Flooding in Illinois, February 20 to 22, 1997

Name: Flooding in Illinois, February 20 to 22, 1997
Start: 1997-02-20T18:00
End: 1997-02-22T18:00
Location: Illinois

February 20 to 22, 1997 · NWS LOT · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

Heavy rainfall occurred during the period from February 20th to early February 22nd. Between 3 to 4 inches of rain fell over parts of Northern Illinois.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 13

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 LOT wrote it up.

Heavy rainfall occurred during the period from February 20th to early February 22nd. Between 3 to 4 inches of rain fell over parts of Northern Illinois. Widespread extensive flooding resulted from the heavy rains falling over still frozen soils.Rainfall totals for this period include; O'hare - *4.07 inches(*highest daily rainfall amount for any day in February in Chicago), Midway - 4.6 inches, Aurora - 4.0 inches, Romeoville (NWS office) 4.2 inches, Elgin - 3.9 inches, Libertyville - 3.3 inches, Hampshire - 3.5 inches, Morris - 4.0 inches, Wheaton - -3.6 inches, Park Forest - 3.2 inches, Ottawa - 3.2 inches and DeKalb - 3.2 inches.Along the Upper Illinois River, from Morris down to LaSalle, the river crested within a foot of record crest on February 22nd. Flooding forced the closure of Nettle Creek School and Saratoga School in Morris. In Grundy County, numerous roads were flooded with an estimated $48,000 in roadway damage. Property damage was estimated at $250,000 throughout Grundy County. In Sycamore, DeKalb County, some 300 residents were evacuated from Evergreen Terrace Mobile Home Park. In Ottawa, the Ottawa Township High School and Central Schools had an estimated $40,000 worth of damage.The heavy rainfall brought the Des Plaines River above flood stage. It was estimated as many as 200 homes were affected in some way by the Des Plaines River flooding. In Maine Township of Cook County, some 168 homes received water damage.Widespread flooding occurred along the Pecatonica and Kishwaukee Rivers in North Central Illinios. Flooding affected primarily roads and large areas of farmland along the river.One death occurred during this period. A 63 year-old woman died when she drove her car into a barricaded, flooded viaduct under railroad tracks in Matteson, a south suburb of Chicago.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Winnebago

When: February 20, 6:00 PM CST to February 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Winnebago forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 42.336, -89.161 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, McHenry

When: February 20, 6:00 PM CST to February 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where: McHenry forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.324, -88.452 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Ogle

When: February 20, 6:00 PM CST to February 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Ogle forecast zone
Coordinates: 42.043, -89.321 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Lee

When: February 20, 6:00 PM CST to February 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Lee forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.746, -89.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, De Kalb

When: February 20, 6:00 PM CST to February 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where: De Kalb forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.894, -88.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Kane

When: February 20, 6:00 PM CST to February 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Kane forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.939, -88.429 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Du Page

When: February 20, 6:00 PM CST to February 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Du Page forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.852, -88.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Cook

When: February 20, 6:00 PM CST to February 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Cook forecast zone

Flood, La Salle

When: February 20, 6:00 PM CST to February 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where: La Salle forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.344, -88.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Kendall

When: February 20, 6:00 PM CST to February 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Kendall forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.591, -88.429 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Grundy

When: February 20, 6:00 PM CST to February 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Grundy forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.285, -88.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Will

When: February 20, 6:00 PM CST to February 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Will forecast zone

Flood, Kankakee

When: February 20, 6:00 PM CST to February 22, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Kankakee forecast zone
Coordinates: 41.138, -87.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Flood, Winnebago	1997-02-21	63	Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

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 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5589915, 5589916, 5589917, 5589918, 5589919, 5589920, 5589921, 5589922, 5589923, 5589924, 5589925, 5589926, 5589927.