Alert archive / Illinois / Flash Flood Warnings in 2026

Flash Flood Warning 57, NWS Paducah, KY

July 9, 2026Alexander County, Illinois

NWS Paducah, KY issued this flash flood warning at Jul 9, 2026, 10:58 PM CDT for Alexander County, Illinois. It was in force for 8 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
Jul 9, 2026, 10:58 PM CDT (03:58 UTC)
Expired
Jul 10, 2026, 6:38 AM CDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Paducah, KY
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Alexander County, IL

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 52 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:01 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

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 4.0 hours before the alert went out and 268 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 2026-07-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2197 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 2026-07-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -30 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
2197 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-16 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1508 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
50 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 Jul 9, 6:28 PM CDT, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • A slight risk (level 2 of 5) of severe storms continues late this afternoon into tonight. The main severe hazard is damaging winds, with a heavy rain hazard capable of localized flooding.
  • There is a similar, lingering, albeit smaller marginal risk (level 1 of 5) of severe storms late Friday into Friday night, then again Saturday into Saturday night.
  • Repeated rounds of heavy rainfall are possible into and through the weekend; a Flood Watch is in effect. 1 to 3 inches cumulative rainfall is forecast on average, but locally higher amounts twice that or more are possible if and where storms repeat over the same areas.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 9, 6:28 PM CDT, 4 hours 30 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Paducah KY
628 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- A slight risk (level 2 of 5) of severe storms continues late
  this afternoon into tonight. The main severe hazard is
  damaging winds, with a heavy rain hazard capable of localized
  flooding.

- There is a similar, lingering, albeit smaller marginal risk
  (level 1 of 5) of severe storms late Friday into Friday night,
  then again Saturday into Saturday night.

- Repeated rounds of heavy rainfall are possible into and
  through the weekend; a Flood Watch is in effect. 1 to 3
  inches cumulative rainfall is forecast on average, but locally
  higher amounts twice that or more are possible if and where
  storms repeat over the same areas.

&&

.UPDATE...
Issued at 628 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2026

Updated the aviation section for the 00Z TAF issuance.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 1205 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2026

As the near term environment becomes increasingly warm and
unstable, expect an approaching short wave this evening to touch
off/expand our storm threat. The latest CAM modeling suggests it
might be moreso in the evening vs the late pm, but cannot rule
out earlier development entirely. The wave brings increased
shear and steepening lapse rates aloft, so the slight risk svr
continues with damaging winds the main such hazard. Localized
flooding will be possible from heavy rains, esp if they can
train over the same areas.

The aforementioned wave lingers activity into Friday morning,
then there is a relative wane before another similar looking
wave touches off convection late Friday into Friday night. Rinse
and repeat for Saturday into Saturday night. Any of these
storms will have just enough shear to work with from their
parent driving wave(s) to keep a marginal risk of severe storms
for damaging winds, while the continuing heavy rain hazard only
heightens the localized flooding potential based upon repeat or
training storms dumping high PW rainfall over the same areas.
While we have 1-3" in the storm average cumulative rainfall
forecast generally speaking, there is potential for localized
higher amounts twice or more that, esp if they can repeat over
the same areas...the Flood Watch continues.

We'll have to monitor daily storm chances into early next week,
as the models get a little muddier with when/where they set up
the broader synoptic scale ridge; this should eventually serve
to stop our daily chances and heat us up a little. For now,
we're looking at by mid week seeing its drying/warming impacts
with highs more regularly pushing 90F again.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY/...
Issued at 628 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2026

Scattered showers and thunderstorms are forecast for the Quad
State this evening, with greater frequency expected over
Southeast Missouri. Some of these storms may be strong to
severe. Vsby drops accompany thunderstorms and heavy rain, and
cigs drop to MVFR, at least in the northeastern half. Continued
shower/storm activity remains overnight but diminishes early
morning. Isolated-scattered shower/storm activity returns during
the afternoon. Outside of thunderstorms, winds will be around
3-5kts tonight, increasing to 7-9 kts out of the southwest for
Friday.

