Flash Flooding in Missouri, January 12 to 13, 2005

Name: Flash Flooding in Missouri, January 12 to 13, 2005
Start: 2005-01-12T20:00
End: 2005-01-13T20:00
Location: Missouri

January 12 to 13, 2005 · NWS LSX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Numerous county roads were covered by water and impassable. Highway 94 in southern Cole and Callaway County was closed due to high water.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: 5

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.

Rainfall of 2 to 4 inches caused flash flooding across much of Central Missouri.Numerous county roads were covered by water and impassable. Highway 94 in southern Cole and Callaway County was closed due to high water.

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 Jan 12, 3:40 PM CST, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 12, 3:40 PM CST, 4 hours 20 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
340 PM CST WED JAN 12 2005

.DISCUSSION...
QUICK DISCUSSION TODAY DUE TO ACTIVE WEATHER...

COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM NEAR KIRKSVILLE TO JUST NORTHWEST OF IS
GOING TO CONTINUE MOVING SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE EVENING AND COLD
AIR WILL RUSH IN BEHIND IT.  VERY MOIST AIR HAS BEEN STREAMING
INTO THE AREA AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND SEVERE CONVECTION HAS BROKEN
OUT IN PARTS OF CENTRAL MISSOURI.  THE SEVERE THREAT SHOULD LESEN
AS THE EVENING WEARS ON AND COME TO AN END LATE THIS EVENING AS
THE COLD FRONT PASSES.  HEAVY PRECIPITATION THREAT CONTINUES FOR
THIS EVENING AHEAD OF THE FRONT AS PWAT VALUES ARE BETWEEN 150
AND 200 PERCENT OF NORMAL.  STRONG LOW LEVEL JET AND EXCELENT
MOISTURE CONVERGENCE/FRONTAL SCALE FORCING IS SURE TO CREATE
HEAVY PRECIPITATION.  MODEL SOUNDINGS DO NOT INDICATE AS MUCH OF
A FROZEN/FREEZING PRECIPITATION THREAT IN THE COLD AIR AFTER
FROPA AS PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT...SO I HAVE TONED DOWN THE WORDING
ACCORDINGLY.

PRECIP SHOULD CLEAR OUT WED MORNING/EARLY AFTERNOON AND THEN THE
BOTTOM FALLS OUT ON THE TEMP FORECAST.  COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL
CONTINUE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE SHORT TERM AND ITS BACK TO
WINTER.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
ST LOUIS        37  39  20  28 / 100  30  10  10
QUINCY          29  31  10  21 / 100  10  10  20
COLUMBIA        31  35  14  26 / 100  10  10  10
JEFFERSON CITY  32  38  15  27 / 100  10  10  10
SALEM           43  45  20  30 / 100  50  10  10
FARMINGTON      41  43  19  31 / 100  30  10  10

&&

.LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
.MO...FLOOD WATCH FROM 3 PM WEDNESDAY UNTIL 4 AM THURSDAY FOR MOZ018...
      MOZ019...MOZ026...MOZ027...MOZ034...MOZ035...MOZ036...
      MOZ041...MOZ042...MOZ047...MOZ048...MOZ049...MOZ050...
      MOZ051...MOZ052...MOZ059...MOZ060...MOZ061...MOZ062...
      MOZ063...MOZ064...MOZ065...MOZ072...MOZ073...MOZ074...
      MOZ075...MOZ084...MOZ085...MOZ099.
      SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FROM 3 PM WEDNESDAY UNTIL 10 PM
      WEDNESDAY FOR MOZ034...MOZ035...MOZ036...MOZ041...MOZ042...
      MOZ047...MOZ048...MOZ049...MOZ050...MOZ051...MOZ052...
      MOZ059...MOZ060...MOZ062...MOZ072...MOZ073.
.IL...FLOOD WATCH FROM 3 PM WEDNESDAY UNTIL 4 AM THURSDAY FOR ILZ058...
      ILZ059...ILZ060...ILZ064...ILZ065...ILZ069...ILZ070...
      ILZ074...ILZ079...ILZ095...ILZ096...ILZ097...ILZ098...
      ILZ099...ILZ100...ILZ101...ILZ102.

