1957 — April-June, Storms, flooding, south and central states esp. MO/10 OK/10 TX/21–52

–52 Blanchard tally from State breakouts below.
–18 Ludlum. The American Weather Book. 1982, p. 81. (No breakout into States.)

Summary of State Breakouts Below
Colorado (3)
Illinois (2)
Kansas (3)
Mississippi (1)
Missouri (10)
Oklahoma (10)
Texas (23)
Total 52

Breakout of April-June Storms, Rain and Flooding, by State (and localities where noted):

Colorado (3)
–3 Denver metro area, May 8. Flash flood; Mrs. Dixie Underwood, 20 and her two children.

Illinois (2)
–2 Belleville, ~June 17. Drownings; James E. Fletcher, 54, and Roger Chaffin, 24.

Kansas (3)
–2 Coffeyville, on Verdigris River, June 10.
–1 Ellis, June 16. Flash flood inundates basement cell of jail drowning Earl Perkins, 42.

Mississippi (1)
–1 Newsom area. Car swept away by flood waters washing across country road; Leland Newsom, ~30.

Missouri (10)
–7 Beaufort area, June 14. Flash flood sweeps family car from road, 400 yards downstream.
–1 Glennonville, Apr 5. Body of John A Mitchell, 74, farmer, found in drainage ditch.
–1 Marston area, Apr 5. Gloria Dean Williams, 12, fell from drainage ditch bridge into flood water.
–1 St. Louis. June 14. George G. Kampelmann, 62, slipped and fell cleaning storm sewer.

Oklahoma (10)
–9 State, week of May 12-18. “Nine persons died in last week’s floods…”
–2 Erick area north, May 16. Weather Bureau. Rainfall and Floods of [April-June] 1957. P73.
–1 Lindsay area, May 18. Man attempting to help woman from automobile in water.
–1 Meeker area, May 21. Car went out of control on rain-slick highway; Mrs. Ruth Wilson, 33.

Texas (23)
–1 Burnet area, below Inks Dam on Colorado River. Drowned while fishing; E. W. Hansen, 32.
–1 Dallas, White Rock Lake, ~Apr 27. Drowning; boy trying to wade in flooded back waters.
–1 Dallas, Trinity River, ~Apr 29. Man, 22, wading with dog, swept into “raging current.”
–1 Del Rio area east, May 11. Car driven into flood-swept highway; Mrs. Hazel Wood Miller.
–1 Estelline area, Fort Worth & Denver RR bridge over Red River tributary, June 1. Flood repair worker.
–1 Fort Worth area, north, April 20. Marine Creek floodwater sweeps car from low-water bridge.
–5 Guadalupe and San Antonio River basins/drainage areas. [Not using – too vague.]
–3 Killeen, Apr 24. Drownings; flood waters; Baudelio Gonzales, 58, wife Bonita, 53, grandson, Pedro, 5.
–2 Lake McClellan, north of Clarendon, May 30. Drownings; boat capsized in “severe thunderstorm.”
–1 Lake Colorado City, May 11. Drowning; Kevin Cooper, 7, of Odessa fell into the lake.
–5 Lampasas, May 12. Sulphur Creek levee failed after 7-inch rainfall; flash flood.
–1 Mineral Wells, Apr 28. Heart attack digging drainage ditch around home.
–2 San Antonio area (13M north), Cibolo Creek, June 2. Airmen wade into flood water; drown.
–1 Waco area 15M south, May 11. Flood water swept car from road; 21-month-old boy.
–2 Waco area, Cow Creek, May 12. Drownings; flash flood sweeps cars from hwy. 77 bridge.
–5 Locales not noted, May 31-June 2. [Might refer to Guadalupe and San Antonio River deaths.]

Sources

Abilene Reporter-News, TX. “Weather (continued from p. 1).” 5-13-1957, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/abilene-reporter-news-may-13-1957-p-4/

Associated Press. “7 Members of Family Drown as Flash Floods Hit St. Louis District.” Joplin News Herald, MO. 6-15-1957, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/joplin-news-herald-jun-15-1957-p-1/

Associated Press. “12 Are Dead In Texas Violence.” Lubbock Morning Avalanche, TX. 4-22-1957, p. 10. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lubbock-morning-avalanche-apr-22-1957-p-11/

Associated Press. “At Least Three Persons Drown…Floods Pound Texas Hard.” Abilene Reporter-News, TX. 5-13-1957, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/abilene-reporter-news-may-13-1957-p-1/

