Flash Flooding in Missouri, May 7, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding in Missouri, May 7, 2002
Start: 2002-05-07T03:30
End: 2002-05-07T08:30
Location: Missouri

May 7, 2002 · NWS LSX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

The first of several heavy rain events in May caused flash flooding across the area. Numerous creeks and small streams flooded making roads impassable.

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 LSX wrote it up.

The first of several heavy rain events in May caused flash flooding across the area. Numerous creeks and small streams flooded making roads impassable.

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 St. Louis, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 7, 1:50 AM CST, 1 hour 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 7, 1:50 AM CST, 1 hour 40 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
250 AM CDT TUE MAY 7 2002

SFC LOW HAS BEEN HOLDING OVR WRN/CNTRL KS THRU EVE AND HAS DEEPENED
ABOUT 5 MB IN LAST 12 HRS. 850MB PROFILERS SHOW 50-55KT LLJ FEEDING
MSTR FM TX/OK/AR INTO SRN KS AND EXTRM SRN MO ALG/S OF MULTIPLE
COMPLEXES THAT HAV BEEN ROLLING THRU SRN MO ALL NGT. MODELS HAVE LOW
BEGINNING TO LIFT NEWD INTO WISCONSIN THIS AFTN WITH STG SWLY FLOW
AHD OF IT. GUID INCREASES TEMPS INTO LOWER 80S TDA FOR CWA. HWVR
THIS LAST MCS MOVING INTO SW MO SHOULD BLOCK WAA PATTERN FOR AN
ADDITIONAL 4-5 HRS. LOOK FOR PCPN TO LESSEN AS IT MOVES THRU CWA BUT
THE CLDNS/LOW LVL FLOW INTERRUPTION SHUD BE ENUF TO KEEP TEMPS MOSTLY
IN 70S TDA. LOOKS LIKE WRM PUNCH WILL RETURN LATE THIS MRNG AND EARLY
THIS AFTN BRINGING ACTUAL WRM FNT TO STJ-STL LN ABOUT THE TIME THINGS
BEGIN TO FIRE UP. LOOK FOR MOST ACTIVITY THIS AFTN TO BE OVR NRN PTN
CWA ALG/N OF WHEREVER WRM FNT ENDS UP. THEN THINGS GET INTERESTING
FOR TNGT. LOOK FOR STG CONVECTION ALG/AHD OF CDFNT THAT SWEEPS SEWD
ACRS CWA LATE TONIGHT AND ERLY THUR. FF GUIDANCE VALUES NOW EXTREMELY
LOW...1/2 TO 1 INCH OVR MANY COUNTIES.

PER COORD WITH SGF/ILX (THANKS GUYS) THEY ARE INCLUDING ALL THEIR
CWA IN FLOOD WATCHES FOR TDA/TNGT AND WE WILL DO THE SAME.
AMS RECOVERY SHOULD BE PRETTY GOOD TODAY AS LLJ KICKS MSTR NWD
QUICKLY INTO AREA. WILL CARRY HIGH POPS IN ALL AREAS TNGT WITH FNT
PASSING THRU. COOLER AND DRYER AIR TMW.

.STL...FLOOD WATCH FOR TDA/TNGT FOR ENTIRE CWA.

PEDIGO

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 9 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:29 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, St. Charles

When: May 7, 3:30 AM CST to 8:30 AM CST
Where: St. Charles County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.782, -90.675 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Warren

When: May 7, 3:30 AM CST to 8:30 AM CST
Where: Warren County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.765, -91.161 (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: 5291493, 5291494.