Illinois, 2002

Flash Flooding and Flooding in Illinois, June 3 to 4, 2002

June 3 to 4, 2002 · NWS DVN · 22 events in 8 counties and zones

Heavy rains which fell during the first week of June caused significant flash flooding rivaling that caused by storms during the summer of 1993. The counties hit hardest were Whiteside, Carroll, Bureau, Jo Daviess and Stephenson where storm total rainfall amounts were as high as 6 to 10 inches.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 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
1
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
22

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.

Heavy rains which fell during the first week of June caused significant flash flooding rivaling that caused by storms during the summer of 1993. The counties hit hardest were Whiteside, Carroll, Bureau, Jo Daviess and Stephenson where storm total rainfall amounts were as high as 6 to 10 inches. This heavy rain resulted in widespread and significant flash flooding and river flooding. The Rock River reached record flood levels near Joslin, while at Moline the second highest crest was recorded. Flash flooding caused significant property damage to homes and businesses. Damage was also significant to farm land and public property including roads, parks and utilities. Public property damage in Northwest and West Central Illinois due to the flooding was around $3 million dollars.

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 Jun 3, 1:43 PM CST, 3 hours 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 3, 1:43 PM CST, 3 hours 37 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
243 PM CDT MON JUN 3 2002

ELEVATED SHOWERS AND FEW TSRA ACROSS NORTHERN HALF CWFA HELPED ALONG
BY MID LEVEL VORT MAX SEEN ON 88D LOOPS MOVING INTO NE IA AT 18Z.
VISIBLE IMAGERY SHOWS LARGE AREA FULL SUNSHINE MOST OF DAY SO FAR
FROM I-80 SOUTH BUILDING HIGH SURFACE INSTABILITY. THIS HAS RESULTED
IN 30 DEGREE N TO S TEMPERATURE GRADIENT WITH RAIN COOLED...GREAT
LAKES AIRMASS IN 50S NORTH AND 90S WITH DEWPOINTS IN 70S IN FAR
SOUTH AT 18Z. KDVN SHOWS E-W OUTFLOW BOUNDARY...NOW LIKELY SYNOPTIC
FRONT...ABOUT 25 MI S OF RDA AND INCHING SLOWLY N. WITH BOUNDARY
CONTINUING TO BISECT AREA THROUGH TUESDAY...TIMING AND PLACEMENT OF
HIGHEST TSRA POTENTIAL AND TRYING TO GET CLOSE TO REALITY WITH LARGE
TEMPERATURE GRADIENT MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGES.

INITIAL CONCERN WILL BE LATE AFTERNOON SEVERE POTENTIAL AS H7 WAVE
SEEN ON PROFILER NETWORK PUSHES INTO SW...THEN CENTRAL IA AND MAY
INITIATE SURFACE BASED CONVECTION ALONG FRONT WHERE CAP WILL BE
WEAKEST IN E-SE IA. WILL LEAVE OUT SEVERE WORDING FOR NOW SINCE MUCH
UNCERTAINTY IN WHERE AND WHEN CONVECTION WILL INITIALIZE. MORE
WIDESPREAD MCS EXPECTED TO FORM WELL N OF FRONT AS HAPPENED PAST FEW
NIGHTS AND TRACK E THEN SE. WILL KEEP LIKELY POPS GOING IN NORTHERN
2/3RDS WITH MENTION OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND CHANCE TSRA FOR
FAR SOUTH OVERNIGHT. FORCING TO AID CONVECTION LOOKS BETTER TONIGHT
THAN PAST FEW DAYS WITH IMPRESSIVE SHORTWAVE SEEN ON WV IMAGERY
MOVING INTO SW KS UNDERPLAYED BY MODELS WILL LIKELY PLAY ROLE IN
LATE EVENING MCS DEVELOPMENT IN NE NEB/NW IA. MODELS SHOW H5 POS
VORTICITY CENTERS TAKING MORE SRLY PATH THAN LAST NIGHT AND
ANTICIPATE TRACK AT LEAST INTO NRN ZONES. HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL
CONTINUES...ESPECIALLY LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY WITH H85 FLOW
BECOMING PARALLEL TO LOW LEVEL BOUNDARY AND UPPER LEVEL FLOW.

ALL MODELS AGREE ON BIG PICTURE WITH WESTERN H5 TROUGH MOVING
THROUGH WEDNESDAY PRECEDED BY SURFACE CYCLONE CURRENTLY OVER WESTERN
KS PASSING TO S EARLY WED TO END RAIN CHANCES. DO THINK ETA HAS
BETTER QPF PLACEMENT TONIGHT FURTHER N...WHEREAS AVN TOO FAR S INTO
CAPPED WARM SECTOR. THIS COULD SHIFT IF SIGNIFICANT EVENING
CONVECTION PUSHES SURFACE FRONT BACK SOUTH.

WILL KEEP LIKELY POPS GOING THROUGH TUESDAY EXCEPT IN FAR S...THEN
LIKELY ALL ZONES TUESDAY NIGHT AS MAIN LOW RIDES ALONG FRONT TO
SOUTH AND THEN SWEEPS IT EASTWARD. WARMER FWC HIGHS PREFERRED...
EXCEPT IN FAR N AND NE...WHERE CLOUDS AND REENFORCING E-NE SURFACE
FLOW TO KEEP TEMPS NEAR TO BELOW GUIDANCE.

