Very heavy rainfall caused area creeks and streams to rise out of their banks and several roads were closed due to the high water.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS ILN wrote it up.
Very heavy rainfall caused area creeks and streams to rise out of their banks and several roads were closed due to the high water.
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 Wilmington, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 19, 8:25 PM EST, 4 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
825 PM EST TUE MAR 19 2002
FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR SOUTHERN FCST AREA ALONG OHIO RIVER.
LIGHT RAIN HAS OVERSPREAD MUCH OF FA EXCEPT FOR NORTHWEST ZONES.
HEAVIER PRECIPITATION CONTINUES TO BE CONFINED TO MAINLY SOUTH PART
OF FA. AS WAVE MOVES NORTHEAST ALONG FRONT OVERNIGHT...ADDITIONAL
HEAVIER PRECIPITATION EXPECTED TO OCCUR SOUTHEAST PART OF FA. AREAL
COVERAGE DEFINED IN THE FLOOD WATCH STILL LOOKS ON TRACK.
PRECIPITATION HAS SPREAD FURTHER NORTH SO WILL ADJUST PRECIPITATION
TO CATEGORICAL IN DAY TO CMH ZONES. WILL ALSO ADJUST CMH ZONE GROUP
TO ADD UNION AND DELAWARE COUNTIES. TEMPERATURES CURRENTLY IN THE
40S AND OVERNIGHT LOWS ARE NOT EXPTECTED TO STRAY TOO FAR FROM THESE
TEMPERATURES. WILL MAKE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO SOME LOW TEMPERATURES
AND WIND DIRECTIONS.
MISILN OUT SHORTLY.
.ILN...FLOOD WATCH FROM NOON TUESDAY THROUGH NOON WED FOR
KYZ094>100-OHZ079-081-088.
PARKERThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
In Salt Lick, a road off of the AA highway was closed due to high water.
Some of the county roads were closed due to high water.
Several county roads were covered with water in the Shannon area.
A few creeks across the county were out of their banks.
A car was stuck in Arnold's creek just southeast of Elliston.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kentucky in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, March 2002
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: 5286983, 5286984, 5286985, 5286986, 5286987, 5286988.