Alert archive / Illinois / Flash Flood Warnings in 2026

Flash Flood Warning 1, NWS Paducah, KY

March 5, 20264 counties in Illinois; Cape Girardeau County, Missouri

NWS Paducah, KY issued this flash flood warning at Mar 5, 2026, 12:49 AM CST for 4 counties in Illinois; Cape Girardeau County, Missouri. It was in force for 7 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 5, 2026, 12:49 AM CST (06:49 UTC)
Expired
Mar 5, 2026, 8:00 AM CST
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS Paducah, KY
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Alexander County, IL, Johnson County, IL, Pulaski County, IL, Union County, IL, Cape Girardeau County, MO

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:52 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 317 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2026-03-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2026-03-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 87 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
817 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
87 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
162 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Mar 4, 11:54 PM CST, 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 4, 11:54 PM CST, 55 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 4, 2:37 PM CST, 10 hours 12 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 4, 9:05 PM CST, 3 hours 44 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Paducah KY
905 PM CST Wed Mar 4 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0827 PM     Hail             2 SW East Prairie       36.76N 89.39W
03/04/2026  M1.00 Inch       Mississippi        MO   Public

&&
Local storm report, Mar 4, 9:10 PM CST, 3 hours 39 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Paducah KY
910 PM CST Wed Mar 4 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0904 PM     Hail             3 S Chaffee             37.13N 89.67W
03/04/2026  E0.75 Inch       Scott              MO   Public

            Report from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.).

&&
Special weather statement, Mar 4, 10:13 PM CST, 2 hours 36 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Paducah KY
1013 PM CST Wed Mar 4 2026

ILZ089-090-094-050500-
Massac IL-Pope IL-Johnson IL-
1013 PM CST Wed Mar 4 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTHWESTERN MASSAC...NORTHERN
POPE AND SOUTHEASTERN JOHNSON COUNTIES THROUGH 1100 PM CST...

At 1012 PM CST, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Karnak, or near Vienna, moving northeast at 35 mph.

HAZARD...Nickel size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Minor hail damage to vegetation is possible.

Locations impacted include...
Vienna, Dixon Springs, New Columbia, New Burnside, Belknap,
Eddyville, and Simpson.

This includes Interstate 24 in Illinois between Mile Markers 12 and
25.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM CST for
southern Illinois.

&&

LAT...LON 3724 8889 3738 8898 3760 8876 3760 8845
      3757 8841 3752 8841
TIME...MOT...LOC 0412Z 226DEG 30KT 3734 8891

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN
MAX WIND GUST...<30 MPH

JGG

The office that day

Everything else NWS Paducah, KY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 4, 8:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHBallard, Carlisle35 min
Mar 5, 5:23 AM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHBallard, Crittenden, Livingston, McCracken3 hr
Mar 5, 7:23 AM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHDaviess, Henderson, Union3 hr
Mar 5, 7:51 AM CSTAreal Flood WarningPAHCrittenden, Livingston3 hr
Mar 5, 9:59 AM CSTAreal Flood WarningPAHDaviess, Henderson, Union100 min
Mar 5, 11:16 AM CSTRiver Flood WarningPAHCrittenden, Union11 days
Mar 5, 11:18 AM CSTRiver Flood WarningPAHDaviess, Henderson7 days
Mar 4, 10:13 PM CSTSpecial Weather StatementPAHJohnson47 min
Mar 4, 10:22 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHJohnson, Massac, Pope53 min
Mar 4, 10:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHGallatin, Hardin, Pope, Saline50 min
Mar 4, 11:43 PM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHHardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski8 hr
Mar 5, 10:42 AM CSTRiver Flood WarningPAHGallatin, Wabash, White15 days
Mar 4, 8:42 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHMississippi33 min
Mar 5, 1:48 AM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHBollinger, Cape Girardeau, Perry54 min
Mar 5, 2:42 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningPAHBollinger, Cape Girardeau, Perry6 hr
Mar 5, 4:33 AM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHBollinger, Cape Girardeau3 hr
Mar 5, 8:51 AM CSTAreal Flood WarningPAHBollinger, Cape Girardeau, Perry2 hr
Mar 5, 9:41 AM CSTRiver Flood WarningPAHWayne30 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Illinois, 2026Flash Flood Warnings in Missouri, 2026Every flash flood warning in 2026

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.