Flood, Effingham
- When
- February 18, 12:00 AM CST to February 21, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Effingham forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.060, -88.590 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Illinois, February 18 to 21, 1998
5 inches fell across Southeast Illinois on February 16 to 18. This was enough to create flooding on the Little Wabash River at Clay City.
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
- 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.
What happened
The episode as NWS ILX wrote it up.
Widespread heavy rainfall of 1 to 1.5 inches fell across Southeast Illinois on February 16 to 18. This was enough to create flooding on the Little Wabash River at Clay City. Only minor flooding resulted of low land areas adjacent to the river with no damage noted as river levels only crested about 2 feet above flood stage.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Clay
- When
- February 18, 12:00 AM CST to February 21, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.754, -88.490 (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
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, February 18, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, February 18, 1998
- High Wind in Vermont, February 18, 1998
- Flood in Florida, February 18 to 24, 1998
- High Wind in Vermont, February 18, 1998
- High Wind in Vermont, February 18, 1998
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in Massachusetts, February 18, 1998
- High Wind in Vermont, February 18, 1998
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Maine, February 18, 1998
- Hail in Texas, February 18, 1998
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Hampshire, February 18, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Utah, February 18, 1998
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, February 1998
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: 5629912, 5629913.