The worst flooding in Madison County history struck the morning of April 3, 1999. Rainfall of 6 to 10 inches fell primarily during a 2 hour period resulting in flash flooding throughout the county.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 episode as NWS LSX wrote it up.
The worst flooding in Madison County history struck the morning of April 3, 1999. Rainfall of 6 to 10 inches fell primarily during a 2 hour period resulting in flash flooding throughout the county. The county was declared a Federal Disaster Area. At least 200 homes were either destroyed or suffered major damage as did about 30 businesses. Numerous livestock were also killed in the rural areas of the county. The city of Fredericktown was hard hit as Saline Creek, which normally has only a trickle of water in it, became a raging river over 200 yards wide in places. Rural areas along the St. Francis and Castor Rivers also were hit hard. The American Red Cross and the Salavation Army assisted residents of the county with temporary housing, feeding and cleaning supplies. At one point, over 400 meals a day were provided to storm victims. The flash flooding washed out and damaged numerous county roads, preventing access to several parts of the county. The Missouri Department of Corrections and the Missouri Department of Conversation provided bulldozers, heavy equipment and personnel to open closed roads. Several rescues had to be done by various law enforcement and emergency personnel as the rapidly rising water quickly isolated people. There was one death due to the flooding. A 12 year-old boy was electrocuted as water rushed inside a business shorting out the electrical system.
The St Louis radar (KLSX), 139 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:29 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Madison | 1999-04-03 | 12 | Male | Business | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, April 1999
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: 5698500.