Associated Press. “Floods Menace Many Sections.” Abilene Reporter News, TX. 6-2-1957, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/abilene-reporter-news-jun-02-1957-p-1/

Associated Press. “Four Drown, 2 Missing in Wake of Heavy Rains.” Corpus Christi Times, TX. 5-13-1957, 16B. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/corpus-christi-times-may-13-1957-p-36/

Associated Press. “Four Drown, Flood Damage is Severe at Lampasas, Tex.” Chillicothe Constitution Tribune, MO. 5-13-1957, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/chillicothe-constitution-tribune-may-13-1957-p-1/

Associated Press. “Lampasas, Town That Died, Shows Signs of Recovery.” Big Spring Herald, TX. 5-14-1957, 2A. Accessed 3-1-2023: https://newspaperarchive.com/big-spring-daily-herald-may-14-1957-p-2/

Associated Press. “Many Drown After Rains Across State.” Snyder Daily News, TX. 5-13-1957, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/snyder-daily-news-may-13-1957-p-1/

Associated Press. “New Flash Floods Hit State. Ada Evening News, OK. 5-21-1957, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ada-evening-news-may-21-1957-p-1/

Associated Press. “Savage Storms Hit Wide Part of State.” Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, TX. 5-12-1957, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023: https://newspaperarchive.com/lubbock-avalanche-journal-may-12-1957-p-1/

Associated Press. “Storm Death Toll to 45 Across U.S.” Arkansas City Daily Traveler, KS. 4-6-1957, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/arkansas-city-traveler-apr-06-1957-p-2/

Associated Press. “Storms Rake State, Report One Fatality.” Monroe News-Star, LA. 4-4-1957, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/monroe-news-star-apr-04-1957-p-2/

Associated Press. “Three Drown in Flood at Denver.” Lubbock Evening Journal, TX. 5-9-1957, p. 10, sec. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023: https://newspaperarchive.com/lubbock-morning-avalanche-may-09-1957-p-51/

Associated Press. “Two Drown as Floods Sweep Broad Areas.” Arkansas City Daily Traveler, KS. 4-6-1957, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023: https://newspaperarchive.com/arkansas-city-traveler-apr-06-1957-p-2/

Corsicana Daily Sun, TX. “Weather (continued from p.1).” 4-25-1957, p. 10. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/corsicana-daily-sun-apr-25-1957-p-10/

Corsican Semi-Weekly Light, TX. “Weather (continued from p. 1).” 6-18-1957, p. 4. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/corsicana-semi-weekly-light-jun-18-1957-p-4/

Galveston Daily News, TX. “Rampant Flood Waters Push South…[identity is in photo narrative].” 4-30-1957, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/galveston-daily-news-apr-30-1957-p-59/

Ludlum, David M. The American Weather Book. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1982.

Pampa Daily News, TX. “2 Clarendon Men Drown in Lake McClellan.” 5-31-1957, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/pampa-daily-news-may-31-1957-p-1/

State of Texas Board of Water Engineers. Texas Floods – April-May-June 1957. October 1957, 126 pages. Accessed 2-28-2023 at: https://www.twdb.texas.gov/publications/reports/historic_groundwater_reports/doc/M278.pdf

United Press. “9-Day Siege of Floods in Texas Goes On.” Monroe Morning World, LA. 4-28-1957, p1. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/monroe-morning-world-apr-28-1957-p-1/

United Press. “Cleanup Operation Begins in Lampasas.” Amarillo Daily News, TX. 5-15-1957, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/amarillo-daily-news-may-15-1957-p-1/

United Press. “Forecasters Predict Easing of Cloudbursts as Rivers Flood.” Childress Index, TX. 6-3-1957, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/childress-index-jun-03-1957-p-1/

United Press. “More Rains Soak Texas for 11th Straight Day.” Mexia Daily News, TX. 4-29-1957, p. 1. Accessed 3-1-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/mexia-daily-news-apr-29-1957-p-1/

Weather Bureau, U.S. Dept. of Commerce. Rainfall and Floods of April, May, and June 1957 in the South-Central States (Technical Paper No. 33). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, March 1958. Accessed 2-28-2023 at: https://hdsc.nws.noaa.gov/hdsc/files25/TP33.pdf

Yost, I. D. Floods of April-June 1957 in Texas and Adjacent States (Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 1652-B). Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1963. Google preview accessed 2-28-2023 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=lP9YxgEACAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=true