Flash Flood, Livingston
- When
- June 5, 11:20 AM CST to 2:30 PM CST
- Where
- Livingston County, Reading
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 40.892, -88.558 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flooding in Illinois, June 5 to 6, 2001
Heavy rainfall accompanied thunderstorms that moved across east central Illinois on June 5th and June 6th. Rainfall totals ranged from 3 to 6 inches from southern La Salle county across Livingston county, northern Ford county and Iroquois county.
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
- $25,000
- 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.
What happened
The episode as NWS LOT wrote it up.
Heavy rainfall accompanied thunderstorms that moved across east central Illinois on June 5th and June 6th. Rainfall totals ranged from 3 to 6 inches from southern La Salle county across Livingston county, northern Ford county and Iroquois county. Some two day rainfall totals included 4.18 inches in Watseka, 3.38 inches in Pontiac, 3.33 inches in Streator and 3.17 inches in Piper City. Several Roads were closed due to flooding. Route 17 just west of route 23 in Reading was completely flooded underneath a bridge. The Vermilion River in Pontiac rose above its banks flooding city parks and backyards of many residents. Extensive flooding was reported at the Iroquois Mental Health Center in Watseka. A bridge on county road 2200 North and Illinois route 23 was reported to have several feet of water flowing over it.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 5, 2:15 AM CST, 9 hours 5 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 5, 2:15 AM CST, 9 hours 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 315 AM CDT TUE JUN 5 2001 MAIN CONCERNS STILL REVOLVE AROUND POTENTIAL EXCESSIVE RAINFALL EVENT OVER SOUTHERN THIRD OF THE CWA. MCS CLUSTER GENERALLY SOUTH OF CWA...BUT BORDER COUNTIES SO CLOSE TO BANKFULL THAT ONE OR TWO GOOD STORMS COULD PRODUCE ENOUGH RAIN TO CAUSE PROBLEMS. WILL CONTINUE FFA OVER THE SAME AREAS AS OVERNIGHT. WILL REMOVE/REDUCE POPS FURTHER NORTH AS FOCUS UNLIKELY TO SHIFT BACK THAT FAR NORTH...BUT WILL CONTINUE TO MENTION SCATTERED DRIZZLE ASSOCIATED WITH LOW STRATUS/FOG ACROSS NORTHERN COUNTIES. VERY SLOW CLEARING THROUGH THE REST OF THE SHORT TERM PERIOD AS UPPER RIDGE EDGES ITS WAY TOWARD US. WEEKEND STILL LOOKS DECENT AS TEMPS SLOWLY RETURN TO SEASONAL NORMS. .CHI...FFA TDY S OF MENDOTA-WHEATFIELD LN JHV
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jun 5, 10:57 AM CST, 23 minutes before
ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>023-032>033-039-INZ001>002-010>011-019- 051100- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 1200 PM CDT/EST TUE JUN 5 2001 FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA... THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH OF A PONTIAC TO RENSSELAER LINE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE PRIMARY THREAT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR ACROSS THE REGION BUT ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE NORTH OF THIS LINE. HOWEVER...FLASH FLOODING IS POSSIBLE SOUTH OF A MENDOTA TO WHEATFIELD LINE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AS MORE HEAVY RAIN IS LIKELY. TRS
The radar
The Chicago radar (KLOT), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:22 UTC.
Event by event
3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flash Flood, Iroquois
- When
- June 5, 12:30 PM CST to 2:30 PM CST
- Where
- Iroquois County, Watseka
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.747, -87.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Livingston
- When
- June 6, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Livingston County, 4 mi N of Pontiac
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 40.892, -88.558 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tropical Storm in Texas, June 5 to 10, 2001
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Louisiana, June 5 to 7, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, June 5, 2001
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Louisiana, June 5 to 14, 2001
- Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in Louisiana, June 5 to 8, 2001
- Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in Texas, June 5 to 7, 2001
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, June 5, 2001
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Illinois, June 5 to 6, 2001
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, June 5 to 6, 2001
- Flash Flooding in Kentucky, June 5, 2001
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Virginia, June 5, 2001
- Flash Flooding and Hail in West Virginia, June 5, 2001
More
Every storm in Illinois in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, June 2001
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: 5255567, 5255568, 5255569.