Missouri, 2002

Flooding in Missouri, May 11 to 17, 2002

May 11 to 17, 2002 · NWS EAX · 16 events in 13 counties and zones

16 flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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
$40,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
16

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 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 Kansas City, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 11, 2:36 AM CST, 1 hour 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 11, 2:36 AM CST, 1 hour 24 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
336 AM CDT SAT MAY 11 2002

MAIN FORECAST CONCERN IS WITH PRECIPITATION THIS MORNING AND AGAIN
TONIGHT. WILL LEAN TOWARD ETA SOLUTION...THOUGH HOPE ITS QPF FIELDS
FOR TONIGHT ARE OVERDONE...SINCE IT IS SHOWING IN EXCESS OF 2
INCHES...WITH 06Z MESO ETA EVEN HIGHER.

THIS MORNING...WARM FRONT LIFTING THROUGH AREA. THETA E
ADVECTION OVER TOP OF THIS BOUNDARY HAS SET OFF THUNDERSTORMS
PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN. FORTUNATELY...THESE WILL BE LIFTING NORTH
THIS MORNING AS WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH INTO IOWA. CWA WILL BE IN
WARM SECTOR TODAY...WITH PLENTY OF MOISTURE BEING PUMPED NORTHWARD.
SURFACE DEWPOINTS BY AFTERNOON SHOULD BE IN THE 60S...AND
PRECIPITABLE WATER BY EVENING IN EXCESS OF AN INCH AN A HALF IN THE
FORECAST AREA. THIS WILL SET THE STAGE FOR VERY HEAVY RAINFALL
TONIGHT AS COLD FRONT MOVES INTO AREA AT THE SAME TIME A WEAKER
UPPER LEVEL WAVE MOVES THROUGH. THIS SHOULD LEAD TO MCS DEVELOPMENT.
OUTFLOW FROM THIS CONVECTION OVERNIGHT SHOULD HELP PUSH FRONT TO
JUST SOUTH OF FORECAST AREA BY SUNDAY MORNING. STRONGER SHORT WAVE
THEN APPROACHES. PREFER THE MORE SOUTHERN TRACK OF THE ETA VORT
MAX...GIVEN THE INFLUENCE OF A NORTHERN STREAM SHORT WAVE. THUS
THINK FOR SUNDAY/SUNDAY NIGHT TIMEFRAME...THE HEAVIER RAIN SHOULD
STAY SOUTH OF FORECAST AREA.

WILL GO WITH A FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT. GROUND ALREADY PRETTY
SATURATED THROUGHOUT FORECAST AREA...ESPECIALLY AREAS SOUTH OF
MISSOURI RIVER...SO EVEN IF SOUTHERN PART OF CWA DOES NOT GET
EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN...EVEN MODERATE RAIN MAY CAUSE PROBLEMS. THANKS
TO SURROUNDING OFFICES FOR COORDINATION.

NOT MUCH CHANGES TO LONGER RANGE PERIODS. LOOKS DRY THROUGH AT LEAST
MID WEEK AS RIDGING BUILDS IN.

.EAX...
KS...FLOOD WATCH FROM 600 PM CDT SATURDAY UNTIL 600 AM CDT SUNDAY FOR
ZONES KSZ025...KSZ057...KSZ060...KSZ102>105.

MO...FLOOD WATCH FROM 600 PM CDT SATURDAY UNTIL 600 AM CDT SUNDAY FOR
ZONES MOZ001>008...MOZ011>017...MOZ020>025...MOZ028>033...
MOZ037>040...MOZ043>046...MOZ053>054.

PC

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 11, 12:15 AM CST, 3 hours 45 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
115 AM CDT SAT MAY 11 2002

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

0100 AM    GLADSTONE                 MO   .75 INCH HAIL
05/11/02   CLAY                           REPORTED BY PUBLIC.
Local storm report, May 11, 3:07 AM CST, 53 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
407 AM CDT SAT MAY 11 2002

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

0240 AM    WARRENSBURG               MO   .75 INCH HAIL
05/11/02   JOHNSON                        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

16 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Daviess

When
May 11, 4:00 AM CST to May 12, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Daviess forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.961, -93.985 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Grand River near Gallatin crested 1.5 feet above flood stage.

Flood, Carroll

When
May 11, 6:00 AM CST to May 14, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Carroll forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.427, -93.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wakenda Creek in Carrollton crested 4.4 feet above flood stage.

Flood, Livingston

When
May 11, 6:00 AM CST to May 14, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Livingston forecast zone
Property damage
$40,000
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.782, -93.548 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Grand River near Chillicothe had major flooding and crested 9.8 feet above flood stage.

Flood, Chariton

When
May 11, 8:00 AM CST to May 17, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Chariton forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.515, -92.963 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Grand River near Sumner had major flooding and crested 13.5 feet above flood stage.

Flood, Buchanan

When
May 11, 12:00 PM CST to May 13, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Buchanan forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.660, -94.806 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Platte River near Agency crested 3.2 feet above flood stage.

Flood, Adair

When
May 11, 6:00 PM CST to May 13, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Adair forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
40.191, -92.601 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Chariton River near Novinger crested 4.4 feet above flood stage.

Flood, Chariton

When
May 11, 8:00 PM CST to May 15, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Chariton forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.515, -92.963 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Record flooding on the Chariton River near Prairie Hill. The flood stage is 15 feet. The river crested at 22.87 feet, or 7.87 feet above flood stage.

Flood, Clay

When
May 12, 4:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where
Clay forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.311, -94.421 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Fishing River near Mosby crested 2.7 feet above flood stage.

Flood, Chariton

When
May 12, 6:00 AM CST to May 17, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Chariton forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.515, -92.963 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Grand River near Brunswick crested 9 feet above flood stage.

Flood, Jackson

When
May 12, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where
Jackson forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.009, -94.346 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blue River near Bannister road crested 0.6 feet above flood stage.

Flood, Ray

When
May 12, 6:00 AM CST to May 13, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Ray forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.352, -93.990 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Crooked River near Richmond crested 3.8 feet above flood stage.

Flood, Platte

When
May 12, 6:00 AM CST to May 14, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Platte forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.381, -94.774 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Platte River near Sharp Station crested 1.4 feet above flood stage.

Flood, Platte

When
May 12, 10:00 AM CST to May 14, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Platte forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.381, -94.774 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Platte River near Platte City crested 1.4 feet above flood stage.

Flood, Cooper

When
May 12, 12:00 PM CST to May 13, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Cooper forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
38.844, -92.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Petite Saline Creek near Boonville crested 3 feet above flood stage.

Flood, Howard

When
May 12, 12:00 PM CST to May 16, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Howard forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.143, -92.696 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Missouri River at Glasgow crested 3.2 feet above flood stage.

Flood, Saline

When
May 13, 6:00 AM CST to May 15, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Saline forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.137, -93.202 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Missouri River near Miami crested 1.6 feet above flood stage.

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

More

Every storm in Missouri in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, 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: 5293838, 5293837, 5293839, 5293840, 5293848, 5293844, 5293845, 5293846, 5293841, 5293842, 5293847, 5293849, 5293850, 5293843, 5293852, 5293851.