Flash Flood, Howell
- When
- February 26, 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Howell County, 6 mi E of Willow Springs
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 36.774, -91.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Missouri, February 26, 1997
A two year old girl drowned after the pickup truck driven by her mother was swept off a rain-swollen low water crossing on County Road 1550, six miles east of Willow Springs. Her mother was rescued.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- None recorded
- 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.
What happened
The episode as NWS SGF wrote it up.
A two year old girl drowned after the pickup truck driven by her mother was swept off a rain-swollen low water crossing on County Road 1550, six miles east of Willow Springs. Her mother was rescued. The young girl's body, which was strapped in a car seat, was found downstream about six hours later.
The radar
The Springfield radar (KSGF), 144 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:58 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Howell | 1997-02-26 | 2 | Female | In Water | Direct |
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
- Heavy Snow in Utah, February 26 to 28, 1997
- Heavy Rain in Missouri, February 26 to 27, 1997
- Heat in New Jersey, February 26 to 28, 1997
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 26 to 27, 1997
- Heat in Pennsylvania, February 26 to 28, 1997
- Winter Storm in Colorado, February 26, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Kansas, February 26 to 27, 1997
- Flooding in Missouri, February 26 to 28, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, February 26, 1997
- Heat in Maryland, February 26 to 28, 1997
- Winter Storm in Iowa, February 26 to 27, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Montana, February 26 to 27, 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: 5584857.