Numerous thunderstorms on the 5th accompanied a strong storm system that tracked northeast across southeast Missouri and southern Illinois. Heavy rainfall on ground that was already moist from January storms caused flooding of the Ohio River.
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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.
The episode as NWS PAH wrote it up.
Numerous thunderstorms on the 5th accompanied a strong storm system that tracked northeast across southeast Missouri and southern Illinois. Heavy rainfall on ground that was already moist from January storms caused flooding of the Ohio River.
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 Feb 9, 12:01 AM CST, 7 hours 59 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 1201 AM CST SAT FEB 9 2008 .DISCUSSION... ONE CLIPPER TYPE SYSTEM WILL DEPART THE FA EARLY THIS MORNING...TO BE FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER SIMILAR SUCH SYSTEM LATER IN THE DAY TODAY. THE NET SENSIBLE WX EFFECTS WILL BE THE SAME...MAINLY DRY FROPA W/MID-HIGH CLOUDS. HOWEVER THE POST SYSTEM PASSAGE WINDS/TEMPS WILL BE MUCH DIFFERENT. THE 2ND SYSTEM FROPA WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY TIGHT/TIGHTENING PGF WITH 850 MB JET CORE OVERHEAD...SHOULD SEE TRANSLATION AT SURFACE IN 15 TO 30 MPH RANGE WITH SOME HIGHER GUSTS POSSIBLE LATE TODAY/TONIGHT. THEN AS SURFACE HIGH SETTLES OVER UPR MS VALLEY...MUCH COLDER AIR IS DRAGGED DOWN INTO PAH FA WITH 30S FOR HIGHS ON SUNDAY...FOLLOWED BY TEENS FOR LOWS SUN NIGHT. TDS MAY DROP INTO SINGLE DIGITS. THIS SETS UP OUR NEXT FORECAST CHALLENGE...WHICH IS THE EXTREMELY COLD/DRY START TO THE DAY MONDAY AS THE NEXT SYSTEM COMES IN AND BRINGS THE NEXT CHC PCPN. 1000-850MB THICKNESSES SUPPORT WARM NOSE AND LIQUID PCPN...BUT AT LEAST EARLY AM MONDAY WILL BE FALLING INTO SUB FREEZING TEMP/TD AIRMASS. FORTUNATELY THIS WILL BE MAINLY JUST FAR WRN 1/3 PAH FA...WHERE WELL HAVE CHC -FZRA. BY NOON AND AFTER...WHEN BEST MOISTURE RETURN/POP EXISTS...SURFACE TEMPS SHOULD HAVE RECOVERED TO AOA 32F. A MORE SHOWERY FORECAST IS ON TAP MON NIGHT AS SURFACE LOW/FRONTAL SYSTEM EVOLVES. THUNDER LOOKS TO BE KEPT JUST TO OUR SOTUH BUT IS SOMETHING TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE UPON. 00Z MODELS SUPPORT INCREASED POPS MON NIGHT AS SYSTEM MOVES THRU FA...DEPARTING TUE WHEN CHANGEOVER MAY OCCUR BEFORE ENDING. WL LEAVE THAT PORTION OF FORECAST W/LTL TO NO EDITS. BLENDED 00Z GUIDANCE TO COLLAB PIC AND INTO/WITH NEW EXTENDED GUIDANCE AND EXISTING FORECAST. && .AVIATION... VFR CIGS WILL DEPART EARLY IN TAF PERIOD AS WINDS SHIFT TO WLY BEHIND DEPARTING FRONT. CLOUDS RETURN TODAY AS WINDS INCREASE AHEAD OF NEXT APPROACHING SYSTEM. LATER IN TAF PERIOD NEXT FROPA OCCURS AND STRONG WINDS ARE TRANSLATED TO SURFACE...GUSTING TO 30 KTS OR BETTER AT TIMES. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. MO...NONE. IL...NONE. IN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 650 AM CST SAT FEB 9 2008 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-101100- JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON- WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION IL-JOHNSON-POPE- HARDIN-ALEXANDER-PULASKI-MASSAC-GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-VANDERBURGH- WARRICK-SPENCER-FULTON-HICKMAN-CARLISLE-BALLARD-MCCRACKEN-GRAVES- LIVINGSTON-MARSHALL-CALLOWAY-CRITTENDEN-LYON-TRIGG-CALDWELL- UNION KY-WEBSTER-HOPKINS-CHRISTIAN-HENDERSON-DAVIESS-MCLEAN- MUHLENBERG-TODD-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-WAYNE MO-CARTER- RIPLEY-BUTLER-STODDARD-SCOTT-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID- 650 AM CST SAT FEB 9 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER ENVIRONMENT COULD DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. STRONG WEST SOUTHWEST WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES COULD MAKE FIRES DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THIS AFTERNOON...IF ANY CAN GET STARTED IN THIS GENERALLY WET SURFACE ENVIRONMENT. MINOR TO MODERATE FLOODING IS FORECAST OR OCCURRING ON SEVERAL RIVERS...INCLUDING THE GREEN...WABASH...WHITE...AND OHIO RIVERS. FURTHER INFORMATION IS CONTAINED IN FLOOD STATEMENTS. OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FREEZING RAIN IS POSSIBLE MAINLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS MONDAY MORNING. AN ARCTIC AIRMASS WILL BE SLOW TO EXIT THE AREA...AS PRECIPITATION CHANCES INCREASE FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE DAY MONDAY. SOME ICING COULD DEVELOP...BUT IT SHOULD BE SHORT-LIVED...AS TEMPERATURES WARM UP TO THE FREEZING MARK IN THE AFTERNOON. MINOR TO MODERATE FLOODING ON SOME AREA RIVERS WILL CONTINUE. REFER TO THE FLOOD STATEMENT FOR MORE DETAILS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. DRS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Ohio River crested at 41.37 feet at Shawneetown on the 16th. Flood stage is 33 feet. Minor flooding of low-lying bottomlands and fields occurred.
The Ohio River crested at 43.17 feet on the Cairo gage on the 21st. Flood stage is 40 feet. Minor flooding of low-lying bottomlands and fields occurred.
The Ohio River crested at 44.70 feet at Grand Chain Lock and Dam on the 19th. Flood stage is 42 feet. Minor flooding of low-lying bottomlands and fields occurred.
The Ohio River crested at 39.60 feet at Brookport on the 18th. Flood stage is 37 feet. Minor flooding of low-lying bottomlands and fields occurred.
The Ohio River crested at 42.12 feet at Golconda on the 17th. Flood stage is 40 feet. Minor flooding of low-lying bottomlands and fields occurred.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, February 2008
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: 77615, 77609, 77610, 77611, 77613.