Flood, Jackson
- When
- February 5, 3:00 AM CST to February 9, 1:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Illinois, February 5 to 9, 1996
Extremely cold weather in early February caused ice jams to form along the Mississippi River north of Cairo. S.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
- 3
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.
Extremely cold weather in early February caused ice jams to form along the Mississippi River north of Cairo. The U.S. Coast Guard closed the river from Cairo, IL to St. Louis, MO for a few days. There was 100 percent ice blockage near Thebes, Illinois for several hours. This caused the river to rise 6 feet at Cape Girardeau, but it remained well below flood stage. Scores of barges were trapped by ice, resulting in significant losses to the river industry. Once the ice started moving, several barges broke loose from their moorings and had to be rounded up by the Coast Guard. Numerous navigational aids were displaced or damaged by the ice.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Union
- When
- February 5, 3:00 AM CST to February 9, 1:00 PM CST
- Where
- Union forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.471, -89.255 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Alexander
- When
- February 5, 3:00 AM CST to February 9, 1:00 PM CST
- Where
- Alexander forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Cold in Florida, February 5, 1996
- Frost and Freeze in Florida, February 5, 1996
- Debris Flows in Oregon, February 5 to 9, 1996
- Cold in Alabama, February 5, 1996
- Cold in Alabama, February 5, 1996
- Cold in North Carolina, February 5 to 7, 1996
- Cold in Maryland, February 5 to 7, 1996
- Winter Storm in Oregon, February 5 to 6, 1996
- High Wind in Oregon, February 5 to 6, 1996
- Flooding in Missouri, February 5 to 9, 1996
- Cold in Virginia, February 5 to 7, 1996
- High Wind in Alaska, February 5 to 7, 1996
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, February 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: 5539213, 5539214, 5539215.