| Revised by av & sc, July 2003 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1987 Global Register of Extreme Flood Events | ||||||||||||||||
| DFO # | Location | Detailed Locations | Began (mm/dd/yy) |
Ended (mm/dd/yy) |
Duration (days) |
Dead | Displaced | Damage (USD) |
Main Cause |
Secondary cause |
Recurrence Interval (Anecdotal) |
Severity Class* |
Hectares Flooded |
Hayden Code |
Affected Region (sq km) |
Flood Magnitude** |
| 1987-045 | US South | Lower Mississippi Valley -- Arkansas - Critteen County: Towns: West Memphis, Marion. Mississippi River. Also - Rock Creek flooded in Little Rock. -- Western Tennessee - Shelby County Towns: Millington, Raleigh North, Jackson, Franklin. Rivers: Mississippi, South Forked Deer, Harpeth | 12/25/87 | 12/29/87 | 5 | 3 | 6,000 | Heavy rain | See notes | "worst in 50 years in eastern Arkansas" | 2 | TsuCpSe* | 16,160 | 4.1 | ||
| 1987-044 | Central Vietnam | Central Vietnam | 12/05/87 | 12/10/87 | 6 | 86 | 40,000 | Brief torrential rain | 1 | 18,000 | Tpz | - | ||||
| 1987-043 | Southeastern Spain | East Coast - Valencia a Murcia regions. provinces: Alicante, Jaen. | 11/03/87 | 11/06/87 | 4 | 16 | 3,000 | Brief torrential rain | 1 | TsuCs | 37,570 | 2.7 | ||||
| 1987-042 | Jamaica | Southeastern Jamaica - most affected parishes: Clareon, St Catherine, Kingston, Trelawny, St Arew. towns of Crooked River, Riversdale. Rivers: Minho, Dogna | 10/30/87 | 11/01/87 | 3 | 4 | 1,000 | $300,000 | Tropical cyclone | 1 | Tpo | 4,600 | 0.7 | |||
| 1987-041 | Taiwan - Typhoon Lynn | Taiwan - Taipei city; Keelung River | 10/24/87 | 10/26/87 | 3 | 49 | Heavy rain | See notes | "Taipei's worst flooding in 40 years" | 2 | Tszo | 3,700 | 1.3 | |||
| 1987-040 | Lebanon a Egypt | Lebanon - Eastern Bekaa Valley, Al Assi River north of the town of Baalbeck. -- Egypt - Southestern Sinai Penninsula, Sinai a Suea | 10/17/87 | 10/19/87 | 3 | 10 | 200 | Brief torrential rain | Lebanaon "worst to hit the area in the past 100 years" | 3 | TsuCs | 12,690 | 3.7 | |||
| 1987-039 | Japan - Typoon Kelly | Islas: Shikoku a Honshu. Tottori prefecture | 10/16/87 | 10/17/87 | 2 | 8 | 3,000 | Heavy rain | 1 | TsoCp | 49,940 | 1.5 | ||||
| 1987-038 | Spain, France a Majorca Isla | Norhteastern Spain - three northernmost provinces of Catalonia: Barcelona, Gerona a Tarragona. -- Majorca - Provinces: Granada a Gerona. -- Southern France - Coastal areas of coast of Languedoc a Roussillon | 10/04/87 | 10/10/87 | 7 | 12 | Brief torrential rain | 1 | TsuCs | 64,610 | 4.9 | |||||
| 1987-037 | Western Guatemala a Southeastern Mexico | Guatemala - Huehuetenango Department. Towns: La Democracia, Santa Ana Huista, San Antonio Huista a Nenton. Rivers: Zapote, El Ingerto, Valpariaiso. -- Mexico - Tabasco State, Usumacinta River valley. Yucatan Peninsula town of Campeche | 10/01/87 | 10/08/87 | 8 | 36 | 3,500 | Brief torrential rain | 1 | Tpo | 70,300 | 5.5 | ||||
| 1987-036 | Central Mexico | Mexico City a surrouing areas. Hoo a Los Remedios rivers | 09/28/87 | 09/29/87 | 2 | 15 | 3,000 | Heavy rain | 1 | Tso | 2,770 | 0.4 | ||||
| 1987-035 | Southern a eastern South Africa | Provinces: Northern Natal Province a Eastern Cape. Kwazulu tribal homela, Valley of a Thousa Hills. Areas in a arou cities of Pietermaritzburg a Ladysmith. Area north of Durban. Tugela River | 09/26/87 | 10/02/87 | 7 | 300 | 60,000 | Heavy rain | 1 | Tso | 92,670 | 5.9 | ||||
