Heavy rains during the second half of April caused several area rivers including the Mississippi River between Rock Island, Illinois and Keokuk, Iowa to not only surpass their respective flood stage, but also go over their major river stage level. At the beginning of May, locations from Rock Island to Burlington were over their major flood stage level.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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 DVN wrote it up.
Heavy rains during the second half of April caused several area rivers including the Mississippi River between Rock Island, Illinois and Keokuk, Iowa to not only surpass their respective flood stage, but also go over their major river stage level. At the beginning of May, locations from Rock Island to Burlington were over their major flood stage level. All of these locations fell below their respective major flood stage level between May 4 and May 9.
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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 30, 2:05 PM CST, 9 hours 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 305 PM CDT WED APR 30 2008 .SYNOPSIS... LATEST SFC ANALYSIS WAS INDICATING CYCLOGENESIS PROCESS GATHERING STEAM OVER THE WEST CENTRAL PLAINS...WITH A SECONDARY SFC LOW AND TROF EXTENDING UP FURTHER NORTH ACRS THE NORTHWEST HIGH PLAINS. THE WARM FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH PRIMARY SFC LOW WAS STARTING TO EDGE NORTHWARD AND WAS CURRENTLY DRAPED ALONG THE NEB/KS BORDER...DIPPING SOUTHEASTWARD ACRS NORTHERN MO AND INTO SOUTHERN IL. CURRENT W/V LOOP AND UPPER MOISTURE FLOW PATTERNS INDICATING MAIN UPPER RIDGE GETTING PRESSED EAST ACRS MUCH OF THE WESTERN MS RVR VALLEY STATES BY A LARGE CUT-OFF UPPER LOW CENTERED OVER ID/WESTERN MT ROLLING EASTWARD. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT AND THURSDAY... LOW TO MID LEVEL MOISTURE RETURN LOOKING TOO SLOW TO FUEL MUCH OF ANY SHOWER ACTIVITY TONIGHT THROUGH 12Z THU. WOULD REMOVE ALL MENTIONABLE POPS TONIGHT...BUT ENOUGH OF A ELEVATED WAA WING ON CONVERGENT NOSE OF INCREASING LLJ...AND MINOR MID LEVEL INSTABILITY SWATH CLIPPING THE FAR NORTHWEST CWA AND WILL MAINTAIN AT LEAST SLIGHT CHC POPS IN THOSE AREAS. BUT EVEN THERE IT MIGHT BE HARD TO GET A SPRINKLE TO REACH THE SFC. CONTINUED SOUTHEAST SFC FLOW AND MID TO UPPER LEVEL WAA CLOUDS SHOULD TRANSLATE INTO A MILDER NIGHT AND PREVENT MUCH OF THE FCST AREA FROM DIPPING BELOW 50 DEGREES. THE NORTHEAST THIRD OF THE CWA WILL STILL GET DOWN INTO THE 40S IN LOWER SFC DPT POOL AND THINNER CLOUD REGION...AT LEAST THROUGH 06Z. ON THU...AS SFC CYCLONE GETS ORGANIZED AND PUSHES UP INTO FAR EASTERN NEB...ASSOCIATED MAIN WARM FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO MIGRATE NORTH THROUGH THE DVN CWA...WITH MODEL CONSENSUS HAVING IT MAKE IT TO NEAR THE HIGHWAY 20 CORRIDOR BY 00Z FRI. BETTER MID LEVEL INSTABILITY AND LOW TO MID LEVEL MOISTURE RETURN TO GO WITH LOW TO MID LEVEL CONVERGENT FLOW FORCING TO KICK UP SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BY LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON...BUT IF STOUT MID LEVEL CAP/ESPECIALLY ON THE GFS/ VERIFIES ON THE FCST SOUNDINGS... EVERYTHING CONVECTIVE WILL HAVE TO BE ELEVATED. ACTUALLY DON/T SEE MUCH HAPPENING SOUTH OF I80 BY AFTERNOON WITH EXTENT OF CAP IN THAT AREA SOUTH OF WARM FRONT AND MAIN CONVERGENT FORCING TAKING SHAPE NORTH OF I80. WILL KEEP SLIGHT CHANCES GOING IN THE SOUTH... AND MODERATE TO HIGH/40-50/CHC POPS NORTH OF I80 ON THU. EVEN WITH CLOUD COVER...TEMPS SHOULD BE WIDESPREAD IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOW 70S...EXCEPT IN AREAS THAT REMAIN NORTH OF THE MAIN BOUNDARY/WARM PUSH. ..JDH.. .LONG TERM...