Flooding in Missouri, May 1 to 31, 2001

Name: Flooding in Missouri, May 1 to 31, 2001
Start: 2001-05-01T00:00
End: 2001-05-31T00:00
Location: Missouri

May 1 to 31, 2001 · NWS LSX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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.

Continued rainfall in the upper Mississippi River Basin worsened the conditions along the already swollen river. Although the flood wave along the Mississippi River attenuated significantly by the time it reached the St. Louis Hydrological Service Area, upstream of Grafton, IL major flooding occurred. Canton, MO Lock and Dam 20 Tailwater down through Winfield, MO Lock and Dam 25 Tailwater reached the 3rd highest crests of record. The bulk of the flooding occurred in agricultural lowlands. In Marion County at Hannibal, the crest was 5 feet below the top of the flood wall. A couple of businesses along Bear Creek south of the flood wall did suffer flood damage. In Pike County, the story was similar. Agricultural lowlands flooded, the riverfront park in Louisiana was flooded, a couple of businesses in Clarksville and Louisiana were flooded, and Highway 79 had to be closed in several places from Louisiana to Clarksville, and Clarksville to Annada. In Lincoln County, an agricultural levee in the Old Monroe area failed on May 18, flooding approximately 1000 acres of farmland. From St. Charles County south to St. Louis damage was minimal with only agricultural lowlands flooded. Mississippi River Flood Stage Crest DateCanton Dam 20 14 ft 23.1 05/15/01Saverton Dam 22 16 ft 26.1 05/16/01Hannibal 16 ft 34.6 05/08/01Louisiana 15 ft 24.4 05/16/01Clarksville Dam 24 25 ft 34.7 05/16/01Winfield Dam 25 26 ft 34.7 05/18/01Grafton, IL 18 ft 25.2 05/19/01

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 Apr 30, 1:00 PM CST, 11 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 1:00 PM CST, 11 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
200 PM CDT MON APR 30 2001

MAY BE DIFFERENT THIS YR AND JUST SKIP OVR MAY AND GO RIGHT INTO
JUNE WX ALTHOU ON THE CALENDAR MAY WILL COME IN LIKE A LAMB.  ETA
AND NGM FCST TREEMENDUS H3 DVRGC BULLSEYE ACRS SW IA/NW MO BY MIDN
TUE AS 120 KT JET ROLLS ACRS SD.  850 JET OF 50-60 KTS FCST FM NRN
OK INTO N CNTRL MO AT MIDN ON ETA WHILE NGM AND AVN ARE IN THE 35-45
KT RANGE.  EITHER WAY MAY HV TO DEAL WITH MCS ARNO AS ETA FCSTS 40
KS ACRS NW MO/SW IA/SE NEB TUE EVE.  THICKNESS PTRN FOR LT TUE
NGT/ERY WED MRNG SUGGSTS IF MCS IS THERE IT SHOOD ROLL SWD BUT IT
WILL BE ENCOUNTERING DRIER AIR AS IT DOES. OTRW BLUES SKIES ARE IN
THE CARDS FOR TUE.

LAPS DATA AT 18Z SHOWS CAPE HAS INCRSED ACRS THE ERN OZARKS WITH
LIS IN THE -4 RANGE.  SCT SHWRS AND A FEW TSTMS HV DVLPD WITH SFC
TEMPS WAY ABV NRML.  MAIN LN OF SHWRS RMNS ACRS NW MO BCK INTO SE
KS.  S/WV FCST TO ROLL ACRS THE RGN ON ALL THE MODELS AND LOW POPS
INTRDCD FOR TNGT AS A RESULT.

IN THE EXTNDD PD, CLOSED H5 LOW FCST NR THE GRAND CANYON BY MRF,
ECMWF AND UK FOR THU MRNG.  SYSTM FCST TO LIFT SLOWLY NWD BY SAT
MRNG WITH RDG PERSISTING ACRS THE MS VLY.  S/WV SWINGING INTO
VANCOUVER ISLAND SAT EVE WILL NUDGE THE S/WV EWD AND IT IS FCST TO
MOVE INTO THE MIDWEST ON MON. MRF SLIDES LRG SFC HI ACRS THE MIDWEST
ON SAT.

.STL...NONE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 30, 10:32 PM CST, 1 hour 28 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1132 PM CDT MON APR 30 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

543 PM     WOOD RIVER                IL   0.88 INCH HAIL
04/30/01   MADISON                        DIME TO NICKEL SIZED HAIL
                                          WAS REPORTED BY A SEVERE
                                          WEATHER SPOTTER AND/ AN
                                          AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR.

LENNING

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Lewis

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 29, 8:53 PM CST
Where: Lewis forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 40.097, -91.722 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Marion

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Marion forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.806, -91.622 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Ralls

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Ralls forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.528, -91.522 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Pike

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Pike forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.344, -91.171 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Lincoln

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.058, -90.960 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, St. Charles

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 12:00 AM CST
Where: St. Charles forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.782, -90.675 (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

Every storm in Missouri in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Missouri, 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: 5244775, 5244776, 5244777, 5244778, 5244779, 5244780.