1994 Western Fire Season - Summer-Fall 1994. Severe fire season in western states due to dry weather; approximately $1.0 (1.2) billion damage/costs; death toll undetermined. Texas Flooding - October 1994. Torrential rain (10-25 inches in 5 days) and thunderstorms cause flooding across much of southeast TX; approximately $1.0 (1.2) billion damage/costs; 19 deaths.

River of Fire: Remembering the flood of 1994

ABC13 coverage of the flood of 1994. Thursday, October 20, 2016

HOUSTON (KTRK) --

In a city famous for floods, this was one of the worst. It was October of 1994 when a series of

meteorological events occurred to trigger a huge rain event which was responsible for at least 17

deaths and millions of dollars in damage.

Remnants of Hurricane Rosa in Mexico, moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and a low pressure system

over southern Rocky Mountains triggered heavy rains and vigorous thunderstorms across parts of 38

counties. From October 15 to 19, southeast Texas saw rainfall amounts ranging from 8 to 28 inches.

Tropical Storm Alberto - July 1994. Remnants of slow-moving Alberto bring torrential 10-25 inch rains in 3 days, widespread flooding and agricultural damage in parts of GA, AL, and panhandle of FL; approximately $1.0 (1.2) billion damage/costs; 32 deaths.

Don't think a storm needs to be a hurricane to do immense destruction, as the people of the state of

Georgia found out when Tropical Storm Alberto stalled over the state for days at the start of July,

1994. Alberto began its journey to Georgia off the coast of Africa as a tropical wave and during its

journey never actually reached hurricane status. In the Virgin Islands it was little more than

thunderstorms, but by the time the storm reached Cuba the National Weather Service had noticed

the telltale circulation of a tropical storm. They sent out a hurricane hunter aircraft, specially

equipped to measure on-site phenomena. Upon return, the National Weather Service declared the

wave to be the first named storm of the 1994 hurricane season, Tropical Storm Alberto.

The storm hit the Southeastern coast of the United States in the vicinity of Destin, Florida, and slowly

crossed the Florida panhandle into the state of Georgia. Here Alberto slowed its northward movement

until it stalled south of the Atlanta Airport. During this period towns in west Georgia in the path of

Alberto received record amounts of rainfall including Columbus, Albany, and Macon. In Americus,

Georgia, north of Albany, the all-time state record for rainfall in a 24-hour period was set when the city

racked up a total of 21.1 inches between July 5 and 6. A total of more than 27 inches fell on the city

over the 6 days of the storm.

Georgians then had to deal with the inevitable flooding as the rivers rose to record levels. In many

places the rivers crested at between 5 and 15 feet above flood stage. Some of the NWS measuring

stations hit 20 feet above flood level. By the time the storm and the flooding were over a total of 33

Georgians were dead.

Southeast Ice Storm - February 1994. Intense ice storm with extensive damage in portions of TX, OK, AR, LA, MS, AL, TN, GA, SC, NC, and VA; approximately $3.0 (3.7) billion damage/costs; 9 deaths.

On January 19, 1994 the low temperature fell to - 4 degrees Fahrenheit and the high temperature

was only 8 degrees Fahrenheit.

the cold temperatures lead to a rolling power brownouts and close schools and businesses.

This was a year of repetitive ice storms and Co weather, ice cover on the ground was that enough to

support ice skating on lawns.

At the Penderbrook Golf in Fairfax, Va. down hill ice skating occurred for several days on the long

fairway.

Further north, heavy snow fell in New England, and Lake Superior froze over for the first time in 16

years.