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY... FOCUS IS ON THE UPCOMING STRONG STORM SYSTEM TO IMPACT THE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. THIS SYSTEM SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENED AT THE END OF LAST WEEK. ECMWF/UKMET/GFS ALL TAKE STRONG LOW PRESSURE OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND INTO NORTHEAST IOWA BY FRIDAY EVENING. FOR THURSDAY NIGHT...A STRENGTHENING LOW LEVEL JET AND PRECIPITABLE WATERS OVER 1.25 INCHES WILL IMPINGE ON THE WARM FRONT LIFTING NORTHWARD. AN MCS SHOULD DEVELOP NORTH OF THE FRONT IMPACTING PORTIONS OF OUR NORTHERN CWA AND INTO SOUTHEAST MN AND SOUTHERN WISCONSIN. HOWEVER...EXACTLY WHERE THE AXIS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN FALLS IS UP FOR GRABS AT THIS POINT. HEAVY RAIN FALLING ACROSS OUR NORTHERN CWA OR IN THE HEADWATERS REGION WOULD IMPACT RIVERS AGAIN (SEE HYDROLOGY DISCUSSION BELOW). ON FRIDAY COLD FRONT TO SWEEP THROUGH THE DVN CWA BY FRIDAY EVENING WITH THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING ALONG THE FRONT. INSTABILITY WILL BE IN PLACE WITH LOW LEVEL WIND PROFILES SUGGESTING POTENTIAL FOR SUPERCELLS. STAY TUNED. THE COLD AIR PUSH BEHIND THIS SYSTEM IS SHORT LIVED AS HIGHS ON SATURDAY WILL BE IN THE 50S...BUT TEMPERATURES BEGIN WARMING UP ALREADY ON SUNDAY. NEXT WEEK...LOW CONFIDENCE IN THE FORECAST AS MODELS HAVING HARD TIME DECIDING ON TIMING/INTENSITY OF ANY STORM SYSTEMS THAT MAY IMPACT OUR REGION. FOR NOW WILL HAVE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY WITH ECMWF HINTING AT A STRONG SYSTEM ABOUT MAY 7-8 TIME FRAME. ..HAASE.. && .AVIATION... EXPECT MAINLY VFR AC TONIGHT IN ELEVATED WAA PATTERN...AND SOUTHEAST SFC FLOW OF 10-15 KTS. COULD BE SOME LLVL WIND SHEAR AFTER 06Z IF SFC WINDS DECOUPLE ENOUGH. MVFR STRATOCU MAY IMPACT MOST OF THE TERMINAL SITES AFTER 12Z TONIGHT...WITH A FEW HIGH BASED SHOWERS OR EVEN A POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORM IN THE VCNTY OF THE MLI/CID AND BRL TERMINALS AFTER 12Z. ..JDH.. && .HYDROLOGY... ...RAPID DROPS IN RIVER LEVELS NOT LIKELY TO OCCUR... CRESTS CONTINUE WORKING THEIR WAY DOWN MANY OF THE RIVERS IN OUR CWA INCLUDING THE MISSISSIPPI. CURRENTLY THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER CREST IS IN THE MUSCATINE AREA. ON THE TRIBS...THE CEDAR RIVER CREST IS NEARING CONESVILLE...AND THE WAPSIPINICON CREST IS NEARING DE WITT. THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER CREST WILL REACH THE BURLINGTON AREA BY LATE THURSDAY OR EARLY FRIDAY. THE MAIN CONCERN NOW BECOMES THE HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL LATE THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. LATEST GUIDANCE FORECASTS SUGGEST TWO-DAY RAINFALL TOTALS BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES NORTH OF INTERSTATE 80 ARE POSSIBLE. THIS IS LOWER THAN WHAT WAS PREVIOUSLY FORECAST...BUT IS STILL SUBJECT TO CHANGE...EITHER HIGHER OR LOWER...DEPENDING ON HOW THE STORM SYSTEM OFF THE WEST COAST DEVELOPS AND TRACKS. THE CURRENT STORM TRACK PLACES THE HEAVY RAIN AXIS ACROSS NORTHERN IOWA INTO SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN. THIS COULD GIVE RIVERS IN OUR CWA ABOUT 2 OR POSSIBLY 3 DAYS BEFORE THE HEAVIEST RAIN WOULD AFFECT THEM. AT A MINIMUM...THIS RAINFALL WILL SLOW THE FALL OF SWOLLEN RIVERS. WHAT IS STARTING TO APPEAR AS A MORE POSSIBLE SCENARIO BASED ON CONTINGENCY FORECASTS USING QPF THROUGH 60 HOURS IS THE POSSIBILITY OF A SECOND CREST ON THE IOWA TRIBUTARIES...AND STEADY TO SLIGHTLY RISING LEVELS ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT AND UPSTREAM OF ROCK ISLAND IN THE NEXT WEEK. ..WOLF.. && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...NONE. IL...NONE. MO...NONE. && JDH/JDH/WOLF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 500 AM CDT WED APR 30 2008 IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007- 009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-011000- BENTON IA-BUCHANAN IA-BUREAU IL-CARROLL IL-CEDAR IA-CLARK MO- CLINTON IA-DELAWARE IA-DES MOINES IA-DUBUQUE IA-HANCOCK