Flash Flood — Montgomery, Kansas

2007-07-01 to 2007-07-02 · near Coffeyville, Montgomery, Kansas

Event narrative

Extremely heavy rainfall from the end of June into early July caused flash flooding throughout Montgomery County. The hardest hit areas were Independence and Coffeyville. The flash flooding combined with the ensuing record river flooding along the Verdigris River led to at least 500 homes being destroyed with another 55 sustaining major damages. Businesses in the county reported 23 million in losses and the cost to public infrastructure resulted in another 4 million in damages. Additionally, 43,000 acres of cropland were flooded. The Verdigris River also overtopped a levee protecting the refinery in Coffeyville resulting in an oily toxic mess that inundated areas downstream. The Verdigris River at Independence crested at 52.4 feet in the morning hours of July 1st. This was 22.4 feet above flood stage. At Coffeyville the river crested at 30.7 feet the evening of July 1st which is 12.7 above flood stage. Again, both of these crests were records. The river remained above flood stage for both cities until July 7th. Unfortunately there was one fatality. A 55 year old man was found in the Budget Inn in Coffeyville. An autopsy revealed that the individual died as a result of drowning. This tragedy was compounded by the fact that the individual was warned twice that floodwaters would inundate the hotel but on both occasions the individual refused to leave. The Coffeyville Journal and the Arkansas City Traveler contributed to this report.

Wider weather episode

An upper level low pressure system and associated frontal boundary stalled across the area for several days, resulting in periods of numerous and widespread heavy showers and thunderstorms across portions of south-central and southeast Kansas from early on the 27th until July 1st. Phenomenal rainfall totals occurred during this period, ranging anywhere from 8 inches, to as much as 20 inches, heaviest across southeast Kansas. A few the most extreme and measured rainfall reports from June 28th - 30th were 18.29 inches at Fredonia, 12.47 inches at Independence, 11.70 inches at Iola, 9.18 inches at Chanute, 8.63 inches at Erie and 8.40 inches at Coffeyville. Excessive runoff produced widespread, catastrophic, record flooding across much of southeast Kansas, particularly in the vicinity of area rivers, streams and creeks. Hardest hit were the Verdigris and Fall Rivers, where record flooding was observed at Fall River, Independence and Coffeyville. The Neosho River was also hard hit with record flooding observed at Erie and major flooding observed at Chanute, Parsons and Oswego. Public, private and crop damage was extensive and at times severe. Hundreds to potentially a few thousand homes and businesses sustained severe flood damage, an incalculable number of roads were closed due to high water, and several bridges were either washed out or sustained damage. Thousands of acres of crops sustained severe damage. Thousands of miles of roads were damaged from the flood waters. Evacuations and water rescues were common, as several towns were for a time surrounded and/or engulfed by flood waters. Water became unsafe, as flood waters inundated water and sewage treatment plants. Thousands of residents were without power for an extended period of time. Several counties were declared federal disaster areas. Public and private damages likely exceeded hundreds of millions of dollars, but exact monetary values will be difficult to nearly impossible to determine. The flooding in Coffeyville enveloped the Coffeyville Resources Refinery. A malfunctioning pump lead to a 71,000 gallon crude oil spill into the Verdigris River, leaving an oily gunk on everything the oil touched, and contaminating the water for miles. One fatality occurred in Coffeyville, when a gentleman refused to evacuate his motel room, despite being warned twice by emergency officials of the impending flood.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.0300, -95.6300)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 48721. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.