Here Comes the River....

So here we are days from celebrating Christmas and mother nature has been hitting us hard. The rains last night were torrential and lasting. The Ohio River is predicted to crest at near 50 feet (26 feet is pool) later in the week. This level will cause some flooding along the river, but nothing substantial.

December is an unusual time for the river to rise to these levels. The most significant risk of flooding is in the spring, coordinating with the spring thaw of the snows up north. However, we have been experiencing an unusual winter, with lots of early snow followed by this streak of warm weather.  Set out below is a list of the Historical Crests of the Ohio River, as set out on the National Weather Service website. Note that you have to go all the way down to #32 to find a December flood event. Moreover, most of the list predates the construction of the major dams. The placement of the dams has turned the Ohio River into what amounts to a series of "reservoirs."

Historical Crests for Ohio River at Cincinnati(1) 80.00 ft on 01/26/1937
(2) 71.10 ft on 02/14/1884
(3) 69.90 ft on 04/01/1913
(4) 69.20 ft on 03/07/1945
(5) 66.30 ft on 02/15/1883
(6) 66.20 ft on 03/11/1964
(7) 65.20 ft on 01/21/1907
(8) 64.80 ft on 04/18/1948
(9) 64.70 ft on 03/05/1997
(10) 63.60 ft on 03/21/1933
(11) 62.20 ft on 01/14/1913
(12) 62.10 ft on 03/18/1907
(13) 61.80 ft on 02/12/1918
(14) 61.40 ft on 03/29/1898
(15) 61.32 ft on 03/03/1962
(16) 61.27 ft on 03/01/1962
(17) 61.20 ft on 02/01/1918
(18) 61.20 ft on 02/26/1897
(19) 61.00 ft on 03/10/1955
(20) 60.80 ft on 01/04/1943
(21) 60.60 ft on 03/28/1936
(22) 60.04 ft on 04/24/1940
(23) 59.90 ft on 03/23/1943
(24) 59.80 ft on 03/11/1967
(25) 59.70 ft on 04/27/1901
(26) 59.40 ft on 03/10/1963
(27) 59.20 ft on 03/25/1890
(28) 59.10 ft on 01/27/1927
(29) 59.00 ft on 02/05/1950
(30) 58.60 ft on 03/01/1979
(31) 58.60 ft on 02/21/1882
(32) 58.40 ft on 12/12/1978
(33) 58.30 ft on 02/07/1939
(34) 58.10 ft on 04/19/1939
(35) 58.00 ft on 05/10/1958
(36) 57.40 ft on 03/08/1899
(37) 57.40 ft on 02/25/1891
(38) 57.30 ft on 01/24/1996
(39) 57.30 ft on 01/24/1862
(40) 56.90 ft on 03/01/1890
(41) 56.90 ft on 02/02/1952
(42) 56.90 ft on 01/03/1991
(43) 56.80 ft on 05/30/1968
(44) 56.66 ft on 01/11/2005
(45) 56.30 ft on 02/06/1887
(46) 56.20 ft on 03/07/1865
(47) 56.10 ft on 12/27/1921
(48) 56.10 ft on 03/17/1917
(49) 56.00 ft on 12/10/1950
(50) 55.90 ft on 02/07/1915