July–August 2022 United States floods
The July-August 2022 floods in the United States were marked by significant and widespread flooding events across multiple states, primarily attributed to unusual weather patterns and likely influenced by climate change. Beginning on July 24, these floods persisted throughout August, affecting areas such as Kentucky, Missouri, West Virginia, and parts of California and Nevada. Notably, Eastern Kentucky experienced catastrophic flooding on July 28, resulting in 40 fatalities and considerable destruction to homes and infrastructure. Similarly, St. Louis, Missouri, encountered its highest recorded rainfall in over a century, leading to extensive rescues and damages.
Throughout this period, the National Weather Service identified four unprecedented “one-thousand-year” rain events, including severe rain in Southern Illinois and Death Valley National Park, which resulted in significant flooding and evacuations within the park. In total, the flooding disrupted thousands of lives, leaving many without power or water and causing extensive property damage. The federal government declared major disasters in affected areas, facilitating recovery efforts. These events underscored the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather phenomena linked to climate change, raising concerns about future resilience and preparedness in vulnerable regions.
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July-August 2022 United States Floods
The July-August 2022 United States Floods refers to several extreme flooding events that began on July 24 and lasted throughout August, most likely because of global warming and climate change. Heavier than normal precipitation occurred in many regions throughout the United States including parts of Kentucky, Missouri, West Virginia, Nevada, New York, and Maryland. The high precipitation broke records. In August, heavy rainfall in southern Illinois; Death Valley National Park in Nevada and California; and Dallas, Texas, were deemed one-thousand-year events by the National Weather Service (NWS). The St. Louis, Missouri, area had its sixth wettest summer in nearly fifty years.
Background
Both July and August of 2022 saw unprecedented flooding across the United States, with major events in Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, New York, Colorado, Utah, California, and Nevada. In eleven days, the United States experienced four one-thousand-year rain events: St. Louis, Missouri, on July 25 and 26; Eastern Kentucky on July 28; Southern Illinois on August 2; and Death Valley, California, on August 5. A one-thousand-year event has only a 0.1 percent chance of occurring during any given year. Climate change is increasing the amount of rainfall as well as the intensity and frequency of flooding, with experts fearing that it will worsen in the future.
Overview
Missouri and Kentucky. On July 26, several locations in and around St. Louis, Missouri, received historic rainfall due to a stalled weather system combined with tropical moisture. Lambert International Airport reported 8.64 inches of rain, making it the highest single day of rainfall measurement in the St. Louis area since record-keeping began in 1874. St. Peters, Missouri, reported 12.34 inches of rain. The Dardenne Creek in Missouri, a tributary of the Mississippi River, rose about 21 feet in seven hours, causing major flooding throughout the area. Two people were killed and more than one hundred were rescued.
The same system that caused flooding in Missouri also impacted parts of eastern Kentucky on July 28. Heavy rain accumulated rapidly, trapping many residents in their homes because roads and bridges were washing out. More than four hundred people were rescued either by helicopter or boat. Shelters were opened for displaced residents. The governor of Kentucky described it as one of the most devastating flooding events in the state’s history. At least thirty-seven people died.
Before the rain stopped, the area had received 4 to 8 inches of rainfall across eastern Kentucky, with the Kentucky River cresting at an all-time high in Whitesburg and Jackson. By August 2, about 5,600 homes and businesses were still without electricity and more than 18,000 were still without water.
A total of 437 daily high precipitation records were broken or tied across the Midwest in July. Kentucky experienced its second wettest July since 1895, and several cities in Kentucky reported their wettest July on record. Kentucky’s Buckhorn Lake measured 17.51 inches of rainfall for the month, breaking the previous record by more than 6 inches. Hazard, Kentucky, received 10.91 inches of rain from July 26 to 28, which set a new three-day rainfall record. President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Kentucky and ordered federal aid for the state to help repair damaged caused by heavy rain, storms, floods, landslides, and mudslides. Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Johnson, Knott, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Owsley, Perry, Pike, and Wolfe counties were eligible for the assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts.
Maryland, West Virginia, and New York City. On July 2, up to 6 inches of rain fell across portions of Maryland, particularly the central part of the state, and led to flash flooding. In Baltimore, Gwynns Fall, a nearly 25-mile-long stream, 7.7 feet in 30 minutes and flooded the area. The flooding caused road closures, left many vehicles stranded, and necessitated several water rescues. Some homes were flooded, displacing or trapping residents.
