The Mississippi River rose back above flood stage near the end of the month. Heavy rain during the second half of the month caused rises on the 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.
The Mississippi River rose back above flood stage near the end of the month. Heavy rain during the second half of the month caused rises on the 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 Apr 28, 4:17 PM CST, 4 hours 43 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Paducah KY 517 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2020 .UPDATE... Issued at 515 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2020 Updated for 00Z TAF Issuance. && .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Thursday) Issued at 255 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2020 Our main challenge in the near term will be with the potential for severe thunderstorms later this evening and overnight. There is also some concern for localized flash flooding. CAMs remain in fairly good agreement with the development of a squall line or broken line of storms off to our west/northwest late this afternoon and early evening. This line looks like it will enter our western counties around 9-10 PM and progress eastward across the rest of the region into the overnight hours. Instability will be greatest this evening over southeast Missouri and southwest Illinois, and will quickly wane by around midnight. Most models depict essentially no sfc CAPE left after midnight so the severe threat for the eastern half of the region looks quite low. Damaging winds look to be the greatest threat with the line, but some large hail will also be possible given the decent mid level lapse rates. Can't completely rule out a brief tornado, but that potential looks rather low. There is also a risk for some localized flash flooding to develop, especially in areas that see training of convection. Most areas will likely receive 1-1.75" for the event, but given the setup the potential for a few 2"+ amounts is possible. Precipitation will gradually end from west to east overnight into the morning hours on Wednesday. However, with the upper level low parked to our north, wrap around showers and isolated thunderstorms will spread back into the region by the afternoon tomorrow. Given the cold air aloft, and mid level lapse rates of 7.5-8C, some small hail will be possible with a few of the stronger cells. Pesky shower activity looks to continue into Wednesday night and Thursday, mainly in our northeastern counties. Clouds may linger much of the day on Thursday in our east. Temperatures will be cooler the next couple of days, with highs generally in the 60s and lows falling from the 50s tonight into the 40s on Wednesday night. Breezy conditions will continue with wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph on Wednesday and up around 20 mph on Thursday. .LONG TERM...(Thursday night through Tuesday) Issued at 255 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2020 Thursday night, we'll see our trof of cool/wet weather moving east, effectively ending our pops and setting us up for the coming thermal recovery. Driven by record breaking heat across the Southwest U.S., we'll see this air spill across the Plains and toward/into our neck of the woods heading into the weekend. Friday is the transition day with temps moving closer to seasonal norms, then Saturday and Sunday we start to see the warmer airmass (albeit modified), with 80s making an appearance. It's dry to start the weekend, then the transitory flow pattern setup leads to increasing activity by Sunday, as pops return to the forecast. Dew points and columnar moisture on the rise, we could see potential for locally heavy rains setting up Sunday. While deterministic models suggest a quick system passage with diminishing pops/ending pcpn Monday, the blend/ensemble approach lingers some pops. We'll split the diff with our collab neighbors, which makes for a lingering (smaller) chance pop Monday- Monday night and then another wave of energy/return chance pop Tuesday. && .AVIATION... Issued at 515 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2020 Restrictions will be fast incoming tonight as a line of thunderstorms approaches from the west. The 00Z TAF set was fine tuned for latest CAM/model approach of this line calibrated with real time, which made for minor 1-2 hour adjustments mostly. Anticipated a few hours possibility of IFR cigs/vsbys with the actual line during the 05Z (West) thru 09Z (East) arrival. Wind shift fropa/lingering restricted cigs/vsbys will ensue for 3-6 hours afterward, with relative mid to late morning improvements short-lived. Another deterioriation of cigs/vsbys in heavier/more shower activity during the pm planning phase hours is expected. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...None. MO...None. IN...None. KY...None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Paducah KY 323 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2020 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-292030- Jefferson-Wayne IL-Edwards-Wabash-Perry IL-Franklin-Hamilton- White-Jackson-Williamson-Saline-Gallatin-Union-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- 323 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast Missouri. .DAY ONE...Tonight There is a chance for thunderstorms this evening and overnight. Severe thunderstorms are possible with damaging winds and large hail. Torrential rainfall may also lead to some localized flash flooding risk with any training of convection. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday There is a threat for isolated thunderstorms on Wednesday, primarily during the afternoon hours. The main hazards would be heavy rainfall, lightning, and small hail. Non-thunderstorms wind gusts up around 30 mph are possible on Wednesday afternoon, especially across the western half of the region. Thunderstorms return to the forecast late this weekend into early next week. Lightning and locally heavy rain will be the primary storm hazards. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be required late this evening and overnight, especially over southeast Missouri and southwest Illinois.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Paducah KY
955 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2020
ILZ075-080-081-290345-
Perry IL-Franklin IL-Jefferson IL-
955 PM CDT Tue Apr 28 2020
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR PERRY...JEFFERSON AND
NORTHWESTERN FRANKLIN COUNTIES UNTIL 1045 PM CDT...
At 955 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from 10 miles northeast of Woodlawn to near Ashley
to near Sparta. Movement was southeast at 30 mph.
Wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with these storms.
Locations impacted include...
Mount Vernon, Benton, Du Quoin, Pinckneyville, Christopher, Rend Lake
Area, Sesser, Woodlawn, Bluford, Valier, West City, Tamaroa,
Willisville, Ina, North City, Buckner, Dix, Cutler, Waltonville and
Bonnie.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Torrential rainfall is also occurring with these storms, and may lead
to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded
roadways.
Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with these storms.
Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe
shelter inside a building or vehicle.
&&
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 300 AM CDT for
south central Illinois.
LAT...LON 3847 8871 3826 8870 3797 8895 3796 8957
3798 8960 3822 8959 3821 8915 3847 8914
TIME...MOT...LOC 0255Z 300DEG 18KT 3846 8895 3827 8923 3815 8965
RJPThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Minor flooding occurred on the Mississippi River. Some low-lying farmland and fields were inundated. The river continued rising into May.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, April 2020
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: 883433.