| 1987-034 | US Mid Atlantic a Northeast | Eastern Pennsylvania - Lehigh a Lancaster Counties. Towns: Palmerton, Allentown. Rivers: Susquehanna, Lehigh, Conestoga a Schuylkill. -- Western Virginia - James River | 09/08/87 | 09/09/87 | 2 | 1 | 120 | Heavy rain | Allentown Mayor: "worst I have seen of the flooding of small streams in the city" | 1 | TsuCpSe* | 12,000 | 0.8 | |||
| 1987-033 | Northeast China | Heilongjiang Province - area arou Daqing oilfield. Songhua River | 08/27/87 | 09/15/87 | 20 | Heavy rain | 1 | 530,000 | TsuCpSe* | 100,400 | 9.5 | |||||
| 1987-032 | Venezuela | North-central coast - Aragua a Miraa States. Towns: Maracay, Barrio El Progreso, Mata Seca, San Jose, Sacanova, Godoy, Tierra Nuestra, El Limon, El Progreso a Guanita. Rivers: Limon a Delicias. | 09/06/87 | 09/08/87 | 3 | 112 | 30,000 | Brief torrential rain | 1 | Tpz | 19,300 | 1.5 | ||||
| 1987-031 | Eastern China | Shaong Province - capital city of Jinan | 08/26/87 | 08/27/87 | 2 | 51 | 6,000 | Brief torrential rain | "The latest storms were the heaviest to hit Jinan since 1962." | 1 | TsuCpSe* | 16,380 | 0.9 | |||
| 1987-030 | Bangladesh a Northeast Iia | Bangladesh - Districts: Rangpur, Dinajpur, Gaibaha, Kurigram, Noakhali, Noagaon, Mymensing, Sylhet, Netrokona, Jamlpur, Cox's Bazar, Chittagong, Chapai Nawabganj. Rivers: Ganges, Brahmaputra, Jumna a Teesta. -- Iia - Assam State, Lakhimpur District. 3,000 villages inuated. | 07/23/87 | 09/24/87 | 63 | 880 | 500,000 | $1,000,000,000 | Heavy rain | See notes | Bangladesh "worst flooding in 40 years" | 2 | 2,331,000 | Tszo | 240,100 | 40.6 |
| 1987-029 | Iran | Tehran area on July 26. Also the Boojhan River inundated Boojhan village in Khorassan province on July 24. | 07/24/87 | 07/27/87 | 4 | 147 | 1 | Cs | 50,250 | 3.1 | ||||||
| 1987-028 | South Korea | Chungchongnamdo Province: Puyo, Sochon, and Nonsan. Flooding extended up to Souel. Rivers: Paekma, Han, Kimgang, Kum. -- On July 27 another storm inundates Souel and causes floods in southern provinces of Chollanamdo and Kangwon | 07/21/87 | 07/29/87 | 9 | 330 | 35,900 | $22,000,000 | Brief torrential rain | See notes | 1 | TsuCpSe* | 9,040 | 2.1 | ||
| 1987-027 | China | Xinjiang Province - | 07/16/87 | 07/21/87 | 6 | 2 | 44,000 | $2,700,000 | Snowmelt | See notes | 1 | 82,880 | CSs* | 637,500 | 14.3 | |
| 1987-026 | US South | Texas - Kerr County town of Comfort, Guadalupe River | 07/17/87 | 07/17/87 | 1 | 9 | Heavy rain | Guadalupe River's worst flooding in 55 years | 2 | Tso | 990 | 0.1 | ||||
| 1987-025 | Italy | Italy - Valtellina Valley village of Tartano in Lombardy Region. area stretching from Bergamo east of Milan to Bolzano. -- Flooding also reported in southern Switzerland and Austria | 07/12/87 | 07/21/87 | 10 | 20 | 300 | $800,000,000 | Heavy rain | See notes | 1 | CpSe* | 4,680 | 1.6 | ||
| 1987-024 | Central Chile | Chile - Santiago area, Mapocho River. River Aconcagua in La Calera,. | 07/12/87 | 07/18/87 | 7 | 47 | 90,000 | Heavy rain | 1 | Cp | 36,280 | 3.7 | ||||
| 1987-023 | Columbia | Tolima Department towns of Ibague and Pastales. Combeima River and its tributaries | 07/04/87 | 07/06/87 | 3 | 15 | 240 | 1 | Tpz | 19,620 | 1.5 | |||||
| 1987-022 | Central China | Anhui Province - Jianghuai area. Chaohu, Chuxian and Huizhou Prefectures. Rivers: Yangtze, Huaihe, Chuhe. | 07/02/87 | 07/23/87 | 22 | 56 | 25,600 | 1 | 386,000 | TsuCpSe* | 268,100 | 16.0 | ||||
| 1987-021 | US Midwest | North-central Ohio - Counties: Richland, Morrow, Marion and Delaware. Towns: Shelby and Belleville. Blackfork River | 07/02/87 | 07/03/87 | 2 | 2,100 | $20,000,000 | worst in 30 years | 2 | TsuCpSe** | 11,880 | 1.5 | ||||
