A couple of distinct rounds of heavy rain during late February and mid-March caused rises along the region's rivers. Between March 14th and 18th, copious amounts of rain fell, with totals ranging from 1 to 2 inches.
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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.
A couple of distinct rounds of heavy rain during late February and mid-March caused rises along the region's rivers. Between March 14th and 18th, copious amounts of rain fell, with totals ranging from 1 to 2 inches. A few isolated thunderstorms pushed these rain amounts up to 3 inches. While quite a few river gages rose above flood stage, only minor flooding occurred.
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 Mar 19, 5:48 AM CST, 2 hours 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 648 AM CDT TUE MAR 19 2013 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 648 AM CDT TUE MAR 19 2013 UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION FOR 12Z TAFS. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 345 AM CDT TUE MAR 19 2013 CYCLONIC FLOW AROUND AN UPPER LOW OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION WILL KEEP A NORTHWEST FLOW PATTERN IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH MID WEEK. CONSEQUENTLY...TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN WELL BELOW NORMAL. DRY WEATHER WILL PREVAIL THROUGH MUCH OF THE SHORT TERM...THOUGH THERE ARE A FEW NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS. THE FIRST COMES TONIGHT AS WEAK UPPER LEVEL ENERGY ACCOMPANIES THE PASSAGE OF A REINFORCING COLD FRONT. THIS SYSTEM IS MOISTURE STARVED...SO ANY PRECIPITATION THAT FALLS WILL BE LIGHT...AND MUCH OF IT WILL EVAPORATE BEFORE REACHING THE GROUND. AS A RESULT...FORECAST INCLUDES A MENTION OF SPRINKLES AND/OR FLURRIES THROUGH THE NIGHT AND INTO THE FIRST FEW DAYLIGHT HOURS ON WEDNESDAY. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL BE QUITE GUSTY ON WEDNESDAY IN THE WAKE OF THIS SYSTEM...SUSTAINED 15 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 20 TO 25 MPH. DRY WEATHER WILL CARRY OVER INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY. HOWEVER...CLOUDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE AHEAD OF A DEVELOPING SYSTEM OVER THE PLAINS. INCREASING MOISTURE LIFTED ISENTROPICALLY AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM WILL LEAD TO A CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION OVER MAINLY SOUTHEAST MISSOURI THURSDAY AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURE PROFILES WILL BE COLD ENOUGH TO SUPPORT LIGHT SNOW...BUT ENOUGH WARMING NEAR THE SURFACE MAY RESULT IN A RAIN/SNOW MIX OVER SOUTHERN SECTIONS. ANY ACCUMULATION DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS THURSDAY WILL BE CONFINED TO THE OZARK FOOTHILLS OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...AND EVEN THIS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW ONE HALF INCH. .LONG TERM...(THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 345 AM CDT TUE MAR 19 2013 MOISTURE SPREADING EAST FROM THE PLAINS IN ASSOCIATION WITH A MID LEVEL WAVE...WILL ENCOUNTER HIGH PRESSURE FROM THE UPPER MIDWEST TO SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS AND ITS DRIER AIRMASS THURSDAY NIGHT. BEST CHANCE POPS FOR A WINTRY MIX WILL BE OVER THE SW 1/2 OF OUR CWFA. WE BEGIN A TRANSITION TO SW FLOW ALOFT FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND AS AN UPPER TROF DEVELOPS OVER WEST U.S. ALONG WITH A COUPLE OF H5 LOW CENTERS. THERE IS HIGH MODEL VARIABILITY WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE LOW CENTERS / MEAN TROF POSITION. GIVEN THE COMPLEXITY OF THE FLOW REGIME AND IT BEING A TRANSITIONAL TIME OF YEAR...WILL NOT GO TOO HIGH WITH POPS BUT MAINTAIN THEM BASED MORE UPON A REFLECTION OF THE GEFS AND ECENS THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND EVEN EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 648 AM CDT TUE MAR 19 2013 VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS AS MID LEVEL CLOUDS INCREASE. THE PASSAGE OF A WEAK DISTURBANCE TONIGHT MAY BRING A FEW SPRINKLES OR FLURRIES. WINDS TODAY WILL BE FROM THE NORTHWEST AROUND 10 KNOTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS IN THE AFTERNOON. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...NONE. MO...NONE. IN...NONE. KY...NONE. && SHORT TERM...RJP LONG TERM...CN AVIATION...RJP
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 357 AM CDT TUE MAR 19 2013 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-201000- 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- 357 AM CDT TUE MAR 19 2013 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...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY MINOR ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW ARE POSSIBLE LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON INTO THURSDAY NIGHT ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...MAINLY THE OZARK FOOTHILL REGION EAST TO DEXTER AND NEW MADRID. THERE IS ANOTHER CHANCE OF SNOW SUNDAY NIGHT...MAINLY OVER SOUTHERN ILLINOIS INTO SOUTHWEST INDIANA. HOWEVER...CONFIDENCE IN THE EVOLUTION AND TRACK OF THE SUNDAY NIGHT WEATHER SYSTEM IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Minor flooding occurred along the Big Muddy River near Plumfield. Low-lying fields and woodlands were underwater.
Minor flooding occurred along the Big Muddy River near Murphysboro. Low-lying fields and woodlands were underwater, including small parts of Riverside Park.
Minor flooding occurred along the Little Wabash River at Carmi. Low-lying fields, woodlands, and a few county roads were underwater.
Minor flooding occurred along the Skillet Fork River in the Wayne City area. Low-lying fields and woodlands were underwater.
Minor flooding occurred along the Ohio River at Shawneetown. Low-lying fields and woodlands were underwater, along with river access facilities such as a boat ramp.
Minor flooding occurred along the Ohio River in the Brookport and Metropolis areas. Low-lying fields and woodlands were underwater, including small parts of Fort Massac State Park in Metropolis.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, March 2013
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: 435609, 435610, 435611, 435612, 435608, 435607.