Flash Flooding in Missouri, August 19 to 20, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding in Missouri, August 19 to 20, 2002
Start: 2002-08-19T22:00
End: 2002-08-20T06:00
Location: Missouri

August 19 to 20, 2002 · NWS SGF · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Four inches of rain fell in less than 3 hours over portions of northern Dent County and southern Phelps County. Locally five to seven inches fell near Boss in east central Dent County.

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 SGF wrote it up.

Four inches of rain fell in less than 3 hours over portions of northern Dent County and southern Phelps County. Locally five to seven inches fell near Boss in east central Dent County. Local law enforcement officers reported Highway 32 east of Salem flooded with nearly 12 inches of water flowing over the road at one point. One of the officer's car nearly floated away due to the extremely high water level as he drove down the highway, however, he was able to get out with no injuries. Numerous low water crossings also flooded across the area with several roads closed.

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 Springfield, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 19, 1:45 PM CST, 8 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 19, 1:45 PM CST, 8 hours 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
245 PM CDT MON AUG 19 2002

WERE GETTING QUITE UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON WITH CU DEVELOPING IN
AREA OF SURFACE BASED CAPES AROUND 3500 J/KG AND LIS AT -6.
HOWEVER...CAP IS STILL HOLDING TOUGH. EXPECT FIRST STORMS TO BREAK
THE CAP NEAR OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM NEVADA TO SOUTH OF OSAGE BEACH.
BASED ON DEWPOINT OBS...FRONT STILL LIES WELL NORTH OF THE OZARKS.

STALLED OUTFLOW BOUNDARY NORTH OF SPRINGFIELD WILL DICTATE
DISTRIBUTION OF POPS FOR TONIGHT. HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT POSSIBLE
MCS TRACKING NEAR THE FRONT OVER CENTRAL MO OVERNIGHT. LATEST ETA
OUTPUT SHOWS MOST LIKELY AREA FOR MCS DEVELOPMENT OVER WESTERN
KANSAS AND SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA IN VICINITY OF DEVELOPING LOW LEVEL
JET AND STRONG 850 MB WARM AIR ADVECTION. HOWEVER LATEST MESOETA
SHOWS ANOTHER SHORTWAVE MOVING INTO THE REGION OVERNIGHT. FOR NOW
WILL HANG ON TO CHANCE POPS ALL NIGHT FOR THE NORTHERN ZONES...BUT
WILL TAPER OFF THIS EVENING FOR THE SOUTH.

MAY ALSO HAVE SOME LINGERING CONVECTION TUESDAY MORNING.
THEREAFTER...STALLED FRONT RETURNS NORTH AS A WARM FRONT AND WASHES
OUT AS 70+ DEWPOINTS ADVECT RAPIDLY NORTH TOMORROW MORNING/AFTERNOON
IN RESPONSE TO DEEPENING LEE TROUGH OVER EASTERN CO. WITH RELATIVELY
WEAK CAP AND POSSIBLE MESOSCALE BOUNDARIES AROUND...WILL HANG ON TO
A 30 POP FOR THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN ZONES FOR THE AFTERNOON.
THEREAFTER...SHOULD SEE SOME CAP STRENGTH INCREASE AS UPPER HIGH
BUILDS INTO THE AREA.

WILL CONTINUE WITH DRY FORECAST FOR THE REST OF THE WORK WEEK AND
BRING POPS BACK IN ON SATURDAY...AS AVN SHOWS DECENT CONSISTENCY
WITH FROPA AS RIDGE BUILDS TO THE WEST AND NORTHWEST FLOW EDGES INTO
THE REGION.

NO DRASTIC CHANCES TO TEMPERATURES THIS WEEK...JUST PLAN ON GOING A
FEW DEGREES COOLER OVER THE EAST ON TUESDAY AND OVER THE ENTIRE AREA
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.

INITIAL ISC GRIDS ARE OUT. WILL LIKELY TWEEK POPS/WEATHER GRIDS FOR
TUESDAY TO PROLONG PRECIP IN THE EAST.

.SGF...
MO...NONE.
KS...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 19, 8:23 PM CST, 1 hour 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
923 PM CDT MON AUG 19 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0920 PM    BOLIVAR                   MO   1 INCH HAIL
08/19/02   POLK                           EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
                                          ALSO REPORTED 60 MPH
                                          WINDS.

