Flash Flood, St. Clair
- When
- April 28, 8:30 PM CST to April 29, 5:00 AM CST
- Where
- St. Clair County, Countywide
- Coordinates
- 38.470, -89.928 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Illinois, April 28 to 29, 1996
St. Clair County was declared a Federal Disaster Area due to the flash flooding which occurred, the result of a 6 to 8 inch rainfall.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- 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 LSX wrote it up.
St. Clair County was declared a Federal Disaster Area due to the flash flooding which occurred, the result of a 6 to 8 inch rainfall. A levee along Harding Creek broke flooding numerous homes and businesses. The Washington Park area was especially hard hit as an entire mobile home park had to be evacuated. Interstate highways 70, 64, and 255 were all closed at various times. Flooding also occurred near Freeburg as Silver Creek rose out of its banks closing Highway 13. Much of the floodwater remained standing for several days complicating clean-up activities. County government did not have any damage estimates available.
The radar
The St Louis radar (KLSX), 70 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:29 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Tornado in Missouri, April 28, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Kansas, April 28, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, April 28, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Kansas, April 28, 1996
- Tornado in Missouri, April 28, 1996
- Flash Flood in Illinois, April 28, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, April 28, 1996
- Flash Flood in Illinois, April 28, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Kansas, April 28, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, April 28, 1996
- Flash Flood in Illinois, April 28, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Kansas, April 28, 1996
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5545016.