Flood Inundation Maps and Water Surface Elevation Data for the February 17, 2020 flood of the Pearl River at Jackson, Mississippi

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) documented the extent of flooding along a reach of the Pearl River through the metropolitan area of Jackson, Mississippi following the flood event of February 10-26, 2020. The event was a result of heavy precipitation over a 72-hour period combined with pre-existing saturated soil conditions in the upper portions of the Pearl River basin. USGS streamgages 02482000 Pearl River at Edinburg, MS and 02482550 Pearl River at Carthage, MS recorded 8.2 and 8.6 inches of precipitation respectively for the period of February 10-13. On February 17, the Pearl River crested at USGS streamgage 02486000 Pearl River at Jackson, MS at 36.67 feet (ft) (270.06 ft North American Vertical Datum of 1988) which was the highest peak since 1983 and fourth highest peak since record began in 1901. The USGS recovered and surveyed 72 high-watermarks along a 19-mile valley reach of the Pearl River in the Jackson area. This reach extended from the Ross Barnett Reservoir dam downstream to the city of Byram. These high-watermarks represent headwater flooding along the Pearl River main stem and backwater flooding along multiple tributaries. Peak elevations were also recorded at seven tributary hydrograph stations within the study reach. The high-watermark elevations were used to develop maps depicting the areal extent and depths of the flood. A water surface profile of this event was also compared to profiles documented following the April 1979 and May 1983 flood events. The file types contained in this data release include shapefiles, rasters, graphic (jpg), comma-separated values (csv) files, and metadata.