A vehicle on Interstate 55 just south of Sikeston went out of control and into the St. Johns Bayou drainage ditch.
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.
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 episode as NWS PAH wrote it up.
A vehicle on Interstate 55 just south of Sikeston went out of control and into the St. Johns Bayou drainage ditch. A man pulled his wife to safety from the vehicle, then he fell back into the flooded ditch. His body was swept away and not recovered for over 24 hours. The wife was treated for injuries at a hospital.
The Paducah radar (KPAH), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:59 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
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, New Madrid | 1997-03-01 | 65 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, March 1997
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: 5594911.