EXTENDED...MODEL CONCENSUS IS SURFACE HIGH THURSDAY...THEN FLAT 500H
RIDGING/ZONAL FLOW FRIDAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY. MRF BRINGS SURFACE
AND UPPER LOWS ALONG US/CAN BORDER SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY WITH
FROPA FOR SHOWER CHANCES. WILL KEEP CHANCES GOING INTO MONDAY AS
TIMING OF UPPER WAVE PASSAGE TO NORTH MAY KEEP INSTABILITY SHOWERS
GOING. ONLY MINOR CHANGES MADE TO MOS TEMPERATURES.

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

DLS

The radar

The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 24 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:20 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 flash flood, 4 flood, 2 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Rock Island

When
June 3, 5:20 PM CST
Where
Rock Island County, 1 mi W of Andalusia
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.433, -90.733

Flood, Rock Island

When
June 3, 6:05 PM CST
Where
Rock Island County, Milan
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.467, -90.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Water up to the curb on some streets.

Flood, Stephenson

When
June 3, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Stephenson County, 5 mi W of Freeport
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
42.352, -89.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Water in a few fields, and some ditches full of water.

Flood, Whiteside

When
June 3, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Whiteside County, Morrison
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.756, -89.914 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several streets with water up to the curb.

Flash Flood, Whiteside

When
June 3, 10:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Whiteside County, 3 mi E of Morrison
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.756, -89.914 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Train bridge at Lyndon Road buckled due to high water.

Flash Flood, Jo Daviess

When
June 3, 11:30 PM CST to June 4, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Jo Daviess County, Galena
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.366, -90.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Recreation park completely under water. Several homes with basements flooded and nearly 2 feet of water surrounding them. Floodgates closed with snowplows due to debris. Debris over many streets. Some streets washed out in spots. Hughlett's Branch flooded. 4.5 inches of rain occurred in 2 hours.

Flood, Stephenson

When
June 4, 12:30 AM CST
Where
Stephenson County, Freeport
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.352, -89.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ponding of water on many roadways.

Flash Flood, Stephenson

When
June 4, 2:00 AM CST to 5:00 AM CST
Where
Stephenson County, Pearl City
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
42.352, -89.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several basements flooded and some roads closed due to high water.

Flash Flood, Whiteside

When
June 4, 3:25 AM CST to 6:00 AM CST
Where
Whiteside County, Morrison
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.756, -89.914 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy rain resulted in a mudslide which closed portions of Highway 30 east of Morrison.

Flash Flood, Carroll

When
June 4, 8:00 AM CST to 12:30 PM CST
Where
Carroll County, 7 mi N of Mt Carroll
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.069, -89.934 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Plum River flooding parts of 2 roads.

Flash Flood, Carroll

When
June 4, 8:25 AM CST to 12:30 PM CST
Where
Carroll County, Mt Carroll
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
42.069, -89.934 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Water covering roads around and west of Mt. Carroll.

Lightning, Henry

When
June 4, 8:26 AM CST
Where
Henry County, 3 mi W of Geneseo
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
41.353, -90.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck a semi truck on Interstate 80. The driver of the truck received minor burns to his right side.

Flash Flood, Stephenson

When
June 4, 8:45 AM CST to 12:30 PM CST
Where
Stephenson County, Freeport
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
42.352, -89.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Creek in Taylor Park out of it's banks.

Flash Flood, Henry

When
June 4, 12:20 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where
Henry County, Kewanee
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.353, -90.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Mill Creek out of it's banks onto city roads. Water estimated to be about 6 inches deep in some areas.

Flash Flood, Bureau

When
June 4, 12:30 PM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Bureau County, Princeton
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.404, -89.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Route 26 north of Princeton covered in water around a foot deep in places. Many other roads north of Princeton inundated with water.

Flash Flood, Henry

When
June 4, 1:00 PM CST to 4:30 PM CST
Where
Henry County, Atkinson
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
41.353, -90.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Water over low lying portions of many streets.

Flash Flood, Henry

When
June 4, 1:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Henry County, North Portion
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
41.353, -90.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Portions of Route 6 under water. Several small creeks out of their banks.

Flash Flood, Henry

When
June 4, 2:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Henry County, Galva
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.353, -90.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Water up to a foot deep covered Highway 34.

Flash Flood, Stephenson

When
June 4, 2:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Stephenson County, Pearl City
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
42.352, -89.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Busch Road washed out and needed repairs to reopen. Loran Road inundated with high water and closed.

Flash Flood, Whiteside

When
June 4, 2:33 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Whiteside County, 3 mi N of Fulton
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.756, -89.914 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Six houses affected by flood waters due to breaks in a levee on Otter Creek.

Hail, McDonough

When
June 4, 2:54 PM CST
Where
McDonough County, Blandinsville
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.550, -90.867

Flash Flood, Whiteside

When
June 4, 3:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where
Whiteside County, 2 mi S of Morrison
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.756, -89.914 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Spring Valley Road closed south of Morrison.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
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.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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, 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: 5301743, 5300338, 5300339, 5300340, 5300341, 5300342, 5300343, 5300344, 5300345, 5300346, 5300347, 5300348, 5300349, 5300350, 5300351, 5300352, 5300353, 5300354, 5300355, 5300356, 5300357, 5300429.