FloodZoneMap.org

Flash Flood — Washington, MD

Jan 19, 1996

***Flood/Flash Flood***An unprecedented combination, in recent history, of unseasonably warm, humid air overriding a dense snow pack estimated between 12 and 18 inches (but up to 2 feet or more at higher elevations) caused nearly all of the pack to vanish in a 12-hour period. The unseasonably warm air was drawn northward around the circulation of a deepening storm west of the Appalachians late on the 18th and early on the 19th. The melting snow and heavy rains caused widespread, and in some ca

Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database (event 5541340). Narrative written by NWS staff at the time of the event.

Flood Risk Context for Washington, MD

This event is one of many recorded floods in Washington County. See the full FEMA flood zone map, NFIP claim totals, and disaster history for the area.

View Washington County flood data →

More Flood Stories

Flash Flood$4.6M damage

Washington, MD · May 15, 2018

A cold front slowly sagged southward through Pennsylvania during the afternoon hours of May 15th. A line of storms spread ahead of this front, causing a widespread 1-3 inches of rain across North Central and Northeast Maryland.

Read the full account →
Flash Flood$50K damage

Washington, MD · May 15, 2018

A cold front slowly sagged southward through Pennsylvania during the afternoon hours of May 15th. A line of storms spread ahead of this front, causing a widespread 1-3 inches of rain across North Central and Northeast Maryland.

Read the full account →
Flash Flood$50K damage

Washington, MD · May 15, 2018

A cold front slowly sagged southward through Pennsylvania during the afternoon hours of May 15th. A line of storms spread ahead of this front, causing a widespread 1-3 inches of rain across North Central and Northeast Maryland.

Read the full account →
Flood$15.0M damage

Washington, MD · Jan 19, 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.

Read the full account →