Flooding in Illinois, April 1 to 10, 2021

Name: Flooding in Illinois, April 1 to 10, 2021
Start: 2021-04-01T00:00
End: 2021-04-10T15:00
Location: Illinois

April 1 to 10, 2021 · NWS PAH · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Heavy rain on February 28th sent many rivers above flood stage early in March. Minor to moderate flooding occurred on the Ohio, Big Muddy, and Little Wabash Rivers.

Where it happened

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $4,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS PAH wrote it up.

Heavy rain on February 28th sent many rivers above flood stage early in March. Minor to moderate flooding occurred on the Ohio, Big Muddy, and Little Wabash Rivers. Persistent above normal rainfall through the month of March kept those rivers above flood stage into the early part of April.

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 Mar 31, 5:15 PM CST, 6 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 5:15 PM CST, 6 hours 45 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Paducah KY
615 PM CDT Wed Mar 31 2021

.UPDATE...
Issued at 615 PM CDT Wed Mar 31 2021

Aviation discussion updated for 00Z TAF issuance.

&&

.SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Friday night)
Issued at 1228 PM CDT Wed Mar 31 2021

Freeze Warning headlines are up for late tonight, and again late
tomorrow night into Friday morning. A hard freeze is likely both
time periods. A hard frost is likely as well Friday morning.
Record cold temperatures are possible Friday morning.

The much cooler than normal conditions are tied to strong high
pressure building southeast across the region. Other than some mid
clouds (sprinkles?) moving across the area this afternoon, skies
will be mostly clear through the period.

.LONG TERM...(Saturday through Wednesday)
Issued at 240 PM CDT Wed Mar 31 2021

Surface high pressure will remain over the southeast U.S. through
the weekend into the first half of next week, and we will continue
to have dry conditions.  Winds will persist from the south to
southwest through the period, and along with plenty of sunshine,
we will have a significant warm up. High temperatures in the lower
60s on Saturday will be seasonable, then by Tuesday and Wednesday we
can expect highs in the upper 70s. Overnight lows Saturday night
will be in the lower 40s, warming to the middle 50s by Tuesday
night.

By Tuesday night into Wednesday, models show an approaching low
pressure system. There is low confidence in the timing of this
feature, with some models bringing in some light precipitation,
while others are slower and keep us dry through Wednesday. For now
will keep our area dry, but we will at least see increasing
clouds.

&&

.AVIATION...
Issued at 615 PM CDT Wed Mar 31 2021

VFR conditions continue through Thursday. Winds will remain
northwesterly, 4-8 kts tonight increasing to 10-15 kts with gusts
of 20 kts tomorrow. As the last few clouds have departed to the
east, skies will be clear through the TAF period.

&&

.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IL...Freeze Warning from 1 AM to 9 AM CDT Thursday for ILZ075>078-
     080>094.

     Freeze Warning from midnight Thursday night to 9 AM CDT Friday
     for ILZ075>078-080>094.

MO...Freeze Warning from 1 AM to 9 AM CDT Thursday for MOZ076-086-087-
     100-107>112-114.

     Freeze Warning from midnight Thursday night to 9 AM CDT Friday
     for MOZ076-086-087-100-107>112-114.

IN...Freeze Warning from 1 AM to 9 AM CDT Thursday for INZ081-082-
     085>088.

     Freeze Warning from midnight Thursday night to 9 AM CDT Friday
     for INZ081-082-085>088.

KY...Freeze Warning from 1 AM to 9 AM CDT Thursday for KYZ001>022.

     Freeze Warning from midnight Thursday night to 9 AM CDT Friday
     for KYZ001>022.

&&

UPDATE...ATL
LONG TERM...RST
AVIATION...ATL

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 31, 11:24 AM CST, 12 hours 36 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Paducah KY
1224 PM CDT Wed Mar 31 2021

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-
100-107>112-114-011000-
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-
1224 PM CDT Wed Mar 31 2021

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southern
Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast
Missouri.

.DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight

A hard freeze will occur late tonight. Refer to the Freeze
Warning for details.

An elevated fire danger will persist across southeast Missouri
including the Mark Twain National Forest area through sunset.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday

A hard freeze will occur again late Thursday night into Friday
morning. Refer to the Freeze Warning for details.

Sustained southerly winds of 15 mph with occasional gusts of 20
to 25 mph may generate choppy waters on area lakes and rivers this
Saturday. Boaters should exercise caution on area waterways.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not anticipated.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Alexander

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 10, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Alexander County, Future City to 2 mi SSW of Future City
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $4,000
Reported by: River/Stream Gage
Coordinates: 37.120, -89.180

Moderate flooding occurred on the Ohio River. Low-lying fields and woodlands in the flood plain were underwater. Fort Defiance State Park near Cairo was partially flooded. At the Cairo river gage, the river crested at 47.01 feet on the evening of the 3rd. Flood stage is 40 feet.

Flood, Pulaski

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Pulaski County, 0.7 mi W of Mound City to 0.7 mi SSE of New Grand Chain
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: River/Stream Gage
Coordinates: 37.080, -89.183

Moderate flooding occurred on the Ohio River. At the Olmsted river gage, the river crested at 42.38 feet on the evening of the 3rd. Flood stage is 36 feet. There was considerable flooding of fields and woods in the flood plain. A few county roads were impacted.

Flood, White

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to April 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where: White County, Carmi to 1.6 mi NE of Carmi Muni Arpt
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: River/Stream Gage
Coordinates: 38.080, -88.170

Minor flooding on the Little Wabash River ended early in the month. Low-lying fields and woodlands in the flood plain were under water.

Flood, Jackson

When: April 1, 12:00 AM CST to 4:00 AM CST
Where: Jackson County, 0.9 mi W of Mt Carbon to 0.8 mi SSE of Murphysboro
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: River/Stream Gage
Coordinates: 37.750, -89.347

Minor flooding ended on the Big Muddy River on April 1. Some low-lying fields in the flood plain were underwater.

What these are

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.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Illinois in 2021 Every state in 2021 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, April 2021

Sources

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: 949749, 949750, 949751, 949752.