Floods in the United States are generally caused by excessive rainfall, excessive snowmelt, and dam failure. Below is a list of flood events that were of significant impact to the country during the 20th century, from 1900 through 1999, inclusive.
Decade of the 1900s
Kansas River – May 1903
The greatest flood of the Kansas River on record of in the memory of the oldest inhabitants living along the stream occurred May 23 to June 13, 1903.
Pacolet River (South Carolina) – June 1903
On June 6, 1903, after heavy rain, the Pacolet River destroyed or heavily damaged six large cotton mills, their associated dams, and 70 houses in the mill villages of Converse, Clifton, and Pacolet, South Carolina. Approximately 100 people were killed.
Heppner flood – June 1903
The third deadliest flash flood in US history, the normally placid Willow Creek burst its banks during an intense rain and hail storm. The city of Heppner, at the foothills of the Blue Mountains in eastern Oregon, was almost completely destroyed. 220 of Heppner's 1,400 residents died in the flood.
Sacramento River Flood – February 1904
From February 15 to the end of March 1904 occurred the most destructive flood as far as property was concerned in the recorded history of Sacramento. The greatest known flood occurred forty-odd years before, In January, 1862 and was due to rainfall, the precipitation in December, 1861 and January, 1962 just prior to it having been 23.62 inches. This flood filled the entire flood plain, and was not limited, as was the later one, by the reclamation of large tracts of bottom land, nor was the channel below the mouth of the Feather River then filled with mining debris as it is now.
Susquehanna River – March 1904
Due mainly to ice gorges.
Mohawk River – March 1904
From March 25 to 31, 1904, there occurred a flood on Mohawk River, in New York State, which, while not the largest and most destructive in the recorded history of this stream, attained a maximum discharge on March 26 of 20.84 cubic feet per second per square mile.
Grand River – March 1904
Due mainly to the rapid melting of snow, flooding was more significant along the Grand, Saginaw, Kalamazoo, and River Raisin river basins than the St. Joseph and Huron River basins. In Lansing, it was the worst flood in the previous 135 years of its history. Many dams were either undermined or swept away. Kalamazoo saw two square miles of flooding during this event.
It was also considered the most destructive flood in Grand Rapids history. The Grand River went above bankfull on the night of March 24, rising slowly for the next four days. It broke the previous high-water mark by over , and was considered a once in 100 year flood. Over one-half of the population on the west side of the river was inundated. On the east bank of the river, numerous factories went underwater. There was one casualty. Damages totaled US$1.8 million (1904 dollars). To the left is an image showing the flooding in Battle Creek.
Wabash River – March 1904
Due mainly to rainfall.
Cache la Poudre River and Crow Creek – May 1904
In May, very heavy rains in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming caused a flood on the Cache la Poudre and Crow Creek which resulted in the loss of considerable property along them.
Belle Fourche and Red Rivers, Spearfish and Whitewood Creeks – June 1904
In the early part of June the Belle Fourche and other streams on the northern slope of the Black Hills were in destructive flood attaining on June 6 a gage height of about 10.9 feet and a corresponding discharge of 5,931 second-feet. The absolute maximum gage height during this flood was 11.25 feet and the corresponding discharge was 6,270 second-feet.
Arkansas, Kansas, Neosho, Verdigris and Osage Rivers in Southeastern Kansas – June and July 1904 In the latter part of June and the early part of July continued heavy rain caused the rivers in southeastern Kansas to be higher than ever known before and to cause much damage.
Robinson Run Flood – June 28, 1904
Scottdale Valley Flood – July 7, 1904
Dam Failure.
Johnstown Pennsylvania – July 8 and 9, 1904
Cloudburst
Troxton Canyon Arizona – July 30, 1904
Flash flood from Cloudburst, 30 feet high in canyon for 30 minutes.