Local storm report, Aug 19, 8:44 PM CST, 1 hour 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
944 PM CDT MON AUG 19 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0943 PM    ROLLA                     MO   .88 INCH HAIL
08/19/02   PHELPS                         REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
                                          OPERATOR.

0943 PM    ALDRICH                   MO   .88 INCH HAIL
08/19/02   POLK                           REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
                                          OPERATOR.

Local storm report, Aug 19, 8:49 PM CST, 1 hour 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
949 PM CDT MON AUG 19 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0944 PM    SALEM                     MO   WIND DAMAGE
08/19/02   DENT                           LIMBS BLOWN DOWN.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

Local storm report, Aug 19, 9:02 PM CST, 58 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1002 PM CDT MON AUG 19 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0930 PM    FAIR GROVE                MO   WIND DAMAGE
08/19/02   GREENE                         TREES DOWN. REPORTED BY
                                          STORM SPOTTER.

Local storm report, Aug 19, 9:07 PM CST, 53 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1007 PM CDT MON AUG 19 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0948 PM    BONA                      MO   .88 INCH HAIL
08/19/02   DADE                           REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
                                          OPERATOR.

Local storm report, Aug 19, 9:40 PM CST, 20 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1040 PM CDT MON AUG 19 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0723 PM    1 E GROVESPRING           MO   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/19/02   WRIGHT                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

0728 PM    3 N GROVESPRING           MO   .88 INCH HAIL
08/19/02   WRIGHT                         REPORTED BY COOPERATIVE
                                          OBSERVER.

0745 PM    3 N HARTVILLE             MO   WIND DAMAGE
08/19/02   WRIGHT                         TREES BLOWN DOWN.
                                          REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT.

0750 PM    WAYNESVILLE               MO   .75 INCH HAIL
08/19/02   PULASKI                        REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
                                          OPERATOR.

0750 PM    3 NNE HARTVILLE           MO   1 INCH HAIL
08/19/02   WRIGHT                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

0758 PM    WAYNESVILLE               MO   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/19/02   PULASKI                        REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
                                          OPERATOR.

0804 PM    GREENFIELD                MO   .88 INCH HAIL
08/19/02   DADE                           REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
                                          OPERATOR.

0810 PM    3 W ODIN                  MO   WIND DAMAGE
08/19/02   WRIGHT                         EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
                                          REPORTED A TREE DOWN
                                          OVER CASS ROAD NORTH OF
                                          HIGHWAY 38 AND EAST OF
                                          DUNCAN OVER THE WRIGHT
                                          COUNTY LINE.

0820 PM    2 N DIGGINS               MO   WIND DAMAGE
08/19/02   WEBSTER                        TREES DOWN. REPORTED BY
                                          LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0915 PM    ROLLA                     MO   1 INCH HAIL
08/19/02   PHELPS                         REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0920 PM    BOLIVAR                   MO   1 INCH HAIL
08/19/02   POLK                           EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
                                          ALSO REPORTED 60 MPH
                                          WINDS.

0930 PM    FAIR GROVE                MO   WIND DAMAGE
08/19/02   GREENE                         TREES DOWN. REPORTED BY
                                          STORM SPOTTER.

0943 PM    ALDRICH                   MO   .88 INCH HAIL
08/19/02   POLK                           REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
                                          OPERATOR.

0943 PM    ROLLA                     MO   .88 INCH HAIL
08/19/02   PHELPS                         REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
                                          OPERATOR.

0944 PM    SALEM                     MO   WIND DAMAGE
08/19/02   DENT                           LIMBS BLOWN DOWN.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0948 PM    BONA                      MO   .88 INCH HAIL
08/19/02   DADE                           REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
                                          OPERATOR.

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 141 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:02 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Dent

When: August 19, 10:00 PM CST to August 20, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Dent County, North Portion
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.607, -91.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Phelps

When: August 20, 1:31 AM CST to 6:00 AM CST
Where: Phelps County, Rolla
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.877, -91.792 (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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Missouri in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Missouri, August 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: 5313372, 5313373.