&&

.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IL...Flood Watch through late Saturday night for ILZ075>078-080>094.
MO...Flood Watch through late Saturday night for MOZ076-086-087-100-
     107>112-114.
IN...Flood Watch through late Saturday night for INZ081-082-085>088.
KY...Flood Watch through late Saturday night for KYZ001>022.

&&

UPDATE...ATL
DISCUSSION...
AVIATION...ATL
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 9, 12:30 PM CDT, 10 hours 28 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Paducah KY
1230 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2026

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-
100-107>112-114-101000-
Jefferson-Wayne IL-Edwards-Wabash-Perry IL-Franklin-Hamilton-
White-Jackson-Williamson-Saline-Gallatin-Union-Johnson-Pope-
Hardin-Alexander-Pulaski-Massac-Gibson-Pike-Posey-Vanderburgh-
Warrick-Spencer-Fulton-Hickman-Carlisle-Ballard-McCracken-Graves-
Livingston-Marshall-Calloway-Crittenden-Lyon-Trigg-Caldwell-
Union KY-Webster-Hopkins-Christian-Henderson-Daviess-McLean-
Muhlenberg-Todd-Perry MO-Bollinger-Cape Girardeau-Wayne MO-Carter-
Ripley-Butler-Stoddard-Scott-Mississippi-New Madrid-
1230 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2026 /130 PM EDT Thu Jul 9 2026/

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southern
Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast
Missouri.

.DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight

There is a slight risk of severe storms late this afternoon into
tonight. Damaging winds is the primary severe hazard, but an
isolated tornado and large hail cannot be ruled out. Heavy rain
will bring a risk of localized flooding, especially if and where
storms can repeat over the same areas. A Flood Watch is in effect,
refer to the Watch for additional details.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday

Thunderstorm chances continue daily into and through the weekend.
Some of the storms Friday through Saturday could be strong to
severe, with heavy rains providing a localized flooding threat,
especially if and where they repeat over the same areas. A Flood
Watch continues through Saturday night.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may be needed, stay abreast of the latest
updates and forecasts.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 9, 8:47 PM CDT, 2 hours 11 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Paducah KY
847 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2026

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

0700 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     1 ENE Charleston        36.92N 89.33W
07/09/2026                   Mississippi        MO   Public

            Tree down across S Gilmore Ave.

&&

ATL
Local storm report, Jul 9, 8:54 PM CDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Paducah KY
854 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2026

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

0749 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Grandview               37.94N 86.98W
07/09/2026                   Spencer            IN   Law Enforcement

            Multiple trees were downed in Spencer
            County, with reports mainly coming from
            Grandview.

&&

ATL
Local storm report, Jul 9, 8:55 PM CDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Paducah KY
855 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2026

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

0844 PM     Flood            1 NNW Benton            36.87N 88.37W
07/09/2026                   Marshall           KY   Public

            Water over Highway 348 in several places
            around Benton.

&&

DRS
Local storm report, Jul 9, 9:03 PM CDT, 1 hour 55 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Paducah KY
903 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2026

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

0448 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     1 W West Salem          38.52N 88.02W
07/09/2026                   Edwards            IL   Law Enforcement

            A tree was downed on County Rd 700 E. A
            powerline was downed in West Salem.

&&

ATL
Local storm report, Jul 9, 9:13 PM CDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Paducah KY
913 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2026

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

0750 PM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Grandview               37.94N 86.98W
07/09/2026                   Spencer            IN   Broadcast Media

            A large barn collapsed due to thunderstorm
            winds in Grandview.

&&

ATL
Special weather statement, Jul 9, 10:10 PM CDT, 48 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Paducah KY
1010 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2026

ILZ092-093-KYZ003-004-MOZ087-111-112-100400-
Alexander IL-Pulaski IL-Carlisle KY-Ballard KY-Cape Girardeau MO-
Scott MO-Mississippi MO-
1010 PM CDT Thu Jul 9 2026

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT PULASKI...ALEXANDER...CENTRAL
CARLISLE...WESTERN BALLARD...NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI...SCOTT AND
SOUTHEASTERN CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTIES THROUGH 1100 PM CDT...

At 1010 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from near Scott City to near Horseshoe Lake
Conservation Area. Movement was east at 35 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects.

