Flash Flooding in Missouri, May 7 to 9, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding in Missouri, May 7 to 9, 2002
Start: 2002-05-07T08:00
End: 2002-05-09T05:00
Location: Missouri

May 7 to 9, 2002 · NWS SGF · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

This extraordinary event consisted of three primary waves of severe weather and flooding. The first occurred during the early morning of May 7th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 15 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: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 15

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 extraordinary event consisted of three primary waves of severe weather and flooding. The first occurred during the early morning of May 7th. The second consisted of four separate severe and flooding events which overlapped and lasted from the mid-morning of May 7th, to near sunrise on May 8th. The last wave of severe weather and flooding swept through the area during the evening of May 8th, into the early morning hours of May 9th. Rainfall amounts of four to eight inches fell across the area during this 36 to 48 hour period. Excessive rainfall amounts greater than 10 inches were shown over Bourbon, Crawford, Vernon, Cedar, and Morgan counties, with several observers reporting amounts in excess of 11 inches. The widespread heavy rain amounts and periods of torrential rainfall rates resulted in extensive flooding of small streams and creeks, county roads, low water crossings and other low lying areas. Major highways were also affected. The widespread flooding forced evacuations in several communities and the closing of some schools. A 17 year old female died after being swept off a low water crossing on Beaver Creek six miles north of Mountain Grove, or along the Wright/Texas County border. More specific county information along with all monetary damages, will be included in the flood narrative listed on May 9th.

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 6, 1:00 PM CST, 19 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 1:00 PM CST, 19 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
200 PM CDT MON MAY 6 2002

FORECAST CONCERNS: PRECIPITATION CHANCES TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY
AND TEMPERATURES.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVED THROUGH CENTRAL MISSOURI THIS
MORNING...AND PRODUCED AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY THAT EXTENDED FROM
EMPORIA KANSAS TO SPRINGFIELD THIS AFTERNOON. NOTHING HAD FORMED ON
THAT BOUNDARY...YET.  SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALSO MOVED
THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI THIS MORNING...PRODUCING MARGINALLY
SEVERE HAIL. TEMPERATURES REMAINED IN THE 60S ACROSS CENTRAL
MISSOURI...WITH A GUSTY SOUTH WIND AND READINGS NEAR 80 SOUTH OF THE
BOUNDARY FROM CHANUTE TO JOPLIN. 18Z SOUNDING FROM SPRINGFIELD HAS A
MINIMAL CAPPING INVERSION (0.7C).

PARAMETERS COMING TOGETHER FOR A DOUBLE BARREL WEATHER EVENT
TONIGHT: SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS
EVENING...NEAR THE OLD OUTFLOW BOUNDARY. MODERATE RISK FOR
NORTHWESTERN SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA PER STORM PREDICTION
CENTER LOOKS REASONABLE...STRONG 850 MB THETA E CONVERGENCE AT 00Z
OVER EAST CENTRAL KANSAS/WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI HELPING TO INITIATE
THE STORMS.

OVERNIGHT...A THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX WILL DEVELOP IN EASTERN KANSAS
AND MOVE EAST ACROSS CENTRAL MISSOURI. SEVERAL OTHER AREAS OF 850 MB
THETA E CONVERGENCE MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL MISSOURI OVERNIGHT.
PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES APPROACHING 2.00 INCHES ARE INDICATED
ACROSS CENTRAL MISSOURI. WILL HOIST A FLOOD WATCH FOR CENTRAL
MISSOURI TONIGHT.

WATERS BECOME MUDDIER TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...WITH A CHANCE OF
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BOTH DAYS. STRONGER AREA OF 850 MB THETA E
CONVERGENCE INDICATED OVER NORTHEAST KANSAS BY 00Z WEDNESDAY. LOW
CHANCE POPS WARRANTED...SINCE BULK OF THE ACTIVITY WILL LIKELY BE TO
OUR NORTH. LINE OF STORMS THEN WILL MOVE THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA
WEDNESDAY NIGHT...ALONG COLD FRONT. HAVE ALSO BUMPED UP TEMPERATURES
WEDNESDAY WITH SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WIND AND PARTIAL SUNSHINE.

NOT MUCH CHANGE TO THE EXTENDED: ADDED A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY AND MONDAY...ALTHOUGH EXTENDED MODELS ARE NOT
IN AGREEMENT. 240 HOUR MRF 500 MB HEIGHTS LOOK VERY SIMILAR TO THE
00 HOUR INITIALIZATION. LOOKS LIKE THE HEART OF THE SPRING SEVERE
WEATHER SEASON IS UPON US.

