National Water Conditions

Conditions for the month of September 1997

On September 2 thunderstorms dropped heavy rainfall on southern California and Nevada. Up to 4 inches fell in parts of Riverside County, California, with 0.75 inches falling in 25 minutes. Lancaster, California, experienced street flooding. Pahrump, Nevadan was hit by rains of 2 to 3 inches per hour.

Southern California was again hit by heavy thunderstorms on September 3. Parts of Joshua Tree National Park received 4 to 5 inches of rain. San Bernardino County, California, reported up to 1.5 inches of rain per hour. Flash flooding closed many roads.

Heavy rains in Pima and Gila Counties, Arizona, caused small stream flooding. Up to 4.5 inches of rain fell in over 2 hours on September 8.

Up to 4 inches of rain fell in 2 hours near Squaw Peak, Arizona on September 11. Several roads were washed out. On September 13, up to 4 inches of rain hit Pima and Santa Cruz Counties which caused extensive flash flooding.

Cochise County, Arizona, received up to 4 inches of rain on September 21 causing localized flash flooding.

The remnants of Hurricane Nora hit southeastern California, western Arizona and southern Utah on September 25-26. The storm was fast-moving and so did not drop too much rain at any one spot. Most rainfall totals were 1-3 inches with isolated reports of up to 6 inches. 240 people were evacuated in the Yuma, Arizona area.

Despite monsoonal rainfall in the area, San Diego, California went 164 days from April 4 to September 14 with no measurable precipitation. Los Angeles, California, went 219 days from February 18 to September 24 without precipitation.

Mid-Atlantic Region
Three inches of rain fell in one hour in Ocean and Burlington Counties, New Jersey, on September 1.

On September 10-11, up to 7.2 inches of rain fell in Adams County, Pennsylvania. Many small streams and creeks were overflowing across southern Pennsylvania.

Mid-Continent North Region
The Missouri River near Williston, North Dakota, remained above flood stage during the entire month of September. This station has been above flood stage since May 19.

On September 1, up to 4 inches of rain over parts of North Dakota caused flash flooding and a rise on the James River of up to 3 feet.

Very heavy rains hit parts of Iowa and Nebraska on September 2. Rainfall totals were as high as 8 inches with rates as high as 3 inches in 3 hours. Maple and Papillon Creeks in Nebraska went over flood stage as did the Missouri River from Nebraska City, Nebraska, to St. Joseph, Missouri. The River was already high due to upstream reservoir releases. The Missouri River at Brownville, Nebraska, remained above flood stage until September 15.

Parts of Kansas were hit with heavy rains on September 12-13. Up to 5 inches of rain fell in 3 hours in Finney County on September 12. The Dodge City, Kansas, area had to have some evacuations on September 13 after 6 to 7 inches of rain fell.

On September 22, Gove and Sheridan Counties, Kansas, received as much as 3.7 inches of rain forcing small streams over their banks.

Intermountain West Region
Lubers and McClane, Colorado, were hit by 2 inches of rain in an hour on September 2.

Heavy rains on September 6 caused flash flooding on the Paria River near Tropic and Cannonville, Utah. On September 8, more heavy rains caused the Escalante River in Utah to flow over a bridge and caused a 5 foot wall of water in Red Creek Canyon near Paragonah, Utah.

The Pocatello, Idaho, area was hit with up to 2 inches of rain on September 11 causing flash flooding problems. On September 15, Montpelier, Idaho, had street flooding problems after 0.5 inches of rain fell in 30 minutes.

Atlantic Southeast Region
On September 2, heavy rains hit part of Florida causing minor flash flooding. 3.25 inches of rain in 45 minutes was reported in Sumter County.

On September 5, a stalled cold front dropped between 3 and 5 inches of rain in Broward and Dade Counties, Florida, causing localized flooding.

Thunderstorms moved through northern and western Virginia on September 10 dropping rain at rates of 1-2 inches per hour.

On September 15, Pender County, North Carolina, was hit with heavy rains of over 2 inches per hour flooding highways.

Swain County, North Carolina, received 3 to 5 inches of rain on September 24 which cause some flash flooding and necessitated some evacuations. Small streams and creeks in the Atlanta, Georgia, area rose to overbank stages after 4 to 5 inches of rain on September 24-25.

Very heavy rains from thunderstorms hit the Tampa Bay area of Florida on September 26-27. Pinellas Park, Florida reported a 2-day total of 14.5 inches. Zephyr Creek flooded homes in Sampson Park, Florida.

Eastern Great Lakes Region
On September 9-10, up to 4 inches of rain fell in the Fort Wayne, Indiana, area. The Maumee River at New Haven rose 10 feet in 24 hours to near bankfull stage. Small streams in the area exceeded their banks.

Mid-Continent South Region
Fannin County, Texas, was hit with over 5 inches of rain on September 15. Parts of Oklahoma received almost 5 inches of rain on September 22 causing localized flash flooding. On that same date rainfall at rates of 4 inches in 3 hours and totals up to 10 inches were reported in coastal Texas causing localized flooding.

On September 24, heavy rain caused localized flooding near Lake Charles, Louisiana and in Cameron, Hidalgo, Kennedy, and Willary Counties, Texas. Rainfall fell at rates up to 2 inches per hour and totaled from 3 to 5 inches.

Western Great Lakes Region
On September 16, over 3 inches of rain fell in the Twin cities area of Minnesota causing widespread urban flooding.