Flash Flood, Benton
- When
- May 20, 11:31 PM CST to May 21, 12:30 AM CST
- Where
- Benton County, Edwards
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 38.295, -93.288 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Missouri, May 20 to 21, 2001
Two inches of rain fell across portions of central Miller County. The hardest hit area was near Edwards where Highway 7 was closed due to 18 inches of water over the road.
Where it happened
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.
- 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
- 1
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 SGF wrote it up.
Two inches of rain fell across portions of central Miller County. The hardest hit area was near Edwards where Highway 7 was closed due to 18 inches of water over the road.
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 Springfield, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 20, 2:40 PM CST, 8 hours 51 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 20, 2:40 PM CST, 8 hours 51 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO 340 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001 MAIN FORECAST PROBLEM IS COVERAGE AND SEVERITY OF THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING...AND POSSIBLE FLOODING RAINFALL TONIGHT. ETA APPEARS TO BE THE BETTER MODEL OF CHOICE TODAY...HOWEVER THERE IS ONE SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH IT. THE ETA FCST 500MB VORT CNTR WAS ABOUT 200 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE ACTUAL VORT CNTR AS SEEN ON WV IMAGERY. THEREFORE THE FORECAST POSN OF THE ETA 500MB VORT CNTR IS ABOUT 200 MILES TOO FAR SOUTH FOR THE 12 AND 24HR PROGS. ADJUSTING THE ETA FCST VORT CNTR 200 MILES NORTHEAST LEADS TO MORE PVA AND THUS MORE UVV OVER THE CWFA TONIGHT. LATEST SYNOPTIC WEATHER PATTERN OVER THE PLAINS IS A COMPLEX ONE. WITH THE ONLY CLEARLY DEFINED SURFACE COLD FRONT...HAD MOVED INTO THE WESTERN HIGH PLAINS. ELSEWHERE THE SURFACE FEATURES ARE DOMINATED BY OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES. ALTHOUGH A DISTINCT DEWPOINT AXIS EXTENDED FROM SERN NE/ERN KS/ERN OK/ECNTRL TX. WARMEST DEWPOINTS...IN THE LOWER 70S...WERE OVER ERN OK AND WRN AR. THERE WAS A RELATIVE DEWPOINT MINIMUM FROM SGF TO COU...WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE MID 60S. MAIN SURFACE THERMAL AXIS EXTENDED FROM CNTRL TX INTO CNTRL OK... OR WRAPPING AROUND DVLPG SURFACE LOW OVER SWRN OK. A MINOR THERMAL AXIS EXTENDED FROM SERN KS TO ERN OK. 20/18Z SOUNDING FROM OUN SHOWED A 3 TO 4 DEGREE CAP...WHILE 20/18Z SGF SOUNDING SHOWED A SLIM 1 DEGREE CAP. SUSPECT THAT WITH SVRL MORE HOURS OF DAYTIME HEATING LEFT...HELPING TO WARM MAJOR THERMAL AXIS...THAT WARM ADVECTION WILL INCREASE OVER EASTERN OK TO SERN KS...WHERE CAP IS WEAKER. SHOULD SEE THUNDERSTORMS DVLPG FROM SERN KS TO ERN OK AND MOVE ENEWD TORWARDS THE CWFA. HOWEVER BEFORE THESE STORMS DVLP...A LINE OF TCU OVER SCNTRL MO AS SHOWN BY LATEST VIS IMAGERY...COULD DVLP INTO THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SRN PORTION OF CWFA. THIS EVOLVING SITUATION WILL CONTINUE TO ORGANIZE TONIGHT AS VORT CNTR MOVES INTO WCNTRL MO THIS EVENING...BRINGING INCREASING UVV... VERTICAL SHEAR...AND INCREASING LOW LEVEL FLOW. THUNDERSTORMS WILL INITIALLY BE SEVERE...AND SPC HAS MDT RISK COVERING THE SRN COUNTIES AND SLGT ELSEWHERE. OVERALL THE SITUATION WILL TURN INTO A HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT AS PRECIP WATER IS AT LEAST 1.50 INCHES AND LAPSE RATES ALOFT WILL BE STEEP. SINCE SEVERAL COUNTIES ACROSS THE CWFA HAVE EXPERIENCED RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES...THE LAST 3 DAYS...AND WITH ETA PROGGED RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO 2 INCHES...IN A 6 HOUR PERIOD...THINK THAT THERE IS A DANGER OF SOME FLASH FLOODING TONIGHT. WILL ISSUE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ENTIRE CWFA FOR TNGT THRU MON AM. VORT CNTR WILL MOVE OUT OF THE ESTRN CWFA BEFORE 7 AM MON MORNING. THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A VERY COLD AND DEEP UPPER TROF...FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. THIS NEXT TROF WILL ENSURE THAT MID AND UPPER LEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL BE STEEP. THESE STEEP LAPSE RATES PLUS A DISTURBANCE...WITH MID LVL MSTR...MOVG ACROSS THE PLAINS ON MONDAY ...AND ANY AMOUNT OF DAYTIME HEATING WE GET...THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF INSTABILITY SHOWERS OVER THE REGION. WILL GENERALLY GO CONSERVATIVE WITH HIGH TEMPS ON MON...AND