Missouri, 1998

Tornado and Flash Flooding in Missouri, July 30, 1998

July 30, 1998 · NWS MEG · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

2 flash flood, 1 tornado, 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
$15,000
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 national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

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

Flash Flood, Dunklin

When
July 30, 2:15 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
Where
Dunklin County, Kennett
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
36.106, -90.166 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous streets in Kennett were flooded.

Tornado, Pemiscot

When
July 30, 2:15 AM CST to 2:20 AM CST
Where
Pemiscot County, Caruthersville
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
36.180, -89.650

A tornado briefly touched producing little damage.

Flash Flood, Pemiscot

When
July 30, 3:25 AM CST to 5:00 AM CST
Where
Pemiscot County, Caruthersville
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
36.211, -89.785 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several businesses in Caruthersville had up to 6 inches of water in them. A few roads were flooded as well.

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.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Missouri in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Missouri, 1998Warnings in Missouri, July 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: 5662194, 5662195, 5662196.