Illinois, 2009Flooding in Illinois, February 13 to 24, 2009
February 13 to 24, 2009 · NWS PAH · 5 events in 4 counties and zones
A frontal boundary wavered across the area between the 6th and 11th, bringing scattered showers and storms each day. 5 inches.
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
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- 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.
A frontal boundary wavered across the area between the 6th and 11th, bringing scattered showers and storms each day. Total rainfall was generally 1 to 1.5 inches. Because the ground was still so wet from heavy precipitation in late January, there was some minor flooding along rivers.
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 Feb 13, 7:51 PM CST, 1 hour 9 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 13, 7:51 PM CST, 1 hour 9 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
750 PM CST FEB 13 2009
.UPDATE...
UPDATED AVIATION SECTION FOR 00Z TAFS.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
AFTER A PROLONGED PERIOD OF WILD WEATHER...A MUCH MORE SUBDUED
WEATHER PATTERN IS SHAPING UP FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THROUGH EARLY
NEXT WEEK...A PREDOMINANTLY ZONAL FLOW PATTERN WILL PERSIST OVER
MUCH OF THE NATION. WEAK DISTURBANCES WILL EJECT EASTWARD FROM AN
UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OFF THE WEST COAST. THESE WILL PROVIDE THE AREA
WITH BRIEF CHANCES OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION EVERY COUPLE OF DAYS.
THE FIRST OF THESE IS SLATED TO INFLUENCE THE REGION TONIGHT. A WEAK
AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE OVERHEAD...BUT THE BETTER CHANCE FOR
PRECIPITATION WILL REMAIN NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE IMMEDIATE AREA
WHERE MOISTURE AND LIFT BETTER COINCIDE. WHERE PRECIP MANAGES TO
REACH THE GROUND...QPF VALUES WILL ONLY AVERAGE A FEW HUNDREDTHS OF
AN INCH.
BEHIND THIS FIRST SYSTEM...HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FOR SATURDAY.
UNFORTUNATELY...DESPITE THE DRY CONDITIONS...SUNSHINE WILL PROBABLY
NOT BE IN ABUNDANCE OWING TO A FAIRLY SHALLOW MOIST LAYER IN THE
LOWER ATMOSPHERE. FORECAST SOUNDINGS AND MOS GUIDANCE ARE IN
AGREEMENT...SO WE ADJUSTED TOWARDS A MORE PESSIMISTIC MOSTLY CLOUDY
FORECAST.
THE NEXT WAVE WILL ZIP ACROSS THE REGION SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT.
SOME MODEL RUNS ARE HINTING AT THE OCCURRENCE OF A BRIEF PERIOD OF
VERY LIGHT PRECIPITATION...WHILE OTHERS ARE BONE DRY. GIVEN THE
DISHARMONY AMONG THE MODELS...WE WILL MAINTAIN A CONSISTENTLY DRY
FORECAST. HOWEVER...IF ANYTHING DOES FALL...WE CAN SAY WITH FAIRLY
HIGH CERTAINTY IT WILL NOT BE MUCH.
FROM 12Z MON ON...THE CURRENT MID LEVEL PATTERN SHOULD CONTINUE
THROUGH DAY 7...THAT IS...A LARGE TROF WILL REMAIN IN THE ERN PAC/CA
REGION AND PERIODICALLY EJECT SHRTWV ENERGY EWD ACROSS THE CONUS.
THE MED RANGE MODELS ARE BEGINNING TO COME TOGETHER ON THEIR
DEPICTION OF A WELL DEVELOPED SYSTEM...INCLUDING A CLOSED SFC LOW
MOVING ACROSS THE NATION/S MIDSECTION AND THE MIDWEST ON WED...
RESULTING IN A DECENT CHC OF RAIN SHWRS ESPECIALLY TUE NIGHT/WED. IT
SEEMS THAT LOW LEVEL WAA JUST AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT WILL BE FAIRLY
SUBSTANTIAL...WITH MIN TEMPS WED MRNG AROUND 40 AND MAX TEMPS WED
AFTN WELL INTO THE 50S...AND DEWPOINTS GETTING INTO THE 40S. THIS
TREND WAS INDICATED BY 2M TEMPS/DEWPOINTS FROM THE ECMWF AND GFS. ON
THE TAIL END OF THE SYSTEM...BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...ENOUGH COOLING
OF THE COLUMN MAY OCCUR FOR A LITTLE SNOW IN SWRN IND/NRN KY WED
NIGHT. ACCUMULATIONS...IF ANY...ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SIGNIFICANT.
