Flash Flood in Illinois, April 28, 1996

Name: Flash Flood in Illinois, April 28, 1996
Start: 1996-04-28T13:54
End: 1996-04-28T22:00
Location: Illinois

April 28, 1996 · NWS PAH · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Widespread rainfall amounts from 4 to 7 inches in 24 hours caused extensive flooding. A pickup truck stalled in high water in rural Saline County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $1.5 million
Crop damage: $50,000
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS PAH wrote it up.

Widespread rainfall amounts from 4 to 7 inches in 24 hours caused extensive flooding. A pickup truck stalled in high water in rural Saline County. By the time the owner returned to it, it was submerged under 6 feet of water. Extensive flooding of farm fields forced farmers to delay spring planting indefinitely. The Harrisburg water treatment plant reported 5.75 inches in 24 hours. A number of roads and highways were closed. Schools were closed. Saline County was declared a federal disaster area. About 1.3 million dollars damage occurred to private property.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Saline

When: April 28, 1:54 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Saline County, Harrisburg
Property damage: $1.5 million
Crop damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 37.753, -88.541 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Illinois in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, April 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5543413.