Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Illinois, August 21 to 22, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Illinois, August 21 to 22, 2002
Start: 2002-08-21T21:23
End: 2002-08-22T07:30
Location: Illinois

August 21 to 22, 2002 · NWS DVN · 6 events in 2 counties and zones

Thunderstorms continuously redeveloped in an east-west band across Northeast Iowa and Northwest Illinois producing extremely heavy rainfall and flash flooding. 69 inches).

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: 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 DVN wrote it up.

Thunderstorms continuously redeveloped in an east-west band across Northeast Iowa and Northwest Illinois producing extremely heavy rainfall and flash flooding. The heaviest rainfall occurred from Durango, Iowa (6.25 inches) to Galena, Illinois (11.69 inches). This heavy rain caused Yellow Creek in Pearl City to overflow it's banks, damaging numerous homes and forcing the evacuation of 22 residents. One resident of Pearl City was quoted as saying "This is the worst. Nobody of any age has seen something like this in Pearl City, not even close". Damage in Pearl City was estimated at $500,000. Stephenson and Jo Daviess Counties were hit hardest with numerous streets closed due to high water. Stephenson County officials upgraded their damage assessment of roads in Kent Township to $100,000.

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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 21, 12:51 PM CST, 8 hours 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 21, 12:51 PM CST, 8 hours 32 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
151 PM CDT WED AUG 21 2002

SYNOPSIS...
MORNING UA AND SURFACE ANALISIS SHOWS THE AREA IS NOW IN THE WARM AND
MOIST SECTOR.  THE SURFACE WARM FRONT AT 15Z EXTENDS FROM NEAR FSD TO
ALO TO VYS.  WELL DEFINED SHORT WAVE JUST WEST OF MCI AT 12Z...NOW
APPROACHING THE UPPER MIDWEST FROM THE SOUTHWEST.  THIS WAVE HAS
SPAWNED OVERNIGHT CONVECTION FROM KANSAS THROUGH NORTHWEST IOWA.  MUCH
OF THIS IS NOW DECAYING AS EXPECTED...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF PORTION
NEAR MCI.  THIS WILL BE THE CONVECTIVE CLUSTER TO WATCH AS IT
APPROACHES THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON.  CIRRUS AND DEBRIS CLOUDS CONTINUE
TO SLOWLY THIN NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80...WITH MODERATED INSOLATION
ALREADY IN PLACE SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE.  THIS WILL ALLOW ADEQUATE
HEATING FOR STORMS TO INTENSIFY IN OUR AREA THIS AFTERNOON.

SHORT TERM...
SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL MAINLY AFFECT THE AREA THIS EVENING...WITH
HEAVY RAIN EXPECTED LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT.  PWAT VALUES IN EXCESS
OF TWO INCHES NOTED ON THE OMA 12Z SOUNDING AND NEAR 2 INCHES ON 18Z
DVN SOUNDING...SHOW TROPICAL AIRMASS OVER THE REGION.  DESPITE MODEL
DIFFERENCES...ALL SHORT TERM MODELS INDICATE DIFFLUENT THICKNESS OVER
THE CWA TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING.  TRAINING CELLS APPEAR TO BE
LIKELY GIVEN NEARY STATIONARY BOUNDARY OVER THE CWA.  ALL THIS SAID...
COUNTY FFG GUIDANCE VALUES ARE RUNNING RATHER HIGH AND CROPS ARE MATURE.
 THEREFORE I FEEL WIDESPREAD FLOODING PROBLEMS DO NOT WARRANT A FLOOD
WATCH AT THIS TIME. URBAN FLOODING MAY BECOME AN ISSUE...IF STORMS PICK
ON ONE AREA REPEATEDLY.  THE FRONT BECOMES QUASI-STATIONARY THURSDAY AND
FRIDAY...WITH SEVERAL ROUNDS OF HEAVY RAIN AND THUNDESTORMS EXPECTED
THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT.  IF HEAVY RAIN DOES MATERIALIZE TONIGHT...A FLOOD
WATCH MAY BE NEEDED FOR THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY FOR AREAS THAT RECIEVE
HEAVY RAIN TONIGHT.

