Flood, Knox
- When
- February 21, 12:00 AM CST to February 23, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Knox forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.932, -90.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Illinois, February 21 to 23, 1997
A strong storm system produced very heavy rainfall on the 20th and 21st. The heaviest rains were along and north of the Illinois River.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- 2
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 ILX wrote it up.
A strong storm system produced very heavy rainfall on the 20th and 21st. The heaviest rains were along and north of the Illinois River. The area received 2 day totals of 3 to 4.5 inches of rain, which fell on frozen grounds. In response, the Spoon River at London Mills rose over 10 feet on the 21st and crested on the 22nd at 22.5 feet, 7.5 feet above flood stage. Water backed up into the basements of nearly all London Mills residences. Further downstream in Bernadotte, a low-lying park and a restaurant were flooded. No damage estimate was available.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Fulton
- When
- February 21, 12:00 AM CST to February 23, 11:00 PM CST
- Where
- Fulton forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.473, -90.207 (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
- Damaging Wind in Kentucky, February 21, 1997
- Tornadoes in Mississippi, February 21, 1997
- Tornado in South Carolina, February 21, 1997
- Rip Current in Florida, February 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Georgia, February 21, 1997
- Tornado in North Carolina, February 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Georgia, February 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Georgia, February 21, 1997
- Tornado in Georgia, February 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, February 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in South Carolina, February 21, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, February 21, 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: 5590232, 5590233.