| 1987-020 | Central China | Sichuan Province - Counties: An, Jinzhu, Jintan, Pi, Guan and Shuangliu. | 06/24/87 | 07/02/87 | 9 | 40 | 1 | 138,306 | TsuCpSe* | 139,900 | 8.2 | |||||
| 1987-019 | Southern Texas and Mexico | Southern Texas - Towns: Cuero, Harlingen, Del Rio, Victoria. Guadalupe River. -- Mexico - Mexico City, Alta Vista, Valle Aragon, and San Miguel Xalostoc areas. Los Remedios River. On June 16 more flooding reported in Gustavo Madero, Xochimilco and Iztapalapa sections of the capital | 06/05/87 | 06/08/87 | 4 | 536 | same as 1981 on Guadalupe River | 1 | Tso | 7,259 | 1.2 | |||||
| 1987-018 | Dominican Republic | Towns: San Juan, La Vega and Santiago in the San Juan de la Maguana Valley. San Juan River | 05/30/87 | 05/31/87 | 2 | 10 | 200 | Heavy rain | 1 | Tpo | 7,876 | 0.6 | ||||
| 1987-017 | US Midwest | Southwestern Iowa - Mills and Montgomery counties. Towns: Hastings, Red Oak, Malvern, Emerson, Hamburg. Rivers: West Nishnabotna, Nishnabotna, East Nishnabotna. -- Eastern Nebraska - Weeping Water in Cass County. Weeping Water Creek. -- Pennsylvania - Pittsburgh area, Little Pine Creek in Etna, Shaler and Hampton Townships. -- Central and southwestern Oklahoma - Pauls Valley area, Washita River. -- Texas - Austin and San Antonio areas. Frio, Medina and Sabinal rivers. -- Northwestern Missouri - Missouri River broke through levees at Tarkio and Fairfax | 05/26/87 | 05/30/87 | 5 | 2 | 2,200 | $20,000,000 | Brief torrential rain | since 1947 for West Nishnabotna River | 2 | TsuCpSe** | 36,410 | 6.1 | ||
| 1987-016 | Southern China | Guangdong Province - 31 villages submerged in Zhangpu County; Guangzhou city. Other counties: Huiyang, Shantou, Shenzhen, Shaoguan, Zhaoqing and Jiangmen. Dongjiang River near Huizhou City. Henanyan town. The 4 major rivers in the province are 2 meters above danger level. Flooding continues in early June around Maoming City in Gaozhou, Xinyi, Huazhou, Yangjiang and Yangchun counties. -- Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region - 28 counties including Hengxian. | 05/19/87 | 06/09/87 | 22 | 178 | 470,000 | $108,000,000 | Heavy rain | Worst since 1974 in Guangzhou city. worst for a decade in Guangdong Province | 1 | 213,300 | TsoCpSe* | 274,100 | 16.2 | |
| 1987-015 | Southern Poland | Nowy Sacz Province, Carpathian mountain region | 05/23/87 | 05/26/87 | 4 | 500 | Brief torrential rain | 1 | 15,000 | CpSe* | 13,140 | 1.6 | ||||
| 1987-014 | Australia | Northern New South Wales and Southern Queensland - Tweed, Lismore, Brunswick, Murwillumbah and Mullumbimby. Wilson River | 05/09/87 | 05/11/87 | 3 | 3 | 400 | Heavy rain | 1 | Tsu | 5,030 | 0.8 | ||||
| 1987-013 | Yugoslavia | Serbia and northern Bosnia - floods in 20 villiages including those near the Western Serbia town of Loznica and Sanski Most. | 05/07/87 | 05/15/87 | 9 | 4 | Heavy rain | See notes | 1 | 10,000 | CpSe* | 23,820 | 3.4 | |||
| 1987-012 | Southern Ecuador | Between towns of Cuenca and Guayaquil. Bulu Bulu river | 04/03/87 | 04/05/87 | 3 | 100 | 3,000 | Brief torrential rain | 1 | 3,000 | Tpz | 15,800 | 1.4 | |||
| 1987-011 | US Northeast & Canada | Maine - Penobscot and Kennebec Counties, Towns: Augusta, Guilford, Livermore Falls, Wilton, Farmington, Lewiston, Dover, Skowhegan, Gardner and Hollowell. Rivers: Piscataquis, Androscoggin, Kennebec, St. John, Aroostook, Penobscot, Saco. -- New Hampshire - Pemigewasset River in Plymouth and Holderness. Claremont. Nashua River. -- Vermont - town of Island Pond. -- Massachusetts - Merrimack River Valley towns of Lowell, Lawrence, Andover, North Andover and Methuen. -- New Brunswick, Canada - towns of Perth and Andover, ice jam flood on St. John River | 03/31/87 | 04/09/87 | 10 | 5 | 5,000 | $110,000,000 | Snowmelt | See notes | Maine "worst on record" -- Worst 50 years in new Hampshire and Massachusetts | 2 | TsuCpSs** | 39,620 | 9.2 | |
