Flash Flood in Kentucky, May 26, 1997

Name: Flash Flood in Kentucky, May 26, 1997
Start: 1997-05-26T16:00
End: 1997-05-26T17:15
Location: Kentucky

May 26, 1997 · NWS PAH · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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: $20,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 68 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Fulton

When: May 26, 4:00 PM CST to 5:15 PM CST
Where: Fulton County, Hickman
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 36.554, -89.188 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorms tracked southeast across Fulton County from southeast Missouri, producing copious rainfall amounts. These storms occurred after 2 to 3 inches of rain fell earlier in the day. Storm water pumps were out of service in Hickman, which contributed to significant flooding of streets there. Creeks rose out of their banks near Fulton.

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kentucky in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Kentucky, May 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: 5604507.