Flash Flood — Caroline, Maryland

1999-09-16 to 1999-09-17 · near Countywide, Caroline, Maryland

Wider weather episode

Hurricane Floyd battered the Maryland Eastern Shore on September 16th and brought with it torrential rains and damaging winds. The hurricane caused widespread flash flooding as storm totals averaged around ten inches, most of which fell in a twelve hour period from the early morning through the afternoon on the 16th. The highest verifiable storm total was 14.00 inches in Chestertown (Kent County). Based on Doppler Radar storm totals estimate similar amounts also fell across northern Queen Anne's County. Flooding along tidal sections of inland creeks and rivers were exacerbated during times of high tide. The torrential downpours associated with Hurricane Floyd exceeded the 100-year-flood return period for most of the Eastern Shore. Hundreds of roads and bridges were closed. At one point there were 225 roads closed throughout the state. About 450 people were evacuated from low lying areas, 300 in Cecil County. Five people were seriously injured. Dozens more were rescued from trapped vehicles. A 32-year-old man died on September 19th near Centreville (Queen Anne's County) when he was ejected from his motorcycle while attempting to jump over a washed out bridge. While the highest wind gusts in most areas were less than 60 mph, the combination of the heavy rain that loosened the ground and the persistence of the strong winds uprooted hundreds of trees across the Eastern Shore. About 17,000 homes and businesses lost power. Power was restored by the 19th. A state of emergency was declared on the 16th and all schools were closed. The preliminary damage estimate was 15.25 million dollars. President Clinton declared all of the Maryland Eastern shore a disaster area. Hurricane Floyd began as a Cape Verde type hurricane east of the Lesser Antilles. As Floyd moved west, it passed to the north of and spared both the Greater and Lesser Antilles. Floyd intensified into a Category IV (Major) Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. Floyd was a very large sized hurricane that d prolonged both the torrential rain and high winds. Floyd was heading for Florida before a turn to the northwest spared the state, but Floyd battered the Bahamas. The anticipated turn to the north and the northeast occurred on the 15th as Floyd was heading for North Carolina. Another important synoptic feature was a cold front that was over West Virginia on the 14th. This front stalled just west of Chesapeake Bay on the 15th. The stalled front not only failed to push offshore an already tropical and humid air mass that was over the Western Shore, but also acted as a conduit for the tropical moisture associated with Floyd. The moisture headed west toward the front and then rode north along the boundary. Light rain associated with Floyd started along the Eastern Shore on the 15th. The torrential rain associated with Floyd arrived in the Eastern Shore just after midnight on the 16th. Floyd was still offshore south of North Carolina. Floyd made its initial landfall during the early morning hours of the 16th at the Mouth of Cape Fear or Bald Head Island in North Carolina and accelerated as it proceeded northeast. Damaging east winds arrived on the Lower Eastern Shore by 9 a.m. EDT as the torrential rain continued. Meanwhile a weakened Category One Floyd moved through Virginia Beach Virginia and was back over the open Atlantic Ocean around noon on the 16th. Floyd continued to move northeast and the eye passed just east of the Virginia Capes and Fenwick island, Delaware. By noon on the 16th all the torrential rain had moved north of Floyd and ended with the passage of the hurricane (on the same latitude line). During the afternoon of the 16th all of the sustained hurricane force winds were located over the Atlantic, although damaging winds continued. At 5 p.m. EDT Floyd was downgraded to a tropical storm as it passed about 10 miles east of Atlantic City. By 5 p.m. EDT the torrential rain was over for the Eastern Shore. But in some cases (especially in Cecil County), the strongest winds associated with Floyd mixed down as cooler air behind the system moved into the region. The strong winds persisted through the evening of the 16th. Wind gusts rarely exceeded 50 mph, but all the flooding rains made it easy for trees to be knocked over. Tropical Storm Floyd made landfall again on western Fire Island in Suffolk County, New York around 8 p.m. EDT and was located near Portland, Maine at 8 a.m. EDT on the 17th. In Cecil County, flash flooding closed 62 roads at one point. Twenty roads were still closed the morning of the 17th. Infrastructure damage alone was nearly 1 million dollars. Ninety-two homes and 78 businesses were severely damaged. Hundreds others were flooded. Hardest hit were North East and Elkton. In North East, the Little Northeast Creek flooded and the municipality almost became an island. Evacuations started at 10 a.m. EDT as about 100 people sought shelter. The northbound bridge on Maryland State Route 272 was washed away. Two hundred homes were flooded. Catherine Street was cratered and a 20-year-old man was injured when he fell into the hole. Four tanks that contained 80,000 gallons of oil collapsed and began floating downstream. In Elkton, the Big Elk Creek flooded the downtown business area. The flood waters were 5 to 6 feet higher than ever seen. The hospital had first floor flooding. The Commercial Plaza on Maryland State Route 213 was ruined. It was expected to be closed for six weeks. A 13-year-old boy was plucked from the Big Elk Creek. Others were rescued from car tops. Farther upstream the Big Elk Creek washed away a bridge in the Fair Hill National Resource Management Area. In Earleville, the county dam was damaged by the bloated Scotchman Creek. One hundred feet of Mill Lane was washed away and the 23 acre Mill Pond emptied. Evacuations occurred in Conowingo, Elkton, North East, Octararo, Rising Sun and Sun Valley. Four trailers were completely destroyed by flood waters in Conowingo. The strong winds also knocked down numerous trees. Several houses and vehicles were damaged.Kent County appeared to escape with the least amount of damage from Floyd. Road closures began at 915 a.m. EDT. Hardest hit were homes in Sandfield just outside of Millington (Queen Anne's County). The only railroad service into Queen Anne's County was suspended after flooding along the Charles River crippled the railroad's trestles. There were voluntary evacuations in low-lying areas and also in some mobile home parks. Many roads were also closed on Miller's Island. Queen Anne's County was one of the harder hit counties on the Eastern Shore by Floyd. Water rescues started at 10 a.m. EDT and continued all day. About 75 persons were evacuated to shelters. Fifty-five roads were closed during the height of the storm including major roadways such as U.S. Route 50 and Maryland State Routes 213, 291, 300, 304 and 313. Two 29-year-old men were injured when their pickup truck fell into a 30 foot by 30 foot hole on MD 304 near Centreville. Thirty-four roads were closed by either heavy flooding or minor to moderate damage. Twenty bridges or culverts were washed out or had substantial damage. All roads that were not badly damaged were reopened Saturday afternoon the 18th. All county roads were reopened by the 21st although eight bridges and three state roads were still closed. The number of bridge closings was down to six on October 2nd. In addition, fallen trees blocked about 70 roads throughout the county. Most of the damage occurred in the northern half of the county. The worst flood related property damage occurred on the Queen Anne's side of Millington along the Chester River. Forty homes were damaged, 15 of them in Sandtown had six foot high water marks on the first floor. Ten homes and several businesses along the Tuckahoe Creek in Queen Anne were badly flooded. Some persons were still displaced on October 9th. Other townships that also were hit hard by flooding were Centreville, Church Hall and Sudlersville (The downtown area became an island.) Damaging winds buffeted Kent Island starting at 9 a.m. EDT. The Cloverfields Community was hardest hit with 100 homes damaged by the high winds and downed trees. Traffic was backed up for 2.5 hours over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge when an empty tractor trailer ignored posted restrictions and blew over. The Queen Anne County Library was also damaged by large trees. In Caroline County, towns near rivers (Denton, Federalsburg, Greensboro and Hillsboro) bore the brunt of the damage. Six roads and thirty bridges were in need of repairs. About 20 people were in shelters throughout the county. A dam break near Harmony closed Maryland State Route 16. Other dam failures or spillovers occurred on Lake Bonnie near Goldsboro, Crouse Mill in Tuckahoe State Park and Chambers Lake near Federalsburg. Three schools suffered water damage. Large pieces of roadways collapsed on Maryland State Route 480 and Second Street in Denton. Infrastructure damage alone was estimated as high as 2.5 million. A truck driver was injured when his vehicle overturned on a flooded Maryland State Route 312. In Talbot County, flooding forced the closure of numerous roads in Easton, St. Michael's and Oxford. At 1040 a.m. EDT, a man hanging from a branch was rescued in Easton. About 75 people went to shelters as citizens in low-lying areas were urged to evacuate. On the Talbot County side of Queen Anne, severe damage occurred to 10 homes, three businesses and 30 vehicles on Cannery Road. The water was up to 10 feet high on the 16th and their was still up to six feet of water in the streets the next day. Downed trees caused about 3,000 homes and businesses to lose power in Easton, Saint Michael's and Trappe. A wind gust to 50 mph was recorded in Royal Oak.Storm totals included 14.00 inches in Chestertown (Kent County), 12.00 inches in Rock Hall (Kent County), 11.20 inches in Federalsburg (Caroline County), 9.16 inches in Royal Oak Oak (Talbot County), 9.15 inches in Easton (Talbot County), 9.00 inches in North East (Cecil County) and 6.57 inches at the Conowingo Dam in Cecil County. School were closed on the 16th. Another effect of Floyd was a boom in the mosquito population throughout the Middle Atlantic States.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5722631. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.