| 1987-010 | Tajikistan | Donbass region, Sargazan village | 03/16/87 | 03/17/87 | 2 | 31 | 1,000 | Heavy rain | See notes | 1 | Cs | - | ||||
| 1987-009 | Peru | Town of Chosica and Lima area, Rimac River | 03/09/87 | 03/11/87 | 3 | 12 | 1,000 | Dam/Levy, break or release | See notes | 1 | Tpu | 4,670 | 0.8 | |||
| 1987-008 | Eastern Ecuador | Andean mountains of eastern Ecuador -Town of Tena. Aguarica River. Napo Province, towns of Quijo, Gonzalo Pizarro, Playas de Alto Coca. | 03/05/87 | 03/07/87 | 3 | 300 | 15,000 | Dam/Levy, break or release | See notes | 1 | Tpz | 31,910 | 2.0 | |||
| 1987-007 | Indonesia | Java Island - eastern districts of Bojonegoro, Tuban and Lamongan. Bengawan Solo River | 02/21/87 | 02/23/87 | 3 | 3 | 26,000 | $1,700,000 | Heavy rain | "worst in 74 years in east Java" | 2 | Tpz | 19,660 | 3.1 | ||
| 1987-006 | Georgia (USSR) | Mestia and Lentekhi districts. "many parts of eastern and western Georgia" | 01/28/87 | 02/14/87 | 18 | 110 | 10,000 | $583,000,000 | Heavy rain | See notes | 1 | 80,000 | CSs** | 33,920 | 5.3 | |
| 1987-005 | Peru | Town of Villa Rica (170 miles east of Lima on the east slopes of the Andes), Entaz and Esperanze rivers. Also nearby town of Oxapampa | 02/01/87 | 02/10/87 | 10 | 113 | 2,000 | Heavy rain | 1 | Tsu | 29,210 | 3.9 | ||||
| 1987-004 | Bolivia | Chapare region in central Bolivia, Chapare River. Towns: Villa Fatima, Nueva Esperanza and Tocopilla. | 01/20/87 | 01/30/87 | 11 | 20 | 3,000 | Heavy rain | 1 | 34,398 | Tpz | 12,810 | 2.7 | |||
| 1987-003 | Brazil | Sao Paulo city, Tiete River. | 01/26/87 | 01/28/87 | 3 | 69 | 9,000 | Heavy rain | See notes | 2 | Tpo | 7,000 | 1.8 | |||
| 1987-002 | Madagascar | Antananarivo and Ambatolampy-Antsirabe areas | 01/01/87 | 01/26/87 | 26 | 2 | 40,220 | Brief torrential rain | 1 | Tpo | 45,560 | 7.0 | ||||
| 1987-001 | Argentina and Paraguay | Chaco region, Rio Pilcomayo. Tucuman. Formosa province - western and central areas; Bermejo River. | 01/15/87 | 02/05/87 | 22 | 7 | 9,000 | Brief torrential rain | 1 | 400,000 | TsoCp | 224,500 | 14.6 | |||
| 1986-047 | Brazil | States: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais. Cities: Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro | 12/24/86 | 01/05/87 | 13 | 29 | 7,000 | Brief torrential rain | 1 | Tpo | 275,500 | 13.5 | ||||
| Yearly Totals or Averages | 8.5 | 3,247 | 1,459,016 | $2,667,700,000 | 4,241,884 | 3,029,225 | ||||||||||
| An archive number is assigned to any flood that appears to be "large": significant damage to structures or agriculture, long intervals since the last similar event, and/or fatalities | ||||||||||||||||
| *Severity assessment is on 1-3 scale | ||||||||||||||||
| Class I: large flood events: significant damage to structures or agriculture; fatalities; and/or 1-2 decades-long reported interval since the last similar event. | ||||||||||||||||
| Class 2: very large events: greater than 20 yr but less than 100 year recurrence interval, and/or a local recurrence interval of at 10-20 yr. | ||||||||||||||||
| Class 3: Extreme events: with an estimated recurrence interval greater than 100 years | ||||||||||||||||
| **Flood Magnitude = ln(duration) * severity class * sqrt(affected region)/100 {if duration=1, then duration is set at 1.1 for this calculation.} | ||||||||||||||||
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