The Mississippi 1927 flood began when heavy rains pounded the central basin of the Mississippi in the summer of 1926 . By September , the Mississippi 's tributaries in Kansas and Iowa were swollen to capacity . On New Year 's Day of 1927 , the Cumberland River at Nashville topped levees at . The Mississippi River broke out of its levee system in 145 places and flooded or about . The area was inundated up to a depth of . The flood caused over $ 400 million in damages and killed 246 people in seven states . The flood affected Arkansas , Illinois , Kentucky , Louisiana , Mississippi , Missouri , and Tennessee . Arkansas was hardest hit , with 14 % of its territory covered by floodwaters . By May 1927 , the Mississippi River below Memphis , Tennessee , reached a width of
Mississippi 1927 flood
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Steamboats of the Mississippi