Illinois, 2002

Flash Flooding in Illinois, August 22 to 23, 2002

August 22 to 23, 2002 · NWS ILX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Between 2 and 5 inches of rain fell in a short amount of time. Numerous roads were flooded.

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
5

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 ILX wrote it up.

Between 2 and 5 inches of rain fell in a short amount of time. Numerous roads were flooded. No structures were affected.

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 Lincoln, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 22, 8:00 PM CST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 22, 8:00 PM CST, 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
900 PM CDT THU AUG 22 2002

TRAINING LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS CURRENTLY FROM LINCOLN TOWARD
DANVILLE. THIS ACTIVITY IS ALONG OLD OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM STORMS
EARLIER TODAY. ALTHOUGH THIS PRECIPITATION SHOULD CONTINUE FOR THE
NEXT FEW HOURS...EXPECT MAIN THREAT LATER TONIGHT ALONG MAIN
SYNOPTIC BOUNDARY THAT CURRENTLY EXTENDS FROM EXTREME SOUTHERN IOWA
INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS. 00Z UA CHARTS AND PROFILERS SUGGEST THAT THE
LOW LEVEL JET FEEDING INTO THE BOUNDARY IS NOT AS STRONG AS LAST
NIGHT. HOWEVER...25 TO 30KT 850MB FLOW IS FOCUSING THE BEST MOISTURE
CONVERGENCE INTO SOUTHWEST IOWA. AS STORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP...
THEY SHOULD MOVE EAST ALONG THE BOUNDARY INTO ILLINOIS. RICH THETA-E
AIR...COMBINED WITH WEAK STORM MOTION VECTORS WILL LIKELY RESULT IN
ANOTHER HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT. WILL KEEP THE FLOOD WATCH GOING
OVERNIGHT.   ..04..

.ILX...FLOOD WATCH TNGT AND FRI ZNS 27>31..36>38..40>57..61.

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 97 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:31 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Champaign

When
August 22, 8:30 PM CST to August 23, 1:30 AM CST
Where
Champaign County, North Portion
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.140, -88.199 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Piatt

When
August 22, 8:30 PM CST to August 23, 1:30 AM CST
Where
Piatt County, North Portion
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.010, -88.591 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, De Witt

When
August 22, 10:00 PM CST to August 23, 1:30 AM CST
Where
De Witt County, Weldon
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.175, -88.904 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Vermilion

When
August 22, 10:00 PM CST to August 23, 1:30 AM CST
Where
Vermilion County, North Portion
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.183, -87.733 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Fulton

When
August 23, 1:30 AM CST to 3:30 AM CST
Where
Fulton County, North Portion
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.473, -90.207 (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

More

Every storm in Illinois in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5314840, 5314841, 5314842, 5314843, 5314844.