EXTENDED...
NO MAJOR CHANGES EXPECTED IN EXTENDED AS CANADIAN HIGH SETTLES SOUTH
ACROSS THE AREA FOR SEVERAL DAYS OF PLEASANT WEATHER.  MRF AND UKMET
CONTINUE TO INDICATE A LOBE UPPER LEVEL VORTICITY WORKING SOUTH
ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY.  FOR NOW...I WILL NOT CHANGES THE GOING
FORECAST...BUT SHOWERS MAY NEED TO BE ADDED IF THIS FEATURE MOVES OVER
THE AREA DURING PEAK HEATING.  OTHERWISE...DRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH WEDNESDAY...WITH SLOWLY MODERATING TEMPERATURES.

.DVN...
IA...NONE.
IL...NONE.
MO...NONE.

ERVIN/DVN LAST/OMA NEXT

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 21, 4:04 PM CST, 5 hours 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
504 PM CDT WED AUG 21 2002

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

0459 PM    2 S OXFORD JCT            IA   51 MPH TSTM GUST
08/21/02   JONES                          WIND SPEEDS MEASURED.
                                          SMALL BRACHES BLOWN
                                          DOWN.  REPORTED BY
                                          STORM SPOTTER.

Local storm report, Aug 21, 5:29 PM CST, 3 hours 54 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
629 PM CDT WED AUG 21 2002

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

0556 PM    NICHOLS                   IA   NON SVR WIND DAMAGE
08/21/02   MUSCATINE                      POWER LINES AND TREE
                                          LIMBS DOWNED BY STRONG
                                          THUNDERSTORM WINDS.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0617 PM    MUSCATINE                 IA   TORNADO
08/21/02   MUSCATINE                      REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

Local storm report, Aug 21, 5:31 PM CST, 3 hours 52 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
631 PM CDT WED AUG 21 2002

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

0630 PM    4 W MONTPELIER            IA   FUNNEL CLOUD
08/21/02   MUSCATINE                      REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

Local storm report, Aug 21, 5:57 PM CST, 3 hours 26 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
657 PM CDT WED AUG 21 2002

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

0617 PM    2 N MUSCATINE             IA   TORNADO
08/21/02   MUSCATINE                      TREES AND BUILDINGS
                                          DESTROYED. REPORTED BY
                                          HAM RADIO OPERATOR.

0655 PM    2 N BLUE GRASS            IA   FUNNEL CLOUD
08/21/02   SCOTT                          REPORTED BY OFF-DUTY
                                          NWS EMPLOYEE.

Local storm report, Aug 21, 9:11 PM CST, 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
1011 PM CDT WED AUG 21 2002

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

0944 PM    (DBQ)DUBUQUE MUNI ARPT    IA   64 MPH TSTM GUST
08/21/02   DUBUQUE

The radar

The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 88 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:22 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jo Daviess

When: August 21, 9:23 PM CST to 9:57 PM CST
Where: Jo Daviess County, Countywide
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.367, -90.250

Numerous trees and power lines blown down throughout the county. Hardest hit was an area from Chetlain Lane to the Belle Aire Guest House west of Galena, including the Victorian Pines, Country Inns and Suites, Palace Campground and Triangle Motel, which according to some, resembled a war zone. A flagpole was bent at Country Inns, drain pipes were torn off the front of the building, doors were torn off hinges on some first floor entrances and lamps in front of the building were bent. A large tree fell on one vehicle at Palace Campground causing extensive damage. A camper was spun around and moved about 10 feet. Also, a picnic table near the camper was thrown 200 feet and destroyed.

Flash Flood, Jo Daviess

When: August 22, 12:00 AM CST to 1:00 AM CST
Where: Jo Daviess County, 3 mi N of Stockton
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.366, -90.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Basement of home flooded.

Flash Flood, Jo Daviess

When: August 22, 1:35 AM CST to 7:30 AM CST
Where: Jo Daviess County, Galena
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.366, -90.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Rural roads outside of Galena inundated with water and impassable.

Flash Flood, Stephenson

When: August 22, 1:45 AM CST to 7:30 AM CST
Where: Stephenson County, 1 mi NW of Eleroy
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.352, -89.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Intersection of Highway 20 and Dameier Road flooded and impassable.

Flash Flood, Stephenson

When: August 22, 1:45 AM CST to 7:30 AM CST
Where: Stephenson County, Freeport
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.352, -89.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous streets inundated with water and closed.

Flash Flood, Stephenson

When: August 22, 1:50 AM CST to 7:30 AM CST
Where: Stephenson County, Lena
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 42.352, -89.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several homes inundated with water.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
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

Every storm in Illinois in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, August 2002

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: 5312850, 5312851, 5312852, 5312853, 5312854, 5312855.