THE REST OF THE FCST PACKAGE IS DRY...WITH NWRLY MID LEVEL FLOW IN
PLACE FOR A WHILE. THE 06Z/12Z GFS AT THIS TIME FRAME WAS A BIT MORE
AMPLIFIED THAN THE ECMWF WITH A WRN CONUS RIDGE/ERN CONUS TROF. THE
GFS ENSEMBLE MEAN WAS CLOSE TO THE 00Z/12Z ECMWF. THIS LESS
AMPLIFIED AND MODERATE SOLUTION WAS ALONG HPC/S THINKING...SO A LOT
OF HPC GRIDS WERE USED FOR DAYS 6 AND 7.
&&
.AVIATION...
VFR CIGS MAY DROP TO MVFR LATE TONIGHT-EARLY TOMORROW AS LOW
PRESSURE RACES ACROSS REGION. VCSH COULD ACCOMPANY SOME OF THE MVFR
CIGS. TOMORROW THE LOW DEPARTS AND MVFR CIGS SHOULD GO SCT OR AT
LEAST VFR BY PM HOURS. NO VSBY RESTRICTIONS ANTICIPATED.
&&
.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KY...NONE.
MO...NONE.
IL...NONE.
IN...NONE.
&&
Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 13, 4:04 AM CST, 16 hours 56 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
404 AM CST FRI FEB 13 2009
ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-
100-107>112-114-141100-
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-
404 AM CST FRI FEB 13 2009
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI.
.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY
MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST TO OCCUR ON SOME AREA RIVERS OVER THE
NEXT WEEK. PLEASE REFER TO THE APPROPRIATE FLOOD STATEMENTS OR
WARNINGS FOR DETAILS. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED
AT THIS TIME.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.
Flood, Wabash
- When
- February 13, 9:00 PM CST to February 23, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wabash County, 1.25 mi E of Mt Carmel to 1.44 mi E of Mt Carmel
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Reported by
- River/Stream Gage
- Coordinates
- 38.423, -87.747
Minor flooding occurred on the Wabash River. At the Mount Carmel gage, the river crested at 24.86 feet on the 19th. Flood stage there is 19 feet. Extensive lowland flooding threatened some mobile homes. Installation of flood gate A at Mount Carmel was necessary. Access to local camp sites was blocked, but there was minimal impact to commercial activities because of gate closure. Several local roads were impassable. Water flowed over River Road just north of Fifth Street in the Mount Carmel area. All oil field production ceased with the exception of pumping units on substructures. Access to these was by boat only. Farmers moved livestock to higher ground.
Flood, White
- When
- February 14, 10:00 PM CST to February 24, 3:00 AM CST
- Where
- White County, Maunie to 0.94 mi ESE of Maunie
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Reported by
- River/Stream Gage
- Coordinates
- 38.030, -88.050
Minor flooding of the Wabash River occurred. At the New Harmony, IN gage, the river crested at 17.56 feet on the 21st. Flood stage there is 15 feet. Low-lying bottomlands along the river were flooded.
Flood, Gallatin
- When
- February 16, 8:00 PM CST to February 20, 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Gallatin County, Shawneetown to 1.41 mi WNW of Shawneetown
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Reported by
- River/Stream Gage
- Coordinates
- 37.700, -88.130
Minor flooding occurred on the Ohio River, affecting low-lying bottomlands. At the Shawneetown gage, the river crested at 34.1 feet on the 18th. Flood stage there is 33 feet.
Flood, Wayne
- When
- February 17, 10:00 PM CST to February 22, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wayne County, 3.43 mi S of Mt Erie to 3.61 mi S of Mt Erie
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Reported by
- River/Stream Gage
- Coordinates
- 38.471, -88.239
Minor flooding occurred on the Little Wabash River, affecting low-lying bottomlands. The Golden Gate/Mount Erie road was closed.
Flood, White
- When
- February 17, 10:00 PM CST to February 22, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- White County, Carmi to 1.99 mi E of Brownsville
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Reported by
- River/Stream Gage
- Coordinates
- 38.080, -88.170
Minor flooding occurred on the Little Wabash River, affecting low-lying bottomlands. At the Carmi river gage, the river crested at 28.02 feet on the 21st. Flood stage there is 27 feet.
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Winter Weather in Iowa, February 13 to 14, 20091 death · 9 injured · 7 events
- Flood in Mississippi, February 13, 2009$40,000 · 1 event
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 13, 200921 events
- Heavy Snow in Iowa, February 13, 200914 events
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, February 13, 20098 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Colorado, February 13 to 15, 20098 events
- Heavy Snow in Nebraska, February 13, 20095 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Colorado, February 13, 20094 events
- Winter Weather in Utah, February 13 to 14, 20092 events
- Winter Weather in California, February 13 to 14, 20092 events
- Winter Weather in Illinois, February 13 to 14, 20092 events
- Marine Thunderstorm Winds in Gulf of Mexico, February 13, 20092 events
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: 154656, 154659, 154643, 154645, 154732.