PROJECT ALERT NOTICE (MS) Flooding from Tropical Storm Cindy

Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2017 15:38:27 EDT

Summary: Heavy rainfall in across coastal Alabama and Mississippi earlier in the week associated with Tropical Storm Cindy has caused minor to moderate flooding; field crews are continuing to make measurements at USGS stream gaging sites from coastal Mississippi, the Mobile Bay area in Alabama, to the western Florida panhandle.

Heavy rainfall caused moderate to significant flash flooding in portions of south Alabama and Mississippi as well as the western Florida panhandle. USGS precipitation stations have reported 24-hour rainfall totals greater than 5 inches in southwestern Alabama and southeastern Mississippi, and over 11 inches in 48 hours in locally heavy areas. The National Weather Service reported 4 to 8 inches of rainfall across the western Florida panhandle, coastal Alabama, and parts of southeast Mississippi.

Four USGS field crews (ten hydrographers) from the Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center's Montgomery and Jackson Offices are making discharge measurements at gage locations in the near-coastal region of Alabama and Mississippi. Other crews are on standby to monitor the inland track of the storm.

Managers in the Jackson, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa offices are continually re-assessing the conditions and coordinating the flood-related activities accordingly. On Thursday (June 20) LMG-WSC crews
will make discharge measurements at 12 to 15 gaged stations across coastal Mississippi and Alabama.

Plans for Friday (June 23) include continued high-flow measurements at selected gaged sites in both states.

No peaks of record have been recorded. Field crew will continue making high-flow measurements for the remainder of the week and perhaps in to the weekend as the larger rivers, many of which
were already at flood stage, respond to this event.