The river flood season got off to an early start as the year 2020 opened. Rather mild and wet conditions continued into the new year.
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 PAH wrote it up.
The river flood season got off to an early start as the year 2020 opened. Rather mild and wet conditions continued into the new year. Rainfall totals across the region were 1 to over 3 inches above normal for January. At Cape Girardeau, Missouri, it was the 4th wettest January on record with a total of 6.52 inches. The subtropical jetstream was very active, drawing in moisture from the eastern Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico. This provided very heavy rainfall, especially during the first half of the month. Heavy rainfall on the 11th caused many of the region's rivers to rise rapidly. The mainstem Ohio, Mississippi, and Wabash Rivers were already high and just began rising again.
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 Jan 11, 5:09 PM CST, 6 hours 51 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Paducah KY 509 PM CST Sat Jan 11 2020 .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Monday night) Issued at 507 PM CST Sat Jan 11 2020 The primary forecast discussion delayed this afternoon while in the process of adjusting headlines and gridded, tabular, and text forecast for dynamic system this evening. Surface low is just exiting the eastern Pennyrile of west Kentucky shortly before 5 pm. There is a narrow line segment capable of translating some 30 to 40 mph into that area, but the window is closing for this potential. Had been holding off canceling the remainder of the wind advisory until this system passed, but may cancel before 6pm as the surface low moves east of the WFO PAH forecast area. Noted a 36 knot gust at Fort Campbell at 5 pm CST. Upper low and attendant precipitation shield continues to move rapidly northeast, taking lift and thermal instability with it. There is a razor thin zone in which a wintry mix will be possible along the western end of the WFO PAH forecast area, mainly the foothills of southeast Missouri an southwest Illinois. However, given warm ground temperatures, latent heat release from water soaked areas, and slowing cold air advection, any wintry mix would have very limited impact for travel this evening. The overall pattern will turn southwesterly rather quickly on Sunday with slow warm air advection in place as the next shortwave rotates into the Central Plains and to the northeast into the Great Lakes. With the deep layer moisture suppressed to the south, the main weather feature on Monday will just be cloud cover. .LONG TERM...(Tuesday through Saturday) Issued at 507 PM CST Sat Jan 11 2020 Forecast confidence for any significant or measurable precipitation remains average to low for the WFO PAH forecast area in the extended period. The NBM (National Blend of Models) seems to be exhibiting a wet bias across the area given the model composition, although the last several deterministic model runs of the GFS/ECMWF/Canadian maintain limited northward transport (isentropically and/or dynamically) of moisture as a series of fast and low amplitude shortwave skirt northwest of the WFO PAH forecast area in southwest flow during the week. For collaborative purposes, had to maintain a low PoP mention across part or all of the WFO PAH forecast area Tuesday through Wednesday, then again Thursday night through Saturday. The only consistent signal has been the chance for thunderstorms on Wednesday and the chance for a wintry mix late Thursday into Friday morning. Otherwise, the forecast signal for consistent coverage of PoPs is marginal to say the least. There may be more forecast fluctuations as the week progresses. && .AVIATION... Issued at 106 PM CST Sat Jan 11 2020 Main challenge is timing and translation of cold front through KOWB in the short term, impacting the ceiling, visibility, and mention of thunderstorms during the first two hours of the 18z Saturday forecast period. Beyond that attempted to utilize a model blend of predominant MVFR to upper IFR ceilings during the first 12 hours of the forecast period. With the upper low transitioning through the area and intrusion of drier air into parts of the area. Lowest confidence on ceilings is within the last 6 hours of the forecast period, which may be too pessimistic. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...None. MO...None. IN...Wind Advisory until 9 PM CST this evening for INZ087-088. KY...Wind Advisory until 9 PM CST this evening for KYZ006>022. && SHORT TERM...Smith LONG TERM...Smith AVIATION...Smith
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Paducah KY 522 PM CST Sat Jan 11 2020 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-121100- 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- 522 PM CST Sat Jan 11 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast Missouri. .DAY ONE...Tonight Areal flood warnings remain in effect through this evening across the outlook area. Please see advisories for additional details. Widespread minor to moderate river flooding is occurring or forecast across the outlook area. Please refer to the latest river statements and river flood warnings for additional details. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday There is a chance of thunderstorms late Tuesday night and Wednesday. A few of the storms on Wednesday could be strong to severe, with damaging winds the primary hazard. A mix of wintry precipitation is forecast late Thursday night into Friday morning. The potential for a light accumulation cannot be ruled out at this time. Widespread minor to moderate river flooding is occurring or forecast across the outlook area. Please refer to the latest river statements and river flood warnings for additional details. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Although hazardous weather has moved east of the area, spotter and cooperative observer reports of flooded roadways and other flooded locations, storm total rainfall reports, and wind damage is still appreciated tonight and Sunday. Smith
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1114 PM CST SAT JAN 11 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0910 PM HEAVY RAIN 3 SE EVANSVILLE 37.95N 87.50W
01/11/2020 M2.00 INCH VANDERBURGH IN TRAINED SPOTTER
1.9 INCHES OF RAIN AT ANGEL MOUNDS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS.
STORM TOTAL WAS 3.3 INCHES.
&&
DBThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Moderate flooding occurred on the Wabash River. The river crested at 20.17 feet on the 21st at the New Harmony, IN river gage. Moderate flooding begins at 20.0 feet. There was considerable flooding of low-lying fields. Some county roads were impassable.
Moderate flooding occurred on the Wabash River. The river crested at 27.85 feet on the 20th at the Mt. Carmel river gage. Moderate flooding begins at 25 feet. There was considerable inundation of low-lying woodlands and fields. Around Mount Carmel, most roads outside the floodwall along the river were impassable. Cattle and farm equipment were moved to higher ground. Some mobile homes had to be moved, and the city of Mount Carmel had to install flood gates.
Minor flooding occurred along the Mississippi River. Low-lying woods and fields near the river were inundated.
Minor flooding occurred on the Ohio River. Sections of Fort Massac State Park in bottomlands near the river were flooded. Low-lying woods and fields were flooded.
Minor flooding occurred on the Ohio River. Low-lying woods and fields near the river were inundated.
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, January 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: 869125, 869126, 869124, 869123, 869122.