Flood, Perry
- When
- February 24, 2:00 AM CST to February 28, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Perry forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.707, -89.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Missouri, February 24 to 28, 1997
Heavy rainfall during the latter half of February across the upper Plains sent the Mississippi River rising above flood stage by month's end. At Cape Girardeau, the river rose above the 32 foot flood stage on the 24th, and was near 37 feet by the end of the month.
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
- $25,000
- 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 PAH wrote it up.
Heavy rainfall during the latter half of February across the upper Plains sent the Mississippi River rising above flood stage by month's end. At Cape Girardeau, the river rose above the 32 foot flood stage on the 24th, and was near 37 feet by the end of the month. The river rose unusually fast, from 15 feet on the 21st to over 35 feet on the 26th. This rapid rise caught some contractors by surprise. A bridge project near Cape Girardeau was abruptly halted by the rising water. Some damage occurred to the work area before contractors could build a makeshift levy.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Cape Girardeau
- When
- February 24, 2:00 AM CST to February 28, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Cape Girardeau forecast zone
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Coordinates
- 37.384, -89.684 (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
- High Wind in Utah, February 24, 1997
- High Wind in Hawaii, February 24 to 26, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, February 24 to 25, 1997
- High Wind in California, February 24 to 25, 1997
- High Wind in Alaska, February 24 to 25, 1997
- Heavy Snow in New York, February 24 to 25, 1997
- Heavy Snow in New York, February 24, 1997
- High Wind in New Mexico, February 24, 1997
- High Wind in Hawaii, February 24 to 26, 1997
More
Every storm in Missouri in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, 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: 5591260, 5591261.