Flash Flooding in Illinois, August 23, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding in Illinois, August 23, 2002
Start: 2002-08-23T02:40
End: 2002-08-23T09:00
Location: Illinois

August 23, 2002 · NWS LOT · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Heavy rain fell across east central Illinois during the early morning hours of August 23rd. Numerous roads were flooded across south central Ford county.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: 2

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 LOT wrote it up.

Heavy rain fell across east central Illinois during the early morning hours of August 23rd. Numerous roads were flooded across south central Ford county. Water rose to the hood of a car in Loda in Iroquois county. Gibson City reported 3.47 inches of rain and Paxton reported 5.35 inches, both in Ford county.

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 Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 23, 12:30 AM CST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 23, 12:30 AM CST, 2 hours 10 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
130 AM CDT FRI AUG 23 2002

PRELIMINARY GRIDDED DISCUSSION

BURNING QUESTION THIS MORNING IS WHETHER TO EXTEND THE WATCH FOR
SOUTHERN TIER OF 3 OR 4 COUNTIES.  STRONGEST OVERRUNNING PRESENTLY
FOCUSED TO THE SOUTH AND TO THE WEST OF THESE COUNTIES.  AS NOTED
IN PMDHMD...AVN AT LEAST IN ITS QPF SEEMS TO HAVE A BETTER HANDLE ON
NORTHWARD EXTEND OF THINGS IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. OVERRUNING
LIFT BEING AIDED BY STRONG DIVERGENCE IN REAR ENTRANCE REGION OF
JET...WHICH IS FORECAST BY BOTH ETA AND AVN TO PROPAGATE EAST ACROSS
OUR AREA THIS MORNING WHICH COULD EDGE PRECIP AXIS NORTHWARD INTO
OUR CWFA.  ANOTHER FACTOR IS THE 4 INCH PLUS RAINS WHICH FELL JUST 4
DAYS AGO ACROSS SOUTHERN PART OF SOUTHERN TIER SO GUIDANCE VALUES ON
COUNTYWIDE BASIS ARE PROBABLY TOO HIGH. SINCE FAR SOUTH ALSO SEEMS
LIKELY TO RECEIVE THE HEAVIEST RAINS TODAY, PRESENT INTENT IS TO GO
AHEAD AND EXTEND THE WATCH FOR LIVINGSTON, FORD, IROQUOIS AND BENTON
COUNTIES UNTIL NOON.  WILL MAKE FINAL DECISION AS FORECAST DEADLINE
APPROACHES AIDED BY LATER TRENDS IN SATELLITE/RADAR IMAGERY.

UNDER INFLUENCE OF INCREASING NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT FRONT SHOULD PUSH
WELL SOUTH OVERNIGHT ALLOWING COOLER DRIER AIRMASS TO TAKE OVER UFN.
WIGGLES IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW TO BRING VARYING CLOUD COVER BUT
MINIMAL PRECIP THREAT, AS PER CURRENT FORECAST.  SHORT TERM TEMPS IN
GOING GRIDS CLOSE TO COMPROMISE OF LATEST MOS SO FEW CHANGES PLANNED
TO THE GOING FORECAST, EITHER SHORT TERM OR EXTENDED.

.CHI...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TODAY LIVINSTON...FORD...IROQUOIS AND
BENTON COUNTIES.

KAPLAN

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 107 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:41 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Ford

When: August 23, 2:40 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Ford County, South Central Portion
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.597, -88.223 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Iroquois

When: August 23, 4:20 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where: Iroquois County, Southwest Portion
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.747, -87.824 (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

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: 5311956, 5311957.