PROBABLY NOT MUCH HIGHER THAT LOWER 60S OVER THE SOUTH. CLEARING WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN WILL OCCUR MONDAY NIGHT AND TUES AM. MAV LOWS APPEAR REASONABLE...BUT THINK THE FROST POTENTIAL A BIT DOUBTFUL GIVEN THAT A SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL EXIST MON NGT...PROVIDING ENOUGH OF A BREEZE TO KEEP THE BOUNDARY LAYER FROM RADIATING TOO MUCH. EXTENDED PERIOD LOOKS TO BE RATHER UNSETTLED AND COLD FOR LATE MAY. 12Z AVN SOLUTION BRINGS CUTOFF LOW SOUTHWARD INTO THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY...WITH THE CANADIAN SEF MODEL SIMILAR BUT JUST A TOUCH FARTHER EAST. VERY COLD AIR ALOFT DROPPING SOUTH WITH THIS LOW...EVIDENCED BY AOB -25 C AT 500 MB WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. WITH SHORTWAVES ROTATING SOUTH AROUND THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER LEVEL LOW...A 100 KT JET MAX PUSHING SOUTH IN NEAR MERIDIONAL FLOW ACROSS THE PLAINS WEDNESDAY PRODUCING DECENT AGEOSTROPHIC FORCING...AND RELATIVELY STEEP LAPSE RATES...SCENARIO LOOKS FAVORABLE FOR INSTABILITY SHOWERS DURING THE DAY BOTH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. MID SHIFT MAY NEED TO ASSESS THIS POTENTIAL CLOSER...BUT FOR NOW AFTER COORDINATION WITH SURROUNDING OFFICES...WILL HOLD OFF ATTM AND NOT INTRODUCE CHANCES AT THIS TIME. WILL DEFINITELY HIT THE CLOUD COVER HARDER THOUGH...WITH GOING TEMPERATURES IN EXTENDED LOOK REASONABLE. WILL LIFT FROST MENTION ACROSS THE NORTHEAST...AS NORTHWESTERLY SURFACE FLOW SHOULD BE STRONG ENOUGH TO PRECLUDE WIDESPREAD FROST FORMATION. THANKS EAX...ICT...LSX FOR COORDINATION THIS AFTN. .SGF... .KS...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT THRU MONDAY MORNING. FOR ZONES KSZ073-097-101 .MO...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT THRU MONDAY MORNING. FOR ZONES MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106 D.STEINMETZ/HUDSON
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 20, 8:52 PM CST, 2 hours 39 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
952 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0944 PM BOLIVAR MO URBAN FLOODING
05/20/01 POLK REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.Local storm report, May 20, 9:02 PM CST, 2 hours 29 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1002 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0840 PM GOODMAN MO WIND DAMAGE
05/20/01 MCDONALD ROOF BLOW OFF OF BARN.
REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT.Local storm report, May 20, 9:35 PM CST, 1 hour 56 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1035 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1032 PM SPRINGFIELD MO WIND DAMAGE
05/20/01 GREENE LARGE TREES DOWN.
REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
OPERATOR.Local storm report, May 20, 10:24 PM CST, 1 hour 7 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1124 PM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....I
1100 PM NEOSHO MO URBAN FLOODING
05/20/01 NEWTON REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.Local storm report, May 20, 11:05 PM CST, 26 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1205 AM CDT MON MAY 21 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1020 PM BATTLEFIELD MO WIND DAMAGE
05/20/01 GREENE LARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN.
REPORTED BY MEDIA.Local storm report, May 20, 11:24 PM CST, 7 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1224 AM CDT MON MAY 21 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0945 PM BOLIVAR MO WIND DAMAGE
05/20/01 POLK TREES DOWN. REPORTED BY
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
0947 PM CHARITY MO WIND DAMAGE
05/20/01 DALLAS TREES DOWN. REPORTED BY
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Damaging Winds in Alabama, May 20, 2001
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Oklahoma, May 20 to 21, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 20, 2001
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 20, 2001
- High Wind in Colorado, May 20, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 20, 2001
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, May 20, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, May 20, 2001
- Flash Flood in Texas, May 20, 2001
- Damaging Winds in Texas, May 20, 2001
- Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 20, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, May 20, 2001
More
Every storm in Missouri in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5247405.