With spring and summer on the horizon, pretty flowers and sunny days will be more common. But along with April and May, comes the common sight of rain and storms.
The saying
Most people have heard the saying, ‘April showers bring May flowers’. The phrase originated in the United Kingdom, where April was a more damp month with cooler temperatures. These factors postponed the flowers to bloom from late April to early may. The phrase can also mean going though tough times is necessary for having joy and happiness, just like how flowers need rain or a storm to grow and bloom.
The flood of 1927
The phrase can also be a reference to the heavy rain that comes during this time of year. Spring rainstorms can bring inches of rain to several areas and cause massive flooding that fills up the drains. The storms that can occur in April can be not only dangerous, but fatal. After lots of heavy rain in Mississippi in 1927, the Mississippi river swelled significantly, causing heavy flooding and even submerged houses under 30 feet of water. The flood was the cause of around 250 deaths, and hundreds of others dispersed. It took around two months for the water to completely go away, leaving several families without food, water, clothing, or jobs.
“Mississippi River flood of 1927, flooding of the lower Mississippi River valley in April 1927, one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the United States. More than 23,000 square miles (60,000 square km) of land was submerged, hundreds of thousands of people were displaced, and some 250 people died.” States Britannica, a factual website for information on historical events.
The flood of 1993
Another damaging flood occurred in St. louis in 1993, with the start being a soggy fall in 1992, making the soil unable to hold anymore water. Then in 1993, heavy rain caused around four feet of rain to be added to the already saturated soil. More and more rain and storms occurred over St. Louis and the Mississippi river, making the river have up to 10 feet of added water.
“In April, the Mississippi River had crested 6 to 10 feet above flood stage and once again near the same levels during the month of May. In the beginning of June the rivers dropped below flood stage and were receding. During the second week of June, river levels rose to near flood stage before yet again beginning their slow recession.” Stated the National Weather Service.
