Flooding in Illinois, May 1 to 31, 1996

Name: Flooding in Illinois, May 1 to 31, 1996
Start: 1996-05-01T00:01
End: 1996-05-31T23:59
Location: Illinois

May 1 to 31, 1996 · NWS PAH · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

The Mississippi River was above flood stage all month at Thebes. 5 feet over flood stage.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $50,000
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.

The Mississippi River was above flood stage all month at Thebes. It crested there at 40.5 feet on May 17, which is 7.5 feet over flood stage. The main effects were several closed roads and many acres of flooded crops. Flooding was widespread in the low-lying areas around Cache and Miller City. Very few homes were threatened by the rising water. Although crop damage estimates were not yet available, property damage was minimal.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Jackson

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Union

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Union forecast zone
Coordinates: 37.471, -89.255 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Alexander

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 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

Every storm in Illinois in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, May 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: 5554984, 5554985, 5554986.