Missouri, 1997

Flash Flooding and Hail in Missouri, May 26, 1997

May 26, 1997 · NWS PAH · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

2 flash flood, 1 hail, 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
$100,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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), 150 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:38 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Wayne

When
May 26, 4:15 PM CST to 5:45 PM CST
Where
Wayne County, Williamsville
Coordinates
37.113, -90.461 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorms continually redeveloped over Wayne County. The storms produced copious amounts of rainfall, which amounted to as much as 5 inches in 3 hours, according to radar estimates.

Hail, Butler

When
May 26, 4:37 PM CST
Where
Butler County, 2 mi N of Poplar Bluff
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
36.780, -90.400

Flash Flood, Bollinger

When
May 26, 7:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Bollinger County, Marble Hill
Property damage
$100,000
Coordinates
37.322, -90.026 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorms produced rainfall amounts from 2 to 5 inches in northern Bollinger County within several hours time. Dozens of roads across the county were closed by flooding. Parts of Marble Hill and Lutesville were evacuated due to severe flooding of Crooked Creek. Cane Creek and the Castor River also flooded. A local official stated this was the worst flash flooding since 1983 in Bollinger County.

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Missouri in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5604722, 5604724, 5604723.