Flooding in Illinois, March 10 to 31, 2002

Name: Flooding in Illinois, March 10 to 31, 2002
Start: 2002-03-10T09:00
End: 2002-03-31T23:59
Location: Illinois

March 10 to 31, 2002 · NWS PAH · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

The Big Muddy River rose above flood stage at Murphysboro on March 10 and remained there through the end of the month. At Plumfield, flood stage was exceeded from the 20th through month's end.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 PAH wrote it up.

The Big Muddy River rose above flood stage at Murphysboro on March 10 and remained there through the end of the month. At Plumfield, flood stage was exceeded from the 20th through month's end. The river was never more than about two feet over flood stage at Plumfield. At Murphysboro, the first crest on March 14 was about four feet above flood stage. The second crest on March 28 was about 8 feet over the 16-foot flood stage. Flooding was minor, affecting mainly undeveloped low-lying areas.

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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 10, 1:20 AM CST, 7 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 10, 1:20 AM CST, 7 hours 40 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
120 AM CST SUN MAR 10 2002

LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS DEPICTS COLD FRONT ALONG THE EAST COAST WITH
THE LOW OVER EASTERN ONTARIO. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WAS CENTERED
OVER THE MID SECTION OF THE US. IN THE UPPER LEVELS...A STRONG
NORTHWEST FLOW REMAINED ENTRENCHED OVER THE REGION.

00Z/SUN MODEL RUN SHOWS MODELS IN GENERAL AGREEMENT WITH THE
SYNOPTIC FEATURES. AT THE SURFACE...A CLIPPER TYPE SYSTEM WILL EJECT
OUT OF THE PLAINS MONDAY AND LIFT NORTHWARD INTO THE GREAT LAKES
REGION MONDAY NIGHT...IN RESPONSE TO AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH
AMPLIFYING OVER THE MIDWEST. AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL TRAVERSE
THE CENTRAL PLAINS AND REACH THE FA MONDAY AFTN/NIGHT.
HOWEVER...WITH THE GULF SHUT DOWN AND LITTLE TIME FOR MOISTURE
FIELDS TO RECOVER BEFORE THIS SYSTEM ARRIVES...MAY BE DIFFICULT TO
GET PRECIP OUT OF THIS FIRST SYSTEM...ESPECIALLY WEST. THE UPPER
LEVEL TROUGH CONTINUES TO AMPLIFY AND APPEARS TO COME MORE IN PHASE
WITH THE SURFACE FEATURES AS THE FRONT REACHES THE EASTERN PORTIONS
OF THE FA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY AM. WITH THIS IN MIND WILL TRIM
BACK POPS FA WIDE AND REMOVE POPS FOR TUESDAY. OTHERWISE LATE WEEK
SYSTEM STILL APPEARS VIABLE AND WILL MAKE NO CHANGES THERE.

FOR TEMPS WILL LEAN TOWARD THE COOLER SIDE OF FWC IN THE NEAR TERM
...WHICH IS GOOD DEAL WARMER THAN THE MAV OR FAN. IN THE LATER
PERIODS WILL USE A COMPROMISE AS TEMPS MODERATE.

.PAH...NONE.

HOOPER

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Franklin

When: March 10, 9:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Jackson

When: March 10, 9:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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, March 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: 5280652, 5280653.