GALLAGHER CREEK FLOOD OF JULY 30, 1971 MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI by C.H. Tate Prepared by U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with Mississippi State Highway Department Open File Report ABSTRACT On the evening of July 30, 1971, heavy precipitation over about a 10-square-mile area in northwest Meridian caused extreme floods on several small streams in the area. Damage was estimated at about $1,500,000 by the Civil Defense, Red Cross, and Meridian's city engineers. About 500 houses and many streets and bridges were damaged. One life was lost in east Meridian as a result of the flooding. The most severe flooding occurred along Gallagher Creek. A "bucket survey" indicated that the precipitation ranged from about 3 inches in the lower part of the basin to over 9 inches in the headwaters. The heaviest amounts approximately equal the maximum 24-hour precipitation experienced at the National Weather Service gage at Meridian (9.50 inches on April 16, 1900). The results of the "bucket survey" and data from the National Weather Service are shown on table 1. Most of the rain fell in 3 hours, ending about 10 p.m. This rainfall greatly exceeds the expected 100-year 3-hour rainfall of about 5.3 inches (Technical Paper No. 40, U.S. Weather Bureau). Late on July 30, the dam at Queen City Lake failed. There were conflicting reports about the effect of this failure on the peak stage of Gallagher Creek, but several residents reported that the crest had passed prior to the failure of the dam. LizardTech's Djvu plug-in is needed to view these reports. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ENTIRE REPORT For questions or comments, contact K. Van Wilson.