Locations impacted include...
Cape Girardeau, Charleston, Scott City, Chaffee, Cairo, La Center,
Benton, Bardwell, Wickliffe, Bertrand, Mounds, Morley, Barlow, Tamms,
Mound City, Kelso, Gordonville, Wyatt, Dutchtown, and Cape Girardeau
Airport.

This includes the following highways...
 Interstate 57 in Illinois between Mile Markers 1 and 18.
 Interstate 57 in Missouri between Mile Markers 6 and 21.
 Interstate 55 between Mile Markers 70 and 96.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until midnight CDT for
southern Illinois...western Kentucky...and southeastern Missouri.

&&

LAT...LON 3727 8903 3684 8892 3692 8957 3731 8969
TIME...MOT...LOC 0310Z 285DEG 29KT 3723 8949 3703 8930

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

DW

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 9, 7:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHFulton29 min
Jul 9, 7:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatPAHBallard, Carlisle, Graves, Hickman, McCracken28 min
Jul 9, 7:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHDaviess38 min
Jul 9, 7:44 PM CDTTornado WarningPAHGraves, Hickman16 min
Jul 9, 8:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHCaldwell, Christian, Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Todd, Trigg29 min
Jul 9, 8:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHCalloway, Graves, Lyon, McCracken, Marshall, Trigg52 min
Jul 9, 8:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHCalloway, Fulton, Graves, Hickman51 min
Jul 9, 8:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHLyon, Trigg40 min
Jul 9, 8:43 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHCalloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Marshall4 hr
Jul 9, 8:49 PM CDTTornado WarningPAHTrigg21 min
Jul 9, 8:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHCalloway, Marshall, Trigg29 min
Jul 9, 9:20 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHTrigg3 hr
Jul 9, 9:45 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHFulton, Hickman2 hr
Jul 9, 10:10 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementPAHBallard, Carlisle50 min
Jul 9, 10:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHTodd14 min
Jul 9, 11:06 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningPAHBallard8 hr
Jul 9, 11:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHBallard, Carlisle, McCracken52 min
Jul 10, 12:15 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementPAHBallard45 min
Jul 10, 12:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHBallard, Carlisle, Graves, McCracken40 min
Jul 10, 1:09 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHMcCracken74 min
Jul 10, 2:22 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningPAHMcCracken4 hr
Jul 10, 2:37 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHLivingston4 hr
Jul 10, 3:05 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementPAHHickman40 min
Jul 10, 3:07 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHCarlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman4 hr
Jul 10, 5:11 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHCalloway, Marshall3 hr
Jul 9, 7:24 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementPAHWabash51 min
Jul 9, 10:38 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHAlexander2 hr
Jul 10, 12:09 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningPAHJackson6 hr
Jul 10, 12:31 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningPAHJohnson, Union, Williamson6 hr
Jul 10, 12:59 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHUnion5 hr
Jul 10, 1:27 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningPAHMassac5 hr
Jul 10, 1:44 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHPope27 min
Jul 10, 2:09 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningPAHPope4 hr
Jul 10, 6:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHJackson, Perry47 min
Jul 9, 9:09 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHStoddard2 hr
Jul 9, 10:14 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHMississippi, New Madrid73 min
Jul 10, 12:14 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHBollinger26 min
Jul 10, 12:34 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHCape Girardeau, Scott22 min
Jul 10, 12:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHBollinger, Wayne41 min
Jul 10, 12:39 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningPAHBollinger6 hr
Jul 10, 12:55 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningPAHCape Girardeau, Scott6 hr
Jul 10, 1:01 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHBollinger, Cape Girardeau, Scott, Stoddard, Wayne44 min
Jul 10, 1:05 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHWayne97 min
Jul 10, 1:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHMississippi, New Madrid, Scott, Stoddard51 min
Jul 10, 2:07 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPAHScott, Stoddard38 min
Jul 10, 2:42 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningPAHWayne4 hr
Jul 10, 2:45 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningPAHScott, Stoddard4 hr
Jul 10, 6:28 AM CDTRiver Flood WarningPAHWayne29 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Illinois, 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.