 Satellite image of the storm on November 4 over the Carolinas | |
| Date | November 1985 |
|---|---|
| Location | Mid-Atlantic States (particularly West Virginia and Virginia) |
| Deaths | 62 total |
| Property damage | $1.4 billion (1985 USD)[nb 1] |
The 1985 Election Day floods — also known as the Killer Floods of 1985 in West Virginia[1] — produced the costliest floods in both West Virginia and Virginia in November 1985. The event occurred after Hurricane Juan, a tropical cyclone in the 1985 Atlantic hurricane season, meandered near the coast of Louisiana before striking just west of Pensacola, Florida late on October 31. Juan moved northward into Canada, but spawned another system that spread moderate rainfall across the Mid-Atlantic States, wetting soils. On November 3, a low pressure area developed south of Florida and moved northeastward along a cold front, bringing a plume of moisture influenced by Juan's previous track. The storm moved through the southeastern United States, stalling on November 5 west of Washington, D.C. before turning out to sea the next day. The event was known as the Election Day floods due to its concurrence with elections in Virginia.
Damage was heaviest in Virginia and West Virginia. In the former state, the rainfall peaked at 19.77 in (502 mm) just northeast of Montebello. The rains increased levels along many rivers to record heights across Virginia, including the James River which crested at 42.15 ft (12.85 m) at a station called Holcomb Rock, the highest level in the state. In Roanoke, the Roanoke River rose 18.57 ft (5.66 m) in ten hours to a peak of 23.35 ft (7.12 m), considered a 1 in 200 year event. In the city, many residents had to be rescued after they were trapped, and three people drowned by driving into flooded waters. Considered the worst flood on record in the city, Roanoke sustained $225 million in damage, with 3,100 damaged homes and businesses. There was also flooding in Richmond after the James River crested at the second-highest level on record. Throughout Virginia, damage was estimated at $753 million, making it the state's costliest flood at the time, and there were 22 deaths.
In West Virginia, 27 river gauging stations were 1 in 100 year events, mostly along the Potomac and Monongahela basins. As most of West Virginia's liveable land is along flood plains, the river flooding caused heavy damage in the state, mostly in the eastern portion. High waters washed away topsoil and thousands of trees, and over 13,000 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed in the state. Damage was estimated at nearly $700 million, making it West Virginia's costliest flood, and there were 38 deaths. Flooding also affected Maryland, although to a lesser degree than neighboring Virginia, with $21 million in damage and one death. There was also tidal flooding in the state along the Chesapeake Bay from the storm, which washed away beaches just weeks after Hurricane Gloria affected the coastline. In Pennsylvania, flooding was worst along the Monongahela River in the state's southwest portion. During the storm, a power company opened the flood gates of the Lake Lynn dam along the river to preserve its integrity, triggering a class action lawsuit that ultimately failed. The floods damaged or destroyed 3,349 houses in Pennsylvania, causing $83 million in damage, as well as one death.
Overall damage was estimated at $1.4 billion, which would have been the fourth costliest United States hurricanes if it were a tropical cyclone, and there were 62 overall deaths. The flooding spurred changes to warning practices by the National Weather Service and the Government of Virginia. In December 2011, the United States Army Corps of Engineers completed a flood mitigation project in Roanoke, Virginia that began following the 1985 floods.
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