A 1,000-year flood is supposed to be extremely rare event. Its chance of occurring in any given year is 0.1 percent.
Yet, between July 26 and August 22, 2022, the United States experienced FIVE 1000-year floods, ultimately affecting some 70 million people.
S.t Louis
St. Louis became the first of the record floods. On July 26, 9 inches of rain fell in 24 hours in St. Louis, shattering an all-time record, with over a foot of rain measured in some suburbs.
Residents try to clear a drain in St. Louis on Thursday.
The city’s previous highest 24-hour rainfall total on record of 7.02 inches in 1915, according to the National Weather Service.
Areas around St. Louis saw about 6 to 10 inches of rain in a six-hour span from Monday into Tuesday, the weather service said. The flash flooding caused multiple road closures on several interstates, officials say.
At least two people have been found dead, including the driver of a submerged car, and the driver of semi-truck, according to police reported CNN.
East Kentucky
Two days later, dozens died in eastern Kentucky when more than 10 inches of rain fell, sending rivers rising several feet in hours to well beyond historical record crests and washing away homes near the shores.
That happened on Thursday, July 28, when upwards of 8 inches of heavy rains overnight in some parts of the state created significant amounts of flash flooding. The rains were constant and continued into the first few days of August.
More than 100 bridges were damaged or destroyed including at least 50 in Perry County, 50 to 70 in Knott County and dozens in Breathitt County.
The heavy rain later moved east into Louisiana. By the evening of 22 August, the city of Shreveport had seen 5.43 inches (138 mm) in 24 hours.
Arizona was also flooded.
South East Illinois
The United States saw its third 1-in-1,000-year rain in a week on Monday night and Tuesday morning, as southern Illinois was drenched by 8 to 12 inches of rain in 12 hours. An area just south of Newton, Ill., recorded 14 inches of rainfall in just 12 hours, according to the National Weather Service. Thunderstorms brought damaging winds and heavy rainfall through mid-afternoon on Tuesday.
Central Illinois has been getting pounded by rain. It is estimated that 14 inches or more of rain has fallen southeast of Effingham Illinois over the past 24 hours and flash flooding is underway. More rain is falling in the area Tuesday.
Death Valley
Death Valley witnessed unprecedented rains that led to flooding. The floods left 500 people stranded in the park. According to CNN
Parked cars were pushed into each other by the floods. At The Inn at Death Valley, approximately 60 cars belonging to visitors and staff are buried under debris, according to a news release.
“The heavy rain that caused the devastating flooding at Death Valley was an extremely rare, 1000-year event, says Daniel Berc, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Las Vegas. “A 1000-year event doesn’t mean it happens once per 1000 years, rather that there is a 0.1% chance of occurring in any given year.”
Texas
As much as 15 inches (385 mm) of rain fell in 24 hours in parts of northern Texas, triggering flash floods across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, 21 to 22 August 2022.
Streets and vehicles were submerged across the wider Dallas-Fort Worth area. Officials said one person died when a vehicle was swept away by floodwaters in Dallas County.
The rainfall turned roads into rivers and prompted water rescues, airport travel delays and warnings of “dangerous, life threatening” flooding.
UPDATE: And Mississippi makes it SIX
Not to be outdone, some areas of Mississippi saw more than 8 inches of rain in only three hours on the Wednesday morning. The sudden flooding caused the need for dozens of rescues and prompted Flash Flood Emergencies.
All six extreme events reached the local threshold to be classified by the National Weather Service as a “1-in-1,000-year” rainfall event, yet all occurred within the same month, much less a millennium.
Source Title Photo Imelda Flood Vidor Reuters.
