Illinois, 1998

Flood in Illinois, January 8 to 10, 1998

January 8 to 10, 1998 · NWS ILX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A persistant rain fell across Central Illinois over a 6 day period from January 4 through 9. This created rises and subsequent flooding on the Little Wabash River at Clay City by January 8.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
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 ILX wrote it up.

A persistant rain fell across Central Illinois over a 6 day period from January 4 through 9. This created rises and subsequent flooding on the Little Wabash River at Clay City by January 8. Only minor flooding of low lying areas adjacent to the river resulted with a crest only about 1 foot above flood stage on January 9.

The radar

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

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Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Clay

When
January 8, 6:00 PM CST to January 10, 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

More

Every storm in Illinois in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, January 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: 5629902.