Coastal Flood in District of Columbia

Events

67

Deaths

0

Injuries

0

Damage

None recorded

• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, September 9 to 12, 201811 eventsStrong onshore flow, in addition to high amounts of freshwater from heavy rain, led to increased water level anomalies and coastal flooding along the Potomac River.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, September 28 to 30, 20185 eventsHigh levels of freshwater on the Potomac River upstream led to increased anomalies and coastal flooding.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, May 19 to 20, 20184 eventsFreshwater from heavy rainfall upstream piled up along the upper portions of the Tidal Potomac River, resulting in moderate flooding.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, June 4 to 5, 20183 eventsFreshwater upstream in the Potomac rushed downstream, and this resulted in moderate flooding along the Tidal Basin in Washington DC.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, September 22 to 24, 20243 eventsA prolonged period of onshore flow combined with high astronomical tides resulted in multiple days of moderate coastal flooding at DC Waterfront. Moderate coastal flooding began on Sep 21 and ended on Sep 24, 2024.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, October 30 to 31, 20122 eventsHurricane Sandy moved up the Atlantic coast and then turned Northwest and made landfall northeast of MD. Heavy rain and high winds over spread coastal regions and most of Maryland, Northern Virginia, and DC. Heavy rain caused flood and river flooding.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, April 30, 20142 eventsPersistent southerly flow led to moderate coastal flooding at times of the maximum astronomical high tide along the western shores of the MD Chesapeake Bay and Washington DC waterfront on the Tidal Potomac.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, March 6 to 7, 20182 eventsA strong onshore flow led to moderate tidal flooding.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, December 17 to 18, 20182 eventsAn influx of freshwater due to heavy rain led to increased water level anomalies and coastal flooding along the Potomac River.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, October 12, 20192 eventsLow pressure remained nearly stationary off the Mid-Atlantic Coast during this time. Water piled up near the mouth of the Bay and it was able to advance north into the Potomac River.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, October 28 to 30, 20212 eventsA strong pressure gradient between low pressure over the Ohio Valley and strong high pressure over Quebec, CA resulted in a strong southeast onshore flow that brought the highest water levels to the Tidal Potomac River since Tropical Storm Isabel in September 2003.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, July 13, 19961 eventSoutheast flow in advance of the passage of Tropical Storm Bertha well south of the area increased tides to 2-3 feet above normal, causing some flooding at Haines Point and the waterfront.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, January 27, 20101 eventHeavy amounts of rain over the past couple days caused river levels to rise. The rapid flow of fresh water into the Tidal Potomac River caused coastal flooding at Washington Harbor during the morning of the 27th.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, March 13, 20101 eventA persistent onshore flow developed around high pressure over New England and low pressure moving up the Mid-Atlantic coast on the 13th. Heavy rain from the low pressure system caused elevated river levels during this time.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, April 17 to 19, 20111 eventHeavy rainfall on April 16th caused elevated fresh water levels upstream along the Potomac River. A rush of freshwater from the Potomac River caused water levels to rise along the Tidal Potomac River near Washington DC on the 17th.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, May 18, 20111 eventA potent onshore existed between high pressure over New England and low pressure over the Midwest. The onshore flow caused tidal anomalies to increase over the Tidal Potomac River.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, May 19 to 20, 20111 eventHeavy rainfall on May 17th and 18th caused elevated fresh water levels upstream along the Potomac River. A rush of freshwater from the Potomac River caused water levels to rise along the Tidal Potomac River near Washington DC on the 19th and 20th.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, March 10, 20111 eventA strong pressure gradient between high pressure over the Atlantic Ocean and a cold front moving in from the Ohio Valley resulted in gusty southeast winds over the Tidal Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, March 12, 20111 eventHeavy rainfall on March 10th caused elevated fresh water levels upstream along the Potomac River. A rush of freshwater from the Potomac River caused water levels to rise along the Tidal Potomac River in Washington DC on the 12th.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, April 16 to 17, 20111 eventA strong pressure gradient between high pressure over the Atlantic Ocean and a cold front moving in from the Ohio Valley resulted in a strong onshore flow. Elevated water levels due to the onshore flow caused areas of coastal flooding along near the Tidal Potomac River.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, September 8, 20111 eventThe remnants of Tropical Storm Lee caused locally heavy rainfall upstream along the Potomac River during the 7th into the 8th.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, October 12, 20111 eventA persistent onshore flow between high pressure off the Mid-Atlantic Coast and a cold front over the Midwest caused positive tidal anomalies. Water levels exceeded thresholds for moderate coastal flooding near high tide during the afternoon hours of the 12th.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, May 16, 20141 eventA upper level trough stretched from Southern Canada to the Gulf Coast and an abundant amount of moisture was present across the Mid-Atlantic.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, May 17 to 18, 20141 eventFreshwater moved down the Potomac River towards the Washington DC waterfront due to an abundant amount of rainfall.
• Coastal Flood in District of Columbia, October 4, 20141 eventIncreasing and persistent southeast flow ahead of an approaching cold front combining with astronomically high tides resulted in anomalies around 2 feet and widespread minor flooding with isolated areas reaching moderate levels.

Coastal Flood everywhereEvery kind of event in District of Columbia

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01.