2,067 first-hand accounts of flood events in Illinois, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
Thunderstorms formed along a lake breeze in northeast Illinois during the late afternoon and evening of Saturday, July 21st. Trees were blown down in Monee in Will county at 1710 CST.
Read the full account →Severe thunderstorms formed over parts of the Chicago metro area during the early afternoon of August 3rd. The storms produced hail up to the size of golf balls and also produced very heavy rain and flooding.
Read the full account →Several rounds of thunderstorms struck Eastern Iowa, far Northeast Missouri, and Nothern Illinois from mid afternoon through midnight. A wake low developed behind one line of storms and produced an extended period of wind over 43 knots (50 mph) across parts of Eastern Iowa and…
Read the full account →Powerful and damaging thunderstorms moved across northern Illinois producing widespread wind damage. The most intense wind damage occurred along a path which began in far western Dupage County near the intersection of Roosevelt Road and Washington Street in West Chicago and…
Read the full account →Powerful and damaging thunderstorms moved across northern Illinois producing widespread wind damage. The most intense wind damage occurred along a path which began in far western Dupage County near the intersection of Roosevelt Road and Washington Street in West Chicago and…
Read the full account →The remnants of hurricane Ike moved across northern Illinois during the morning hours of September 14th. This system produced a second round of very heavy rain after a period of heavy rain just 24 hours earlier across many of the same areas.
Read the full account →Still supported by a nearby stationary front, a second round of thunderstorms dropped another 3-5 inches of rain across northwest Illinois during the overnight hours of July 23rd into the early morning of July 24th.
Read the full account →Still supported by a nearby stationary front, a second round of thunderstorms dropped another 3-5 inches of rain across northwest Illinois during the overnight hours of July 23rd into the early morning of July 24th.
Read the full account →During the afternoon, multi-cell thunderstorm clusters developed along a warm front that was oriented from west to east along the Interstate 64 corridor. Surface dew points near and south of the front were in the lower 70's, which contributed to strong instability.
Read the full account →Thunderstorms developed during the late morning and early afternoon across a zone just south of I-80 in northern Illinois and northwest Indiana and persisted for several hours. An extremely moist environment set the stage for very heavy rainfall rates.
Read the full account →Thunderstorms developed during the late morning and early afternoon across a zone just south of I-80 in northern Illinois and northwest Indiana and persisted for several hours. An extremely moist environment set the stage for very heavy rainfall rates.
Read the full account →A series of thunderstorm complexes over a period of several days resulted in locally significant flash flooding. A cold front stalled across the Lower Ohio and Mid-Mississippi Valleys, where tropical moisture was already in place.
Read the full account →Record flooding of the Lower Wabash River occurred, prompting state disaster declarations that included Wabash, White, and Gallatin Counties. Floodfighting activities included the construction of temporary sandbag levees.
Read the full account →Torrential rainfall amounts from 6 to 12 inches occurred over a two-day period, causing an historic flood event. A very slow-moving cold front over southwest Illinois and southeast Missouri provided the focus for prolonged heavy rainfall.
Read the full account →Several episodes of heavy rain from June 2nd through the 4th, and again on the 6th, produced copious amounts of rain and extensive flooding in eastern Illinois which persisted for two weeks.
Read the full account →After a wet winter and spring, heavy rain fell in June causing moderate to major flooding on the Des Plaines and Fox Rivers in Lake and McHenry Counties in IL. June rainfall totals included 7.13 inches at Woodstock, 6.56 inches at Spring Grove, and 5.57 inches at Mundelein.
Read the full account →Rain bands associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Bill produced isolated tornadoes and locally very heavy rainfall. The convective character of the bands increased during the afternoon due to short intervals of sunshine that destabilized the atmosphere.
Read the full account →Moderate flooding occurred along most of the Ohio River, with pockets of only minor flooding. A heavy rainfall event on March 3 was followed by a major winter storm on March 4 into early March 5. Two more heavy rainfall events occurred in quick succession.
Read the full account →Flooding of the Ohio River continued from late February through the entire month of March. The exceptions were at Golconda and Shawneetown, which fell below flood stage between the 28th and 30th. The flooding was considered moderate.
Read the full account →Heavy rainfall in March set the stage for major flooding when record-setting rains fell in April and May. At Paducah, 15.91 inches of rain fell in April, which was 10.96 inches above normal.
Read the full account →The Ohio River began its upward climb toward historic levels. The river rose above flood stage about mid-month. A series of heavy rainfall events gradually forced the river upward