Flooding in Missouri, February 1, 2002

Name: Flooding in Missouri, February 1, 2002
Start: 2002-02-01T00:00
End: 2002-02-01T14:00
Location: Missouri

February 1, 2002 · NWS SGF · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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: 10

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.

This is the continuation of the flood event of January 31, 2002. Although the rainfall had ended, runoff continued which caused several roads, low water crossings, and small streams to remain flooded through the morning. Runoff from the small streams caused the Big Piney River to rise above flood stage early Friday morning. Also, the Gasconade River, North Fork, Jacks Fork, and Eleven Point Rivers of central and south central Missouri rose significantly during this event.

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 Jan 31, 8:00 PM CST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 31, 8:00 PM CST, 4 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
800 PM CST THU JAN 31 2002

WILL UPDATE FORECAST ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL ZONES TO REMOVE MENTION OF
RAIN/THUNDER AS AXIS OF PRECIP HAS SHIFTED EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI.
A NUMBER OF FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT THIS EVENING AS RUNOFF
HAS BEEN SLOW TO RECEDE. ALSO NOTING RAPID RISES ON BIG PINEY WHICH
SHOULD CREST ABOVE FLOOD STAGE EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. THANKS KRF FOR
ALL YOUR HELP WITH FORECAST STAGES. ALSO MUCH THANKS TO ALL THE
VOLUNTEER AND COOPERATIVE OBSERVERS FOR ALL THE RAINFALL REPORTS
RECEIVED TODAY.

FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA...00Z KSGF SOUNDING IS ONE INDICATIVE
OF DRIZZLE...AND A PEEK OUTSIDE AND A SWITCH OF THE 88D INTO CLEAR
AIR MODE SHOWS JUST THAT.  SURFACE ANALYSIS DEPICTS SUB-FREEZING AIR
JUST ENTERING THE WESTERN CWA...WITH REAL CHILLY AIR STILL BEHIND
WIND SHIFT TROF STRETCHING FROM NEAR KANSAS CITY TO CHANUTE. ALONG
WITH THE COLDER AIR HOWEVER COMES THE DRIER AIR...SO WILL REMOVE
FREEZING DRIZZLE ADVISORY ON THE THOUGHT THAT PRECIP WILL BE
INSIGNIFICANT OR HAVE ENDED BEFORE TEMPERATURES FALL BELOW FREEZING.
BEST CHANCE FOR ANY SLICK SPOTS WILL BE ACROSS THE CENTRAL MISSOURI
WHERE BETTER MOISTURE STILL LINGERS.

OTHERWISE...LOOKING FORWARD TO SOME SUNSHINE TOMORROW...ESPECIALLY
TO AID IN THE CLEANUP EFFORTS OUT WEST.

ISC GRIDS HAVE BEEN SENT.

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

BOOKBINDER

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 31, 11:23 PM CST, 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
1123 PM CST THU JAN 31 2002

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

0405 PM    SALEM                     MO   FLOOD
01/31/02   DENT                           NUMEROUS LOW WATER
                                          CROSSINGS AND STREAMS
                                          FLOODED COUNTY WIDE.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0405 PM    DIXON                     MO   FLOOD
01/31/02   PULASKI                        NUMEROUS LOW WATER
                                          CROSSINGS AND STREAMS
                                          FLOODED COUNTY WIDE.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0405 PM    (H63)WEST PLAINS          MO   FLOOD
01/31/02   HOWELL                         NUMEROUS LOW WATER
                                          CROSSINGS FLOODED
                                          COUNTY WIDE. HIGHWAY
                                          142 CLOSED. REPORTED BY
                                          LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0510 PM    AVA                       MO   FLOOD
01/31/02   DOUGLAS                        SEVERAL STREAMS AND LOW
                                          WATER CROSSINGS FLOODED
                                          COUNTY WIDE. REPORTED
                                          BY LAW ENFORCEMENT
                                          OFFICIAL.

0510 PM    GAINESVILLE               MO   FLOOD
01/31/02   OZARK                          SEVERAL STREAMS AND LOW
                                          WATER CROSSINGS FLOODED
                                          COUNTY WIDE.  HIGHWAY T
                                          CLOSED. REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0610 PM    ROLLA                     MO   FLOOD
01/31/02   PHELPS                         SEVERAL LOW WATER
                                          CROSSINGS FLOODED
                                          COUNTY WIDE. REPORTED
                                          BY LAW ENFORCEMENT
                                          OFFICIAL.

1110 PM    EMINENCE                  MO   FLOOD
01/31/02   SHANNON                        SEVERAL LOW WATER
                                          CROSSINGS FLOODED
                                          COUNTY WIDE.  HIGHWAY H
                                          CLOSED. REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Dent

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Dent forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.607, -91.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Douglas

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Douglas forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.933, -92.499 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Howell

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Howell forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.774, -91.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Maries

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Maries forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.162, -91.925 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Oregon

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Oregon forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.687, -91.403 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Ozark

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Ozark forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.649, -92.445 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Phelps

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Phelps forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.877, -91.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Pulaski

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where: Pulaski forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.825, -92.208 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Shannon

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where: Shannon forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.157, -91.400 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Texas

When: February 1, 12:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Texas forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.317, -91.965 (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

Every storm in Missouri in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Missouri, February 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: 5280416, 5280417, 5280418, 5280419, 5280420, 5280421, 5280422, 5280423, 5280424, 5280425.