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

7 feet at Murphysboro on May 2. Flood stage is 16 feet.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $100,000
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 Big Muddy River reached a near record level of 37.7 feet at Murphysboro on May 2. Flood stage is 16 feet. About 10 homes in Murphysboro were evacuated. Considerable damage occurred to a few houses and their contents. A main thoroughfare near the edge of Murphysboro was closed. About six families in Jackson County were displaced by flooding of the Big Muddy River.

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, Franklin

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Coordinates: 37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Jackson

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Coordinates: 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Williamson

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Williamson forecast zone
Coordinates: 37.730, -88.930 (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: 5554989, 5554990, 5554991.