THANKS TO NDFD WFOS FOR IM COORDINATION.

PRELIMINARY ISC GRIDS HAVE BEEN SENT.
FCSTID = 8
SGF   64  79  64  83 /  70  30  30  40
JLN   68  82  66  85 /  70  30  30  40
UNO   64  79  64  82 /  70  30  30  40
VIH   64  78  64  84 /  70  30  30  40
AIZ   64  78  64  84 /  70  30  30  40

.SGF...
MO...FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT FOR ZONES
MOZ055>058...MOZ066>071...MOZ077>081...MOZ083...MOZ089.

KS...FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT FOR ZONES KSZ073...KSZ097.

SUTTON

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 7, 5:46 AM CST, 2 hours 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
557 AM CDT TUE MAY 07 2002

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

0230 AM    FOOSE                     MO   60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/07/02   DALLAS                         A TRACTOR TRAILER WAS
                                          BLOWN OFF HIGHWAY 65
                                          NEAR FOOSE.

Local storm report, May 7, 6:04 AM CST, 1 hour 56 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
614 AM CDT TUE MAY 07 2002

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

0255 AM    FOOSE                     MO   60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/07/02   DALLAS                         A TRACTOR TRAILER WAS
                                          BLOWN OFF HIGHWAY 65
                                          NEAR FOOSE.

Special weather statement, May 7, 6:26 AM CST, 1 hour 34 minutes before

MOZ096>098-105-106-071330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
726 AM CDT TUE MAY 7 2002

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 246 HAS BEEN CANCELLED. THE THREAT
FOR WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER HAS DIMINISHED ACROSS THE AREA.

Local storm report, May 7, 7:06 AM CST, 54 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
806 AM CDT TUE MAY 07 2002

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

0800 AM    2 N ROLLA                 MO   FLOOD
05/07/02   PHELPS                         THE PUBLIC REPORTED E
                                          HIGHWAY NORTH OF ROLLA
                                          FLOODED AND IMPASSBLE.

Local storm report, May 7, 7:35 AM CST, 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
835 AM CDT TUE MAY 07 2002

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

0830 AM    FT SCOTT                  KS   .75 INCH HAIL
05/07/02   BOURBON                        REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

Local storm report, May 7, 7:54 AM CST, 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD MO
854 AM CDT TUE MAY 07 2002

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

0830 AM    HIATTVILLE                KS   .88 INCH HAIL
05/07/02   BOURBON                        REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 133 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:59 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Phelps

When: May 7, 8:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where: Phelps County, Rolla
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.877, -91.792 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Benton

When: May 7, 10:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Benton County, Warsaw
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.295, -93.288 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, St. Clair

When: May 7, 10:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where: St. Clair County, Lowry City
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.037, -93.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Hickory

When: May 7, 4:30 PM CST to 7:30 PM CST
Where: Hickory County, Hermitage
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.941, -93.321 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Vernon

When: May 7, 4:40 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Vernon County, Nevada
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.851, -94.342 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Cedar

When: May 7, 5:45 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Cedar County, El Dorado Spgs
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.724, -93.857 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Barton

When: May 7, 9:00 PM CST to May 8, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Barton County, Lamar
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.502, -94.347 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Barry

When: May 7, 10:00 PM CST to May 8, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Barry County, Cassville
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.710, -93.829 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Dade

When: May 7, 10:00 PM CST to May 8, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Dade County, Greenfield
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.432, -93.850 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Lawrence

When: May 7, 10:00 PM CST to May 8, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Lawrence County, Halltown
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.106, -93.833 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Wright

When: May 8, 12:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
Where: Wright County, Grovespring
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.270, -92.469 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Morgan

When: May 9, 12:25 AM CST to 3:00 AM CST
Where: Morgan County, Florence
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.424, -92.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Pulaski

When: May 9, 1:30 AM CST to 5:00 AM CST
Where: Pulaski County, Waynesville
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.825, -92.208 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Maries

When: May 9, 1:30 AM CST to 4:30 AM CST
Where: Maries County, Vichy
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.162, -91.925 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Miller

When: May 9, 1:35 AM CST to 3:00 AM CST
Where: Miller County, Tuscumbia
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.215, -92.428 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Flash Flood, Wright	2002-05-07	17	Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

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: 5294267, 5294260, 5299143, 5294263, 5299144, 5294261, 5294259, 5294258, 5294262, 5294264, 5299145, 5294266, 5294268, 5299146, 5294265.