Flash Flooding in Missouri, May 8, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding in Missouri, May 8, 2002
Start: 2002-05-08T03:00
End: 2002-05-08T08:15
Location: Missouri

May 8, 2002 · NWS PAH · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

High water was reported on many roads in Van Buren, and numerous creeks were out of their banks. Several people near the town of Fremont in Carter County were evacuated by boat.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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: $265,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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 PAH wrote it up.

High water was reported on many roads in Van Buren, and numerous creeks were out of their banks. Several people near the town of Fremont in Carter County were evacuated by boat. Rock and mud slides were reported on U.S. Highway 60 near Ellsinore. State police reported water over many roads from Wayne County east through Cape Girardeau County, some of which were closed. In Wayne County, 1 to 2 feet of water was reported on U.S. Highway 67 a couple miles north of York Village, and a couple of houses had water in them. In Perry County, water was over the bridge on Highway 922. Several creeks were out of their banks in Bollinger County. Radar estimated rainfall rates from 1 to 2 inches per hour in some places. Total rainfall amounts from observers were 2 to 4 inches.

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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 8, 12:30 AM CST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 8, 12:30 AM CST, 2 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
130 AM CDT WED MAY 8 2002

LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS ONGOING PRECIPITATION DISTORTING
SURFACE FEATURES. IR SAT PICS SHOWS COLDEST TOPS CONTINUE TO ADVECT
EAST. MORE CONVECTION WAS FIRING UP OVER WESTERN MO AND EASTERN
KANSAS SHOULD CONTINUE EAST. ONGOING STORMS ARE ELEVATED AND WOULD
EXPECT HAIL TO BE THE MAJOR THREAT.

OUTFLOW OVER SOUTHERN MISSOURI WILL WORK TO REENFORCE THE REMNANTS
OF BOUNDARY PLACED JUST SOUTH OF THE AREA FROM EARLYIER STORMS. THIS
SHOULD SLOW THE RETURN OF THE WARM FRONT PROGGED TO TAKE PLACE TODAY.
00Z WED MODEL RUNS SUGGEST A REPEAT OF TUE AM WEATHER THIS AM AND
AGAIN THURSDAY AM. MCS SHOULD BEGIN DEPARTING PAH FA LATE THIS
MORNING WITH MESO HIGH KEEPING THINGS SETTLED MOST OF THE REMAINDER
OF THE DAY. MODELS CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE ANOTHER MCS OVERNIGHT AS
COLD FRONT FINALLY EXITS THE AREA THURSDAY. FLOODING COULD BE A
PROBLEM OVERNIGHT AS FINAL MCS MAKES IT WAY ACROSS THE REGION. AN
FLOOD WATCH MAY BE NECESARY OVERNIGHT...BUT WILL HOLD OFF FOR KNOW
AND SEE WHAT EFFECT THIS AM PRCIP HAS ON FFG FOR SECOND PERIOD.

EXCESSIVE CLOUD COVER KEPT TEMPS WELL BELOW MOS GUIDANCE YESTERDAY
FROM THE LINGERING MCS. WOULD EXPECT A SIMILAR SCENARIO TODAY.

.PAH...NONE.

KH

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 8, 2:02 AM CST, 58 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
302 AM CDT WED MAY 08 2002

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

0204 AM    FRUITLAND                 MO   0.75 INCH HAIL
05/08/02   CAPE GIRARDEAU                 REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0222 AM    CAPE GIRARDEAU            MO   WIND DAMAGE
05/08/02   CAPE GIRARDEAU                 NUMEROUS TREES AND
                                          POWERLINES DOWN REPORTED
                                          BY CAPE COUNTY EM

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 107 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:00 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Stoddard

When: May 8, 3:00 AM CST to 7:30 AM CST
Where: Stoddard County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.856, -89.944 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Carter

When: May 8, 3:00 AM CST to 7:15 AM CST
Where: Carter County, Countywide
Property damage: $250,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.941, -90.962 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Cape Girardeau

When: May 8, 3:20 AM CST to 8:15 AM CST
Where: Cape Girardeau County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.384, -89.684 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Scott

When: May 8, 3:58 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Scott County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.053, -89.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Perry

When: May 8, 4:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Perry County, Countywide
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.707, -89.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Bollinger

When: May 8, 4:28 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Bollinger County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.322, -90.026 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Wayne

When: May 8, 4:36 AM CST to 8:15 AM CST
Where: Wayne County, Countywide
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 37.113, -90.461 (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: 5295766, 5295793, 5295792, 5295765, 5295768, 5295791, 5295767.