Flash Flooding in Missouri, May 16 to 17, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding in Missouri, May 16 to 17, 2002
Start: 2002-05-16T20:56
End: 2002-05-17T10:00
Location: Missouri

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

This was the third major flood event to occur within a 10 day period. Some communities reported over a foot of rain since the beginning of May.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 13 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: 13

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 was the third major flood event to occur within a 10 day period. Some communities reported over a foot of rain since the beginning of May. This area of excessive rainfall fell over mostly southern Missouri, south of Interstate 44 from the night of May 16, through the morning May 17th. Over an inch of rain fell over a broad area of southern Missouri, with bands of three to six inches from Joplin to Carthage, Powell to Cassville, Ozark to Mansfield, and from Licking to Ankers in northern Shannon County. Even though there were three days of dry weather, runoff was not complete from the previous flooding event, therefore, flash flooding developed quickly.

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 May 16, 1:15 PM CST, 7 hours 41 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 16, 1:15 PM CST, 7 hours 41 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
215 PM CDT THU MAY 16 2002

...WILL CONTINUE FFA FOR ALL CWA FOR TONIGHT UNTIL FRIDAY NOON...

ATTM SGF RADAR SHOWS SCATTERED SHRA/TSRA OVER WRN/NRN CWA PROBABLY
ASSOCIATED WITH OLD OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES. ALSO BIG SUCKER HOLE OVER
ERN ZONES ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO CLIMB INTO THE LOW 70S.

1ST PERIOD CONCERNS IS HOW MUCH AND WHERE WILL THE HEAVY RAIN
FALL...BASED ON MODEL QPF/HPC DATA JUST ABOUT THE ENTIRE CWA IS
COVERED IN EXCESSIVE RAINFALL.  COLD FRONT ATTM STILL OVER NW MO AND
THRU CENTRAL KANSAS. TIMING OF THIS FRONT IS A LITTLE TRICKY BUT
SHOULD SLOWLY SAG THRU THE CWA DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.  WITH
PLENTY OF MOISTURE AND GOOD CONVERGENCE...ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY
RAIN ALONG AND SOUTH OF I44 WILL BE POSSIBLE. AVN/ETA BRINGS THE
HEAVIEST RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT AND INTO FRIDAY MORNING MAINLY ALONG
SRN MO AND NRN AR.

AS FOR TEMPERATURES WENT WITH WARMER ETA MOS.

FOR THE EXTENDED FORECAST...KNOCKED A FEW DEGREES OFF THE HIGHS AND
KEPT ALL MENTION OF RAIN OUT.

FCSTID = 07

.SGF...
MO...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL NOON CDT FRIDAY FOR ZONES MOZ055>058...
MOZ066>071...MOZ077>083...MOZ088>098...MOZ101>106.

KS...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL NOON CDT FRIDAY FOR ZONES KSZ073...KSZ097...
KSZ101.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Phelps

When: May 16, 8:56 PM CST to May 17, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Phelps County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.877, -91.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Dent

When: May 16, 10:10 PM CST to May 17, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Dent County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.607, -91.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Jasper

When: May 17, 2:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
Where: Jasper County, South Portion
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.204, -94.341 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Webster

When: May 17, 2:15 AM CST to 6:00 AM CST
Where: Webster County, South Portion
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.281, -92.876 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Texas

When: May 17, 2:24 AM CST to 6:00 AM CST
Where: Texas County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.317, -91.965 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Douglas

When: May 17, 3:35 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Douglas County, North Portion
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.933, -92.499 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Howell

When: May 17, 5:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where: Howell County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.774, -91.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Shannon

When: May 17, 5:45 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where: Shannon County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.157, -91.400 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Barry

When: May 17, 6:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where: Barry County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.710, -93.829 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Newton

When: May 17, 6:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Newton County, East Portion
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.906, -94.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Oregon

When: May 17, 6:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where: Oregon County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.687, -91.403 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, McDonald

When: May 17, 6:10 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: McDonald County, East Portion
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.629, -94.348 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Christian

When: May 17, 7:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Christian County, North Portion
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.970, -93.189 (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, 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: 5299345, 5299338, 5299341, 5299348, 5299347, 5299339, 5299340, 5299346, 5299336, 5299343, 5299344, 5299342, 5299337.