More flash flooding affected Maryland as well as West Virginia and the metro area of New York City from July 16 to 18. Floodwaters made roads impassable, stranding vehicles and necessitating water rescues. Westchester County, New York, received more than 4 inches of rain, causing the Bronx River Parkway to have 3 feet of water under an overpass, which was subsequently closed. Just days earlier, a severe weather outbreak had caused localized flash flooding in southern West Virginia. This flooding damaged more than one hundred homes and businesses as well as multiple roads and bridges. West Virginia was hit with more flooding from July 25 to 29. Heavy rain in the southern part of the state caused flash floods that inundated homes, washed out roads, caused mudslides, and led to rescues. Rain totals ranged from 4 to 9 inches, and rainfall rates were more than 2 inches per hour in some locations. Parts of Maryland and West Virginia experienced more flash flooding on August 10 and 11, with some areas receiving 3 to 6 inches of rain. Flash floods entered homes and businesses and washed out and damaged roads. In Maryland, several water rescues were performed, including in Prince George County, where the Northeast Anacostia River rose more than 7.5 feet in one hour. Extreme rainfall hit West Virginia again on August 15. Charleston recorded 3.54 inches of rain, making it the city’s second wettest August calendar day on record and the sixth all-time wettest day. Floodwaters inundated roads and buildings, uprooted trees, and moved and overturned cars. More than one hundred buildings were damaged, along with roads and bridges in two counties. More than twenty water rescues took place. Water, power, and other utilities were cut off for multiple days in some locations.
California. On August 5, Death Valley National Park received 1.7 inches of rain, breaking its previous twenty-four-hour rainfall record of 1.47 inches in April 1988. This resulted in substantial flooding that significantly damaged the area. The flooding trapped nearly five hundred park visitors and five hundred staff members.
Flood waters damaged sixty vehicles, burying them in debris at the Inn at Death Valley. The flood waters also pushed dumpsters into parked cars, making them collide. Hotel rooms and business were flooded. The park’s 1,400 miles of paved roads were damaged by debris, shoulder road loss, undercutting and pavement loss. The Cow Creek Water System, which provides water to the park and to park residents and offices, failed during the storm when flooding caused a major break in a line.
The park received $11.7 million in emergency relief funding to repair flood damage from the US Department of Transportation. Flooding also affected Joshua Tree National Park on August 8. Meanwhile, Mojave National Preserve had to close all its paved roads for nearly two weeks due to flood damage in late July. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), flooding in monsoon season in this region is not unprecedented but rare.
Illinois. Within twelve hours, on August 2 parts of southern Illinois received 8 to 12 inches of rain while Newton, Illinois, received 14 inches. Flash flooding along with river flooding affected nearby farms. On August 7 and 8, flooding affected northern Illinois after two rounds of heavy rainfall in multiple counties. Rainfall totals fell between 4 and 8 inches for much of the region, with some areas experiencing more. Freeport, Illinois, received 11.25 inches of rainfall over two days.
Las Vegas Valley. Las Vegas experienced flooding on July 29 due to thunderstorms. Portions of the Las Vegas Strip were submerged by floodwaters, which poured into casinos, stranding some tourists. At least seven people were rescued from swift water, and at the Harry Reid International Airport, 0.32 inches of rain was recorded in less than two hours. Generally, the airport receives about one-third of this amount of rain throughout the entire month of July. While this was less rainfall that some areas of the country received, flash flooding caused significant damage.
Other Notable Flooding Events. Moab, Utah, received 1-1.5 inches of rain in 20 minutes on August 20 that caused dangerous flash flooding in the area, which was called a one-hundred-year flood. Parts of Dallas, Texas, received more than 13 inches of rain within 12 hours on August 22, which caused flash flooding that damaged thousands of cars and more than one thousand homes. On the same day, Mesquite, Texas, received nearly 12 inches of rain, causing high water from flash flooding that swept a woman’s vehicle off a road, killing her. The governor of Texas declared a disaster for twenty-three counties in the state. On August 8, Denver, Colorado, received more than 2 inches of rain within 30 minutes, flooding parts of the city and some major highways.
Bibliography
Gilbert, Mary. “Las Vegas Records Month’s Worth of Rain in Less Than 2 Hours as Storms Drench Southwest.” AccuWeather, 29 July 2022, www.accuweather.com/en/severe-weather/las-vegas-records-months-worth-of-rain-in-less-than-2-hours-as-storms-drench-southwest/1224627. Accessed 14 Sept. 2022.
Hoskins, Kelley. “East St. Louis Declares State of Emergency Following Historic Flooding.” Fox 2 Now, 2 Aug. 2022, fox2now.com/news/illinois/east-st-louis-declares-state-of-emergency-following-historic-flooding/. Accessed 14 Sept. 2022.
Luna, Itzel. “Death Valley to Reopen after Flooding; Joshua Tree and Mojave Parks Still Repairing damage.” Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2022, www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-18/death-valley-to-reopen-after-flooding-joshua-tree-and-mojave-parks-still-repairing-damage. Accessed 14 Sept. 2022.
Milman, Oliver. “America’s Summer of Floods: Climate Crisis Fueling Barrage, Scientists Say.” Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2022, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/11/america-summer-floods-rainfall-climate-crisis. Accessed 14 Sept. 2022.
“NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State of the Climate: Mostly National Climate Report for July 2022.” NOAA, Aug. 2022, www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/national/202207. Accessed 14 Sept. 2022.