IL- HENDERSON IL-HENRY IA-HENRY IL-IOWA IA-JACKSON IA-JEFFERSON IA- JO DAVIESS IL-JOHNSON IA-JONES IA-KEOKUK IA-LEE IA-LINN IA-LOUISA IA- MCDONOUGH IL-MERCER IL-MUSCATINE IA-PUTNAM IL-ROCK ISLAND IL- SCOTLAND MO-SCOTT IA-STEPHENSON IL-VAN BUREN IA-WARREN IL- WASHINGTON IA-WHITESIDE IL- 500 AM CDT WED APR 30 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...NORTHWEST ILLINOIS...WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL IOWA...NORTHEAST IOWA...SOUTHEAST IOWA AND NORTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... THERE IS A CHANCE OF A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE HIGHWAY 20 CORRIDOR LATE TONIGHT. ANY STORM THAT DOES DEVELOP WILL NOT BE SEVERE. THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND MOST TRIBUTARY RIVERS IN EASTERN IOWA AND NORTHWEST ILLINOIS WILL REMAIN ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR POINTS IN THE WAPSIPINICON...CEDAR...IOWA... MISSISSIPPI RIVER...PECATONICA...AND ROCK RIVER BASINS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS SITUATION IS SETTING UP FOR THE END OF THE WEEK AS A POWERFUL SPRING STORM SYSTEM ARRIVES. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ON THURSDAY. THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE THAT A FEW OF THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL. THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...AT LEAST TWO THUNDERSTORM COMPLEXES WILL AFFECT THE AREA WITH THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL. THE AREA MOST AT RISK FOR HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALONG AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 30. SOILS ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA ARE SATURATED SO ANY SUBSTANTIAL RAINFALL WILL RUN OFF QUICKLY. CURRENT INFORMATION SUGGESTS THAT AT LEAST ONE...POSSIBLY TWO INCHES OF RAIN WILL BE SEEN. DEPENDING UPON EXACTLY WHERE EACH THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX TRACKS...IT IS CONCEIVABLE THAT SOME AREAS MAY SEE MORE THAN TWO INCHES OF RAIN. AREA RIVERS ARE ALREADY HIGH OR IN FLOOD FROM THE HEAVY RAIN LAST WEEK. THIS NEW ROUND OF RAIN WILL AT A MINIMUM SLOW DOWN THE RATE OF FALL ON AREA RIVERS. IT IS VERY POSSIBLE THAT SOME TRIBUTARY RIVERS MAY STOP FALLING AND START CLIMBING AGAIN. EMERGENCY MANAGERS...HIGHWAY DEPARTMENTS...AND ANYONE WITH INTERESTS ALONG AREA RIVERS SHOULD LISTEN TO LATER FORECASTS REGARDING THIS DEVELOPING SITUATION. THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND MOST TRIBUTARY RIVERS IN EASTERN IOWA AND NORTHWEST ILLINOIS WILL REMAIN ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR POINTS IN THE WAPSIPINICON...CEDAR...IOWA... MISSISSIPPI RIVER...PECATONICA...AND ROCK RIVER BASINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Mississippi River at Rock Island was over its major flood stage level from 12:00 am May 1 until 6:00 am May 4.
The Mississippi River at Illinois City was over its major flood stage level from 12:00 am May 1 until 5:00 pm May 5.
The Mississippi River at Muscatine was over its major flood stage level from 12:00 am May 1 until 4:00 am May 5.
The Mississippi River at New Boston was over its major flood stage level from 12:00 am May 1 until 1:00 pm May 7.
The Mississippi River at Keithsburg was over its major flood stage level from 12:00 am May 1 until 10:00 am May 8.
The Mississippi River at Gladstone was over its major flood stage level from 12:00 am May 1 until 2:00 am May 8.
The Mississippi River at Burlington was over its major flood stage level from 12:00 am May 1 to 3:30 am May 9 and again from 4:00 pm May 12 to 10:00 pm May 16.
The Mississippi River at Keokuk was over its major flood stage level from 7:00 pm May 1 to 7:00 pm May 6.
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, May 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: 108277, 108278, 108279, 108280, 108282, 109086.