OUACHITA/BLACK RIVERS, RED RIVER AND YAZOO RIVER BASINS Prepared by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District POST-FLOOD REPORT FLOOD OF 1991 TABLE OF CONTENTS Summary Table of Contents Authority Purpose and Scope Description and History, by Basin Meteorological Aspects of the April-June 1991 Flood Physical and Economic Data, April-June 1991 Flood     General     Acres Flooded     Existing Damages     Flood Damages Prevented Review of Specific Flood Problems Conclusion TABLES II-1 Peak Stages, Ouachita-Black River Basin II-2 Peak Stages, Yazoo-Sunflower River Basin II-3 Peak Stages, Red River Basin III-1 Existing Acres flooded, April-June 1991 Flood III-2 Flood Damage Data, Existing Conditions, April-June 1991 III-3 Flood Damage Data Prior to Improvements, April-June 1991 III-4 Damages Prevented by Existing Projects, April-June 1991 IV-1 Stage Increase at Design Discharge IV-2 Observed Discharges Compared to Design Discharges IV-3 Expected Stage Reduction PLATES I-1 River Basins II-1 Ouachita-Black and Boeuf-Tensas River Basins Gage Locations II-2 Ouachita-Black River Highwater Profile II-3 Ouachita-Black and Boeuf-Tensas River Basin, Areas Flooded II-4 - II-8 Ouachita-Black River Basin, Stage Hydrograph II-9 - II-12 Ouachita-Black River Basin, Discharge Rating Curves II-13 Yazoo and Sunflower River Basins, Gage Locations II-14 Coldwater-Tallahatchie-Yazoo River Profile II-15 Yazoo and Sunflower River Basins, Areas Flooded II-16 - II-17 Yazoo River Basin Lakes Hydrographs II-18 - II-21 Yazoo River Basin Stage Hydrographs II-22 - II-25 Yazoo River Basin Discharge Rating Curves II-26 Red River Basin Gage Locations II-27 Red River Profile II-28 Red River Basin, Areas Flooded II-29 - II-30 Red River Basin Stage Hydrographs II-31 - II-32 Red River Basin Discharge Rating Curves III-1 Vicksburg District Areas Flooded IV-1 Red River Basin 100-year Frequency Profiles, Pre-project Conditions ABSTRACT The April-June 1991 flood was the most severe within the Vicksburg District since 1973. The rainfall that produced the flooding across the Vicksburg District during April-June 1991 was caused by several storms, each producing above normal to heavy rainfall which lasted from April to early May. It is best described as a very persistent weather pattern where low level southerly winds provided abundant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Along with this moisture, southwesterly winds at the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere provided the dynamic lift that produced individual storm systems. The continuous cycle of storm systems resulted in rainfall that produced the wettest April on record for south Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Rainfall over the Vicksburg District ranged from 200 to 420 percent of normal. This rainfall produced numerous record stages across the Vicksburg District. All of the Yazoo Basin lakes (Arkabutla, Sardis, Enid and Grenada) exceeded their overflow spillways during the same period. This is the second time in the history of the operation of the lakes that this has occurred. The first occurrence was during the 1973 flood. Damages that resulted from this flood event totalled over $351 million within the Vicksburg District. Completed or partially completed Corps flood control projects prevented an estimated $1.12 billion in additional flood damages. Approximately 4,219,000 acres of land within the Vicksburg District were inundated by this flood event. Almost one-half of this total, 2,152,000 acres, was cleared land. The total acres flooded in Mississippi was 1,849,000; in Louisiana, 1,555,000; and in Arkansas, 815,000. 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.