Flash Flood in Illinois, June 27, 2002

Name: Flash Flood in Illinois, June 27, 2002
Start: 2002-06-27T05:30
End: 2002-06-27T06:00
Location: Illinois

June 27, 2002 · NWS LOT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Heavy rainfall during the early morning hours of June 27th caused flooding on many rural roads in western Livingston county and many of the roads had to be closed. 96 inches.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 LOT wrote it up.

Heavy rainfall during the early morning hours of June 27th caused flooding on many rural roads in western Livingston county and many of the roads had to be closed. Pontiac had a storm total rainfall of 4.10 inches and Fairbury received 1.96 inches.

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 Jun 27, 2:30 AM CST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 27, 2:30 AM CST, 3 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
330 AM CDT THU JUN 27 2002

CONVECTION TRAILING OFF OVER THE SERN EDGE OF THE CWA ATTM...WITH
FLOODING RAINS FINALLY TAPERING TO SPRINKLES. WILL LEAVE FORECAST
DRY THERE AS PRECIP SHOULD BE OUT BY 6AM. NOWCASTS WILL COVER
REMAINING PRECIP IN THE INTERIM.

WEATHER TO RAPIDLY QUIET DOWN AS THE COLD FRONT CURRENTLY ANALYZED
OVER NORTHERN ILLINOIS FINALLY PUSHES THROUGH THE AREA. LOOK FOR
COOLER TEMPS...ESPECIALLY NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN AS FLOW TURNS OFF THE
LAKE. COOLER TEMPS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY PART OF THE
WEEKEND...THEN HGHTS AND TEMPS RISE AGAIN AS WESTERN RIDGE BUILDS
INTO THE MIDWEST. NEXT CHANCE OF ORGANIZED PRECIP LOOKS TO BE MONDAY
AT THE EARLIEST.

.CHI...NONE

JHV

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 27, 4:48 AM CST, 42 minutes before

ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>023-032>033-039-INZ001>002-010>011-019-
271700-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
600 AM CDT/EST WED JUN 26 2002

FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT.

COOLER...DRIER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION TODAY AND TONIGHT.

JHV

The radar

The Chicago radar (KLOT), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:32 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Livingston

When: June 27, 5:30 AM CST to 6:00 AM CST
Where: Livingston County, West Central Portion
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.892, -88.558 (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, June 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: 5298922.