THE GREAT SLEET STORM OF FEBRUARY 10-11 1994

This winter storm was most unique in that produced almost entirely sleet for the immediate DC metro

area. To the north, heavy snow fell and to the south and east, freezing rain occurred producing a

devastating ice storm. In the Washington area, the sleet accumulation averaged between 3 to 4

inches. The maximum sleet accumulation occurred over Central and western Fairfax County, with

over 4 inches of sleet measured at several locations. Only two other sleet storms in Washington's

history have compared to this storm-one occurred in 1920 and the other in 1927. The average sleet

depth for the 1927 storm was 4.5 inches. Washington was lucky it was sleet and not a glaze as they

received south of DC. In areas to the south where the ice storm (glaze) occurred there were some

areas without electricity for nearly a month and most had no power for a week. (p. 95-96 Washington

Weather Book 2002 by Ambrose, Henry, Weiss)

January-February, 1994: These two months saw an unusual assault of ice storms on the

Commonwealth. It began in mid January with an arctic blast that sent temperatures below zero over

northern and western Virginia for a couple mornings. Winchester recorded -18°F on the 16th,

Harrisonburg reached -13°F, Woodstock was -17°F and western Loudoun County reached -15°F.

Between then and mid-February, about a dozen storms hit dropping snow, sleet, and freezing rain

over all but the southeast. The most devastating storm struck February 10-11. A swath of Virginia

was coated with one to three inches of solid ice from freezing rain and sleet! The hardest hit was an

area from Danville and Lynchburg northeast through Fredericksburg. Some counties lost 10 to 20

percent of their trees from the heavy ice. Roads were blocked and impassable. Electric and phone

lines were down with as much as 90 percent of the county's people without power. Even with the help

of electric companies from other states, many people were without power for a week. A presidential

disaster declaration was given and damages were estimated at $61 million. There were numerous

injuries from automobile accidents and people falling on ice. Unfortunately, the National Weather

Service does not keep records on ice amounts. However, this was likely the iciest winter Virginia had

seen, at least this century.

The Feb 1994 winter storm gave several inches of sleet were enough to cause considerable

problems on roadways in Northern Virginia. Eventually, the cold air mass is so shallow that the rain

does not freeze. If the temperature of the earth's surface is below freezing, then rain will freeze as it

hits the ground, producing freezing rain, a very dangerous on roadways or walkways. As the ice

accumulates on trees and wires, the weight eventually causes them to break, knocking out power and

phone service. Sometimes, so much ice can accumulate that structural damage and collapse can

occur to buildings and communication towers. During the Feb. 10-11, 1994 ice storm, some areas of

southern Virginia received an astounding three inches of ice, causing tremendous tree damage and

power outages for up to a week. More recently on Dec. 23, 1998, the Petersburg and Williamsburg

area had a similar experience. Other types of weather systems generally do not cause major

problems for Virginia. Storms such as the "Alberta Clipper," a fast-moving storm from the Alberta,

Canada region, or a cold front sweeping through from the west generally do not bring more than one

to four inches of snow in a narrow 50 to 60-mile-wide band. Sometimes, the high pressure and cold

arctic air that follow in the wake of a clipper become the initial set up for a Nor'easter. In very rare

cases, elements combine to produce very localized heavy snow without any fronts or storm centers

nearby.

The Feb 1994 winter storm gave several inches of sleet were enough to cause considerable

problems on roadways in Northern Virginia. Eventually, the cold air mass is so shallow that the rain

does not freeze. If the temperature of the earth's surface is below freezing, then rain will freeze as it

hits the ground, producing freezing rain, a very dangerous on roadways or walkways. As the ice

accumulates on trees and wires, the weight eventually causes them to break, knocking out power and

phone service. Sometimes, so much ice can accumulate that structural damage and collapse can

occur to buildings and communication towers. During the Feb. 10-11, 1994 ice storm, some areas of

southern Virginia received an astounding three inches of ice, causing tremendous tree damage and

power outages for up to a week. More recently on Dec. 23, 1998, the Petersburg and Williamsburg

area had a similar experience. Other types of weather systems generally do not cause major

problems for Virginia. Storms such as the "Alberta Clipper," a fast-moving storm from the Alberta,

Canada region, or a cold front sweeping through from the west generally do not bring more than one

to four inches of snow in a narrow 50 to 60-mile-wide band. Sometimes, the high pressure and cold

arctic air that follow in the wake of a clipper become the initial set up for a Nor'easter. In very rare

cases, elements combine to produce very localized heavy snow without any fronts or storm centers

nearby.