Flood, Gallatin
- When
- February 1, 12:01 AM CST to February 8, 11:30 PM CST
- Where
- Gallatin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.763, -88.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Illinois, February 1 to 8, 1997
Snowmelt and thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall in January sent the Ohio River rising and cresting during the first half of February. 8 feet at Shawneetown on the 2nd and again on the 10th.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
- 4
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.
Snowmelt and thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall in January sent the Ohio River rising and cresting during the first half of February. The Ohio River crested at 35.8 feet at Shawneetown on the 2nd and again on the 10th. Flood stage there is 33 feet. At Brookport and Cairo, the Ohio River crested between 1 and 3 feet above flood stage on the 1st. Minor flooding of bottomland occurs at these stages. No significant damage occurred.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Alexander
- When
- February 1, 12:01 AM CST to February 8, 11:30 PM CST
- Where
- Alexander forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Pulaski
- When
- February 1, 12:01 AM CST to February 8, 11:30 PM CST
- Where
- Pulaski forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.223, -89.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Massac
- When
- February 1, 12:01 AM CST to February 8, 11:30 PM CST
- Where
- Massac forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.219, -88.708 (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
- Drought in Texas, February 1 to 28, 1997
- Drought in West Virginia, February 1 to 28, 1997
- High Wind in Wyoming, February 1, 1997
- High Wind in Alaska, February 1 to 3, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, February 1, 1997
- Flood in Indiana, February 1 to 3, 1997
- Flood in Illinois, February 1 to 8, 1997
- Flood in Illinois, February 1 to 9, 1997
- Flash Flood in Puerto Rico, February 1, 1997
- Flood in Montana, February 1, 1997
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, February 1997
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: 5591253, 5591254, 5591255, 5591256.