Flood, Lee
- When
- May 12, 3:33 AM CST to May 14, 12:27 AM CST
- Where
- Lee forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 40.642, -91.479 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Iowa, May 12 to 14, 2002
Heavy rain resulted in flooding along the Des Moines, English and Skunk Rivers. The English River near Kalona and Skunk River at Augusta both crested just above flood stage.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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 rain resulted in flooding along the Des Moines, English and Skunk Rivers. The English River near Kalona and Skunk River at Augusta both crested just above flood stage. The Des Moines River at St. Francisville saw more significant rises, as it crested at nearly 3.5 feet above flood stage.
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 May 12, 1:55 AM CST, 1 hour 38 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 12, 1:55 AM CST, 1 hour 38 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 255 AM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002 AVN MODEL WAS THE BEST TO FOLLOW YESTERDAY ALTHOUGH IT UNDERESTIMATED THE PRECIP UNTIL THE OFF TIME RUN. BASED ON REALITY...AVN IS THE ONLY MODEL THAT HAS A CLUE OR HANDLE ON CURRENT SITUATION...WITH THE 03Z RUC FOR THE VERY SHORT TERM. WILL CONTINUE FLOOD WATCH THROUGH 18Z TODAY AS REPORTS INDICATE MUCH OF THE WATCH AREA HAS BEEN HAMMERED HARD IN THE PAST 18 HOURS. WEAK SURFACE WAVE IN SOUTHEAST IOWA TO MOVE TO KCHI AREA AND DRAG THE FRONT FURTHER TO THE SOUTH. OMEGA FIELDS INDICATE NEXT IMPULSE TO PRODUCE 20 MBAR/SEC LIFT ACROSS THE WATCH AREA AT 12Z AND MOVES THIS INTO INDIANA AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. THIS TO ALLOW PRECIP TO END AROUND NOON IN FAR NORTHWEST QUARTER AND DURING THE AFTERNOON ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE CWFA. FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE CLOUDS TO STAY AROUND TONIGHT WITH CLOUDS BREAKING UP AS MONDAY PROGRESSES. THIS TO BE AN ALL DAY PROCESS AS WEAK DISTURBANCE IN NORTHWEST FLOW MOVES THROUGH ON MONDAY AFTERNOON. SURFACE RIDGE THEN BUILDS IN MONDAY NIGHT ALLOWING SKIES TO FINALLY CLEAR. FWC/MAV SIMILAR WITH MAV COOLER FOR TODAY/TONIGHT. LIST LOOKS REASONABLE AS DOES THE HIGHER FWC POPS FOR PERIOD 1. COORDINATED WITH DSM...CHI...ILX...AND STL. .DVN...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON IA...IAZ078-087>089-098-099. IL...ILZ016>018-024>026-034-035. MO...MOZ009-010. 86
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 11, 11:35 PM CST, 3 hours 58 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
1235 AM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1220 AM 2 N STRONGHURST IL FLOOD
05/12/02 HENDERSON ELAPHANT CREEK...1/8
MILE NORTH OF HIGHWAY
116 AND HIGHWAY 94
JUNCTION...IS OUT OF
ITS BANKS INTO FIELDS.
SOME BASEMENTS IN
STRONGHURST TAKING IN
WATER. 1320 E...JUST
SOUTH OF OLEAN...NEAR
HONEY CREEK ALSO WATER
COVERED. REPORTED BY
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.Local storm report, May 11, 11:46 PM CST, 3 hours 47 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
1246 AM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1235 AM DUBUQUE IA 1.75 INCH HAIL
05/12/02 DUBUQUE REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.Local storm report, May 11, 11:55 PM CST, 3 hours 38 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
1255 AM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1254 AM COUNTYWIDE IL FLOOD
05/12/02 MCDONOUGH WATER COVERING NUMEROUS
ROADS THROUGHOUT THE
COUNTY, WITH MANY ROADS
IMPASSABLE. PEOPLE
STRANDED AND RESCUED
FROM VEHICLE. REPORTED
BY LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICIAL.Local storm report, May 12, 1:02 AM CST, 2 hours 31 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
202 AM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0110 AM COUNTYWIDE IL FLOOD
05/12/02 HANCOCK WATER BOOT DEEP ON
ROADS IN CARTHAGE. 1
RESIDENCE IN A LOW SPOT
EVACUATED. WATER
COVERING HIGHWAY 136
WEST OF CARTHAGE.
REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.Local storm report, May 12, 1:13 AM CST, 2 hours 20 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
213 AM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0212 AM LOMAX IL FLOOD
05/12/02 HENDERSON 7 TO 8 INCHES OF WATER
COVERED ILLINOIS ROUTE
96 JUST WEST OF LOMAX.
REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.Local storm report, May 12, 1:43 AM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
243 AM CDT SUN MAY 12 2002
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0242 AM DOVER IL URBAN FLOODING
05/12/02 BUREAU DOVER BLACKTOP IS WATER
COVERED. REPORTED BY
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Des Moines
- When
- May 12, 3:33 AM CST to May 14, 12:27 AM CST
- Where
- Des Moines forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 40.923, -91.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Washington
- When
- May 12, 3:33 AM CST to May 13, 4:25 AM CST
- Where
- Washington forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 41.336, -91.718 (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
- Flash Flooding in Missouri, May 12 to 13, 2002
- Flash Flooding in Missouri, May 12 to 13, 2002
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Pennsylvania, May 12 to 13, 2002
- Flooding in Illinois, May 12 to 31, 2002
- Flash Flood and Hail in Arkansas, May 12, 2002
- Rip Current in Florida, May 12, 2002
- Flash Flooding in Indiana, May 12 to 13, 2002
- Flooding in Missouri, May 12 to 14, 2002
- Flash Flood and Hail in Ohio, May 12, 2002
- Flood in Alaska, May 12 to 14, 2002
- Flooding in Indiana, May 12 to 19, 2002
- Flash Flooding in Illinois, May 12 to 13, 2002
More
Every storm in Iowa in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, 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: 5297858, 5297859, 5297860.