Flood, Alexander
- When
- May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 20, 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Alexander forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Illinois, May 1 to 20, 1998
Moderate flooding of the lower Ohio River continued into mid May. The river crested 6 to 8 feet above flood stage at Shawneetown, Brookport, and Grand Chain.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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
- 6
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 PAH wrote it up.
Moderate flooding of the lower Ohio River continued into mid May. The river crested 6 to 8 feet above flood stage at Shawneetown, Brookport, and Grand Chain. The crest at Cairo was 10 feet over the 40-foot flood stage due partly to backwater from the swollen Mississippi River. The dates of the crest were on the 5th or 6th at Brookport, Grand Chain, and Cairo. The crest date upstream at Shawneetown was on the 12th. Flooding of low-lying agricultural areas, riverside parks, and river access roads was significant.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
6 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Gallatin
- When
- May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 20, 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Gallatin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.763, -88.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Hardin
- When
- May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 20, 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hardin forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.518, -88.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Massac
- When
- May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 20, 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Massac forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.219, -88.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Pope
- When
- May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 20, 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pope forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.413, -88.562 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Pulaski
- When
- May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 20, 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Pulaski forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.223, -89.127 (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
- High Wind in Alabama, May 1, 1998
- Heavy Rain in California, May 1 to 31, 1998
- Heavy Rain in California, May 1 to 15, 1998
- Hail in North Carolina, May 1, 1998
- Drought in Texas, May 1 to 31, 1998
- Drought in Texas, May 1 to 31, 1998
- Lightning Strike in Oregon, May 1, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Virginia, May 1, 1998
- Flash Flood in Ohio, May 1 to 2, 1998
- Flooding in Kentucky, May 1 to 16, 1998
- Hail in Texas, May 1, 1998
- Hail in Georgia, May 1, 1998
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, May 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: 5644510, 5644511, 5644512, 5644513, 5644514, 5644515.