Flooding in Missouri, May 1 to 8, 1997

Name: Flooding in Missouri, May 1 to 8, 1997
Start: 1997-05-01T00:01
End: 1997-05-08T18:00
Location: Missouri

May 1 to 8, 1997 · NWS PAH · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

2 flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

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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.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Perry

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 8, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Perry forecast zone
Coordinates: 37.707, -89.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Mississippi River fell below flood stage at Cape Girardeau on May 8, after cresting a few feet above flood stage in late April. Planting season was generally delayed until after the river fell below flood stage, so damage was minimal. The Mississippi again rose above flood stage on May 31, which resulted in significant problems for bottomland farmers.

Flood, Cape Girardeau

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 8, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Cape Girardeau forecast zone
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

Every storm in Missouri in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Missouri, 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: 5604597, 5604598.