flooding was the result of two major storms occurring about one month apart. Throughout the affected area, many streams exceeded previously recorded flood heights and discharges. Record floods occurred at 74 sites, and 46 sites had peak discharges that equaled or exceeded the 100-year recurrence interval discharge. Rainfall data, discharge hydrographs, and recurrence intervals are also given in this report. INTRODUCTION Widespread flooding occurred in February and March 1990 throughout large parts of Alabama, northwestern and west-central Georgia, and northwestern Florida as a result of two separate storm systems. The February flood resulted from heavy rainfall on the 15th and 16th over west-central and northeastern Alabama and northwestern and northcentral Georgia. The March flood resulted from nearly continuous rainfall that began in southwestern Alabama and northwestern Florida on the 15th, and extended into central and southeastern Alabama and westcentral Georgia on the 16th. Peak discharges having recurrence intervals in excess of 100 years occurred in areas of northwestern and west-central Georgia, southeastern Alabama, and northwestern Florida. Purpose and Scope The purpose of this report is to describe and document the February 1990 flood in Alabama and Georgia, and the March 1990 flood in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. This report provides information on (1) the amount and distribution of rainfall during the February and March storms, (2) peak stage and discharge for selected gaging stations and miscellaneous sites, (3) recurrence intervals of peak discharges, and (4) hydrographs of the flood discharges for selected gaging stations. Acknowledgments Precipitation data used to prepare this report were provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Weather Service. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance provided by personnel of the National Weather Service who reviewed the precipitation maps and rainfall data presented in this report. The authors also are grateful to personnel of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for providing historical flood information for several sites. Additionally, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided funds for the operation of many gaging stations whose records were used herein. Also, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Alabama Highway Department, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Department of Transportation, and Northwest Florida Water Management District provided funds through joint-funding agreements with the U.S. Geological Survey for the operation of gaging stations. DESCRIPTION OF STORMS The February and March storms were typical cyclonic storms which occur most frequently between November and April in the southeastern United States. A strong high pressure system was over the southeastern United States prior to the February storm, and high pressure developed again over the region prior to the March storm. These high pressure systems weakened and moved eastward, allowing low pressure systems with accompanying cold fronts to approach Alabama, northwestern Florida, and Georgia. Southerly winds in advance of the storms brought warm, moist air in from the Gulf of Mexico. An upper air storm system generated disturbances which traveled along the nearly stationary cold fronts, resulting in waves of heavy, and sometimes intense, rainfall over parts of Alabama, Georgia, and northwestern Florida (fig. 1). February Storm Rainfall Rainfall associated with the February storm began in western Alabama during the afternoon of the 15th, and moved northeastward across northcentral and northeastern Alabama into northwestern and north-central Georgia where it subsided about mid-day on the 16th. Rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches occurred over large areas in Alabama and Georgia (fig. 2 and table 1); and rainfall in some localized areas exceeded 10 inches as evidenced by the more than 11 inches of rain recorded at Summerville in northwestern Georgia. Rainfall totaled 9 inches at Chatsworth in northcentral Georgia and almost 8 inches at Fort Payne in northeastern Alabama. Other localized areas of large rainfall accumulation occurred in the Tuscaloosa and Cullman areas of Alabama, and the McCaysville area of Georgia. March Storm Rainfall The March storm rainfall began in southwestern Alabama on March 15 and proceeded gradually northeastward across southern Alabama and the Florida panhandle into west-central Georgia where it ended during the evening of March 16. Widespread rainfall amounts ranged from 8 to 13 inches over most of southwestern and south-central Alabama with locally higher amounts also recorded. The hourly-recording rainfall stations near Andalusia in southern Alabama and Columbus in west-central Georgia received 17 and 8 inches of rainfall, respectively, during March 15-17 (fig. 3). Cumulative rainfall totals for other selected rainfall stations are given for the period March 15-17 in figure 4 and in table 1. The area affected by heavy rainfall from this storm was greater than that affected by the February storm (fig. 4). About 35 percent of the State of Alabama, and 5 percent of the State of Georgia, had 2-day rainfall totals exceeding 8 in.

Floods of February and March 1990 in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida