Flooding in Missouri, May 1 to 31, 1996

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

May 1 to 31, 1996 · NWS PAH · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

The Mississippi River was above flood stage all month at Cape Girardeau. 6 feet over flood stage at Cape Girardeau.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: $100,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 Cape Girardeau. It crested at 40.6 feet on May 17, which is 8.6 feet over flood stage at Cape Girardeau. Most of the damage was to cropland. A small levy against backwater in the New Madrid Floodway failed on May 14, flooding many acres of corn and wheat. The Corps of Engineers went into Phase II floodfighting. Crop damage estimates were not assessed yet. Minor property damage was mostly to roads and parks. The floodgates were lowered in Cape Girardeau, which forced the closure of some railroad tracks. Precautions were taken at water treatment plants. Floodwaters forced some residents of Commerce, Missouri to evacuate.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Perry

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Perry forecast zone
Property damage: $100,000
Coordinates: 37.707, -89.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Cape Girardeau

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Cape Girardeau forecast zone
Coordinates: 37.384, -89.684 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Scott

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Scott forecast zone
Coordinates: 37.053, -89.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Mississippi

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Mississippi forecast zone
Coordinates: 36.828, -89.291 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, New Madrid

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: New Madrid forecast zone
Coordinates: 36.595, -89.652 (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 Missouri in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Missouri, 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: 5554979, 5554980, 5554981, 5554982, 5554983.