Flood, Cape Girardeau
- When
- May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 17, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cape Girardeau forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.384, -89.684 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Missouri, May 1 to 17, 1998
Moderate flooding of the mid Mississippi River continued into mid May. The river crested 3 or 4 feet above flood stage at both Cape Girardeau and New Madrid.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
- 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.
What happened
The episode as NWS PAH wrote it up.
Moderate flooding of the mid Mississippi River continued into mid May. The river crested 3 or 4 feet above flood stage at both Cape Girardeau and New Madrid. The crest occurred between the 4th and 6th of May. Flooding was generally confined to low-lying agricultural areas, river access roads, and recreational facilities such as parks and boat ramps.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Mississippi
- When
- May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 17, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mississippi forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 36.828, -89.291 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, New Madrid
- When
- May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 17, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- New Madrid forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 36.595, -89.652 (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 Illinois, May 1 to 20, 1998
- Flooding in Kentucky, May 1 to 16, 1998
- Hail in Texas, May 1, 1998
More
Every storm in Missouri in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, 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: 5644519, 5644520, 5644521.