&&

CARNEY

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 12, 2:26 PM CST, 5 hours 34 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
226 PM CST WED JAN 12 2005

ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ018-019-026-027-
034>036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084-085-099-131200-
ADAMS IL-AUDRAIN-BOND IL-BOONE-BROWN-CALHOUN IL-CALLAWAY-CLINTON IL-
COLE-CRAWFORD-FAYETTE IL-FRANKLIN-GASCONADE-GREENE IL-IRON-JEFFERSON-
JERSEY IL-KNOX-LEWIS-LINCOLN-MACOUPIN IL-MADISON-MADISON IL-MARION-
MARION IL-MONITEAU-MONROE-MONROE IL-MONTGOMERY-MONTGOMERY IL-OSAGE-
PIKE-PIKE IL-RALLS-RANDOLPH IL-REYNOLDS-SHELBY-ST CHARLES-
ST CLAIR IL-ST FRANCOIS-ST LOUIS-ST LOUIS CITY-STE GENEVIEVE-WARREN-
WASHINGTON-WASHINGTON IL-
226 PM CST WED JAN 12 2005

...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST
MISSOURI AND WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AHEAD OF A POWERFUL COLD
FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS
MAY REACH SEVERE LIMITS...WITH PENNY SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS GREATER
THAN 58 MPH. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND POSSIBLY FLASH FLOODING. SOME LOCAL RIVERS
WILL RESPOND TO THIS ADDITIONAL RAINFALL BY RISING NEAR OR ABOVE
FLOOD STAGE IN MISSOURI...AND CREST HIGHER THAN PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED
IN ILLINOIS.

COLDER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION TOWARD MORNING...MIXING THE
RAIN WITH SNOW. LITTLE IF ANY SNOW ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THERE IS A CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW ON THURSDAY MORNING. LITTLE IF ANY
SNOW ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED.

VERY COLD AIR WILL DOMINATE THE REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND. WIND
CHILL VALUES MAY PERIODICALLY DROP BELOW ZERO DEGREES DURING THIS
PERIOD. THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF SNOW ON SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...
WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR LIGHT ACCUMULATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO RELAY RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND ANY SEVERE WEATHER
REPORTS TONIGHT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

CVKING

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 12, 4:07 PM CST, 3 hours 53 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
407 PM CST WED JAN 12 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0351 PM     TORNADO          3 SW SHELBINA           39.66N 92.08W
01/12/2005                   MONROE             MO   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN REPORTED BY SHERIFF DEPUTY

&&

ARNO

Local storm report, Jan 12, 5:26 PM CST, 2 hours 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
526 PM CST WED JAN 12 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0500 PM     HAIL             3 N LORAINE             40.20N 91.22W
01/12/2005  1.00 INCH        ADAMS              IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

ARNO

Local storm report, Jan 12, 5:46 PM CST, 2 hours 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
546 PM CST WED JAN 12 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0532 PM     HAIL             5 S BRAZITO             38.38N 92.28W
01/12/2005  0.75 INCH        COLE               MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

ARNO

Special weather statement, Jan 12, 7:30 PM CST, 30 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
730 PM CST WED JAN 12 2005

MOC007-019-027-051-135-137-173-130400-
AUDRAIN-BOONE-CALLAWAY-COLE-MONITEAU-MONROE-RALLS-
730 PM CST WED JAN 12 2005

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED...
...FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT...

THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS DIMINISHED ACROSS CENTRAL AND A
PORTION OF NORTHEAST MISSOURI. WIDESPREAD RAIN CONTINUED THIS
EVENING AND THE THREAT OF FLOODING CONTINUES.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR MONITEAU...
COLE...BOONE...CALLAWAY...AUDRAIN...MONROE AND RALLS COUNTIES IN
MISSOURI.

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Audrain

When: January 12, 8:00 PM CST to January 13, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Audrain County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.200, -91.817

Flash Flood, Boone

When: January 12, 8:00 PM CST to January 13, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Boone County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.050, -92.250

Flash Flood, Callaway

When: January 12, 8:00 PM CST to January 13, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Callaway County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.883, -91.900

Flash Flood, Cole

When: January 12, 8:00 PM CST to January 13, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Cole County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.500, -92.233

Flash Flood, Moniteau

When: January 12, 8:00 PM CST to January 13, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Moniteau County, Countywide
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.617, -92.617

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 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Missouri, January 2005

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: 5433380, 5433381, 5433382, 5433383, 5433384.