Flooding in Maryland, January 19 to 22, 1996

*** River Flooding ***High dew point temperatures melted most of the snow on the ground within 12 hours, with liquid water equivalent ranging from 1 to 3 inches. Snowmelt combined with 1 to 3 inches of rain (some locations received 5 inches) to produce, in some cases, catastrophic river flooding. The flooding was the worst in the region since 1985. River flooding began during the flood/flash flood event along the headwaters of the basins and continued downstream through the 22nd. Crests ranged from 3 to 21 feet above flood stage. Record flooding occurred on Wills Creek near Cumberland (MDZ002), damaging all dwellings in the town of Locust Grove. Almost all dwellings in the town of Point of Rocks (MDZ004) were damaged by the flood waters in some way.Unfortunately, the National Park Service's C&O Canal and towpath was also severely damaged. Improvements made since the 1972 flooding (Tropical Storm Agnes) and 1985 were virtually destroyed once again. Damage was estimated at $20 million for the park that runs along the Potomac from western Maryland the Washington, DC. Largest losses were sustained just outside of Cumberland and along the southernmost stretch from Great Falls into Northwest Washington (MDZ009). Flood waters covered 80 percent of the 184.5 mile canal. Helicopter rescues continued for 24 hours across much of the state during the onset through peak flooding. Antietam Battlefield National Park (MDZ003) estimated $11 thousand damage along Antietam Creek.There were several water and sewage plant failures. Water line breaks occurred in Lavale (MDZ002), and failures at Sharpsburg and Hagerstown (MDZ003) forced residents to boil water for 3 to 5 days (thousands of others were without water for 1 to 2 days). The plants in Brunswick (MDZ004) and Havre De Grace (MDZ007) were shut down for 1 to 3 days due to flood waters and high turbidity.There was structural damage to several bridges which cross the Potomac. Three counties in central Maryland were declared under a federal state of emergency: Washington, Allegany, and Frederick.Refer to the narrative on Flood/Flash Flood for a more detailed breakdown of damage estimates.