Illinois, 2001

Flooding in Illinois, May 20 to 27, 2001

May 20 to 27, 2001 · NWS LSX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

The Illinois River rose about 5 - 6 ft over its banks in Greene, Calhoun, and Jersey Counties.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 LSX wrote it up.

The Illinois River rose about 5 - 6 ft over its banks in Greene, Calhoun, and Jersey Counties. Some roads along the river had to be closed, but otherwise, damage was limited to flooded farmland.Location Flood Stage CrestHardin 25 ft 30.2 ft on 5/19/01

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 St. Louis, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 20, 3:32 PM CST, 1 hour 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 20, 3:32 PM CST, 1 hour 16 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED TO ADD FFA FOR TONIGHT...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
340 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001

MDLS APPEAR TO BE IN TUNE WITH PREVIOUS RUN FOR TIMING OF CDFNT.
CDFNT WL BE ACRS CNTRL MO BY 06Z.  AHEAD OF THE FRNT SHRS AND FEW
TSTMS ARE PRESENT ACRS NRN AR AND SW AND S-CNTRL MO...AND ANOTHER
LINE OF SHRS IN NEB AND WRN IA.

SELS JUST ISSUED WTCH # 254 FOR PTN OF ERN AR AND WRN TN AND NRN
MS...COVERD ALL THE MO BOOTHEEL UNTIL 6 PM.  ETA SHWD -3 LI'S FRM
WRN TO SE IL AND -1 AND IN MO.  I THINK BEST CHC FOR PCPN WL BE AS
THE FNT WL APPROACH MO TNGT.  ETA CRS SECTION SHWD BEST LIFT WL
AROUND 06Z...WHILE WEAKER LIFT IN COU WL BE AROUND 00Z. HEAVIEST
PCPN WL BE IN SRN ZNS WITH MDL QPF APCHG FFG AND WL ISSUE FFA FOR
THAT AREA FOR TNGT.

BIG WX STORY....VERY COOL WX IN MO WED AND THURS...MAVUIN DROP TEMPS
IN THE UPPER 30S BY WED MRNG...AND WRMNG IN THE 50S WED AND THURS.
ALSO 1000-500 MB THICKNESS FCST BELOW 5400M...AVN SHWD 850 TEMPS OF
-2 PUSHNG IN CNTRL MO BY 18Z WED.

IN GENERAL MAVS AND FWCS TEMPS LOOK OK...TEMPS APPEAR COLDER MAVS.
LIKE BEST FWC FOR THE NEXT 48H...AND GO FOR A FEW DGRS WARMER MAVS
FOR THE REST OF THE PD.

.STL...FFA FOR TNGT FOR MOZ072>075-084-085-099.

A

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Calhoun

When
May 20, 4:48 PM CST to May 27, 10:48 PM CST
Where
Calhoun forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.169, -90.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Greene

When
May 20, 4:48 PM CST to May 27, 10:48 PM CST
Where
Greene forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.356, -90.390 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Jersey

When
May 20, 4:48 PM CST to May 27, 10:48 PM CST
Where
Jersey forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.086, -90.357 (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

More

Every storm in Illinois in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, May 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: 5244879, 5244880, 5244881.