Flash Flooding and Flooding in Illinois, May 11 to 13, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding and Flooding in Illinois, May 11 to 13, 2002
Start: 2002-05-11T10:00
End: 2002-05-13T17:00
Location: Illinois

May 11 to 13, 2002 · NWS ILX · 12 events in 8 counties and zones

8 flash flood, 3 flood, 1 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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: $500,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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 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 May 11, 9:35 AM CST, 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 11, 9:35 AM CST, 25 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
1035 AM CDT SAT MAY 11 2002

FIRST BIG BATCH RAIN LIFTING THROUGH THE NORTHERN HALF OF
ILLINOIS...WITH ACTIVITY ON A MORE SCATTERED BASIS FURTHER SOUTH. A
FEW NEW STORMS BEGINNING TO DEVELOP OVER CENTRAL MISSOURI JUST NORTH
OF THE WARM FRONT...AND THIS PRECIPITATION WILL ALSO MOVE NORTHEAST.
WARM FRONT CURRENTLY EXTENDS FROM NORTHERN KANSAS INTO SOUTHEASTERN
MISSOURI. THIS WILL LIFT SLOWLY NORTHWARD TODAY...WITH THE
WIDESPREAD RAIN TO ITS NORTH ENHANCING THE BAROCLINCITY ALONG THE
FRONT. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO CREATE A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR
CONVECTIVE REDEVELOPMENT THIS EVENING AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.
SEE NO REASON TO MAKE ANY BIG ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FORECASTS AS OF
NOW. SEVERAL FLOOD WARNINGS FOR RIVERS WILL BE ISSUED LATER THIS
MORNING BASED ON RIVER FORECAST CENTER GUIDANCE.   ..04..

.ILX...FLOOD WATCH TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY ENTIRE AREA.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 11, 5:00 AM CST, 5 hours before

ILZ027>031-036>038-040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-111100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL ILLINOIS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
600 AM CDT SAT MAY 11 2002

...FLOODING AND SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL THROUGH TONIGHT...

A WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTH ACROSS THE AREA TODAY WITH RAIN
AND THUNDERSTORMS AND MAINLY A THREAT FOR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. SOIL
CONDITIONS REMAIN SATURATED ACROSS THE AREA...AND ANY ADDITIONAL
RAINS WILL RESULT IN RISING WATER LEVELS IN LOW LYING AREAS...
STREAMS...AND URBAN AREAS. LOCAL FLASH FLOODING COULD ALSO OCCUR WITH
SOME STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS.

TONIGHT...A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA RESULTING IN MORE
THUNDERSTORMS. THESE STORMS COULD BE SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND
LARGE HAIL. ALSO...FLASH FLOODING WILL CONTINUE TO BE A SIGNIFICANT
THREAT.

STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THIS STORM SYSTEM.

FRIEDERS

Special weather statement, May 11, 10:00 AM CST, 0 minutes before

ILZ027>031-036>038-040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-111700-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL ILLINOIS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
1100 AM CDT SAT MAY 11 2002

...FLOODING AND SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL THROUGH TONIGHT...

A WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTH ACROSS THE AREA TODAY WITH RAIN
AND THUNDERSTORMS AND MAINLY A THREAT FOR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. SOIL
CONDITIONS REMAIN SATURATED ACROSS THE AREA...AND ANY ADDITIONAL
RAINS WILL RESULT IN RISING WATER LEVELS IN LOW LYING AREAS...
STREAMS...AND URBAN AREAS. LOCAL FLASH FLOODING COULD ALSO OCCUR WITH
SOME STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS.

TONIGHT...A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA RESULTING IN MORE
THUNDERSTORMS. THESE STORMS COULD BE SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND
LARGE HAIL. ALSO...FLASH FLOODING WILL CONTINUE TO BE A SIGNIFICANT
THREAT.

STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THIS STORM SYSTEM.

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 82 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:10 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 flash flood, 3 flood, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Fulton

When: May 11, 10:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Fulton County, Countywide
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.473, -90.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous roads were flooded including Illinois Route 95 near Smithfield. Also, a section of the intersection of Illinois Route 9 and US Route 24 was washed away due to the heavy rains. Some basements were flooded in Farmington. Due to the heavy rains, a car hydroplaned causing it to go into a ditch off Illinois Route 78 near Norris. Four people in the car sustained minor injuries.

Flash Flood, Stark

When: May 11, 10:45 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where: Stark County, 3 mi NE of West Jersey
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 41.093, -89.797 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Water flooded several roads between West Jersey and Wyoming.

Flash Flood, Tazewell

When: May 11, 11:00 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Tazewell County, Washington
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 40.508, -89.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several roads and basements in the Deer Ridge Subdivision were flooded due to between 3 and 4 inches of rain in a short amount of time.

Flash Flood, Mason

When: May 11, 11:04 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Mason County, Manito
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.240, -89.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several rural roads were briefly flooded.

Flash Flood, Knox

When: May 11, 11:25 AM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Knox County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.932, -90.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous roads were flooded, as well as, several basements in Galesburg. Illinois Route 167 between Wataga and Victoria was flooded with some minor mudslides onto the road in spots. Also, the Illinois Route 116/Route 41 Viaduct was flooded 1 mile north of St. Augustine.

Flash Flood, Peoria

When: May 11, 12:00 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Peoria County, Countywide
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.788, -89.760 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several roads were briefly flooded including Barns Road near Hanna City.

Flash Flood, McLean

When: May 11, 2:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: McLean County, North Portion
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.491, -88.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Illinois Route 165 was flooded in spots briefly and had to be barricaded. Several basements in Chenoa were flooded. Also, several roads in the Gridley area were flooded as well.

Hail, Peoria

When: May 11, 3:10 PM CST to 3:15 PM CST
Where: Peoria County, Peoria
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.700, -89.600

Flash Flood, Woodford

When: May 11, 8:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Woodford County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.788, -89.211 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Over 4 inches of rain fell in a short amount of time. Numerous roads were flooded and several creeks went out of their banks.

Flood, Knox

When: May 11, 9:00 PM CST to May 12, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Knox forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.932, -90.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Even though the rain had ended much earlier in the day, numerous roads remained flooded for a time including County Road 39 (Knox County) near London Mills. A log jam on the Spoon River at Duncan Mills (Fulton County) caused the river to rise quicker and threaten the closing of the US Route 24 bridge. Also, several roads in Fulton County had sections of them washed away due to the flood waters. Runoff continued to cause flood problems in Woodford County, especially in the Eureka and Roanoke areas. Two families had to be evacuated from their homes due to rising waters.

Flood, Fulton

When: May 11, 9:00 PM CST to May 13, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Fulton forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.473, -90.207 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Woodford

When: May 11, 9:00 PM CST to May 12, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Woodford forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.788, -89.211 (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.
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.

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, May 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: 5302973, 5302976, 5302977, 5302970, 5302971, 5302975, 5303071, 5302978, 5303069, 5302972, 5302974, 5303070.