Flash Flood and Flooding in Illinois, May 8, 2002

Name: Flash Flood and Flooding in Illinois, May 8, 2002
Start: 2002-05-08T01:00
End: 2002-05-08T04:00
Location: Illinois

May 8, 2002 · NWS PAH · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

S. 51 near Elkville.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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: $10,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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.

Two highways were impassable due to flooding in northeast Jackson County: Route 127 near Vergennes and U.S. 51 near Elkville. In White County, extensive flooding of roads and fields occurred. Sections of U.S. Highway 45 were closed in two places: north of Enfield and north of Norris City. Several vehicles stalled in the floodwaters, but no injuries were reported. A number of streets in Carmi were covered with water, as well as numerous rural roads. In Wayne County, at least two sections of Illinois 15 west of Fairfield were flooded. In Perry County, high water flowed over parts of Route 154 outside of Pinckneyville. Water was over several streets in Du Quoin, and it was high enough to flood a small car. A resident of Du Quoin measured 22 inches of water in the basement. Rainfall amounts were unofficially measured near 3 inches at Centerville (White County) and Grand Tower (Jackson County). The highest report was 4.3 inches in 12 hours at Du Quoin (Perry 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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 8, 12:30 AM CST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 8, 12:30 AM CST, 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
130 AM CDT WED MAY 8 2002

LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS ONGOING PRECIPITATION DISTORTING
SURFACE FEATURES. IR SAT PICS SHOWS COLDEST TOPS CONTINUE TO ADVECT
EAST. MORE CONVECTION WAS FIRING UP OVER WESTERN MO AND EASTERN
KANSAS SHOULD CONTINUE EAST. ONGOING STORMS ARE ELEVATED AND WOULD
EXPECT HAIL TO BE THE MAJOR THREAT.

OUTFLOW OVER SOUTHERN MISSOURI WILL WORK TO REENFORCE THE REMNANTS
OF BOUNDARY PLACED JUST SOUTH OF THE AREA FROM EARLYIER STORMS. THIS
SHOULD SLOW THE RETURN OF THE WARM FRONT PROGGED TO TAKE PLACE TODAY.
00Z WED MODEL RUNS SUGGEST A REPEAT OF TUE AM WEATHER THIS AM AND
AGAIN THURSDAY AM. MCS SHOULD BEGIN DEPARTING PAH FA LATE THIS
MORNING WITH MESO HIGH KEEPING THINGS SETTLED MOST OF THE REMAINDER
OF THE DAY. MODELS CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE ANOTHER MCS OVERNIGHT AS
COLD FRONT FINALLY EXITS THE AREA THURSDAY. FLOODING COULD BE A
PROBLEM OVERNIGHT AS FINAL MCS MAKES IT WAY ACROSS THE REGION. AN
FLOOD WATCH MAY BE NECESARY OVERNIGHT...BUT WILL HOLD OFF FOR KNOW
AND SEE WHAT EFFECT THIS AM PRCIP HAS ON FFG FOR SECOND PERIOD.

EXCESSIVE CLOUD COVER KEPT TEMPS WELL BELOW MOS GUIDANCE YESTERDAY
FROM THE LINGERING MCS. WOULD EXPECT A SIMILAR SCENARIO TODAY.

.PAH...NONE.

KH

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 125 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Flood, Perry

When: May 8, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
Where: Perry County, Countywide
Property damage: $7,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.084, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, White

When: May 8, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
Where: White County, Countywide
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.088, -88.180 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Wayne

When: May 8, 1:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
Where: Wayne County, 3 mi W of Fairfield
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 38.430, -88.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Jackson

When: May 8, 1:06 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
Where: Jackson County, Vergennes
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
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.
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, 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: 5295923, 5295924, 5295925, 5295922.