Missouri, 2002

Flood in Missouri, May 12 to 14, 2002

May 12 to 14, 2002 · NWS DVN · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
1

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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 12, 1:55 AM CST, 26 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 12, 1:55 AM CST, 26 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, 2 hours 46 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, 2 hours 35 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, 2 hours 26 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, 1 hour 19 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, 1 hour 8 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, 38 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.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Clark

When
May 12, 2:21 AM CST to May 14, 8:37 PM CST
Where
Clark forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
40.410, -91.738 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy rain resulted in flooding along the Fox, Des Moines and Mississippi Rivers in Northeast Missouri. The Mississippi River at Gregory Landing crested just over 2 feet above flood stage, while the Fox River at Wayland and Des Moines River at St. Francisville both crested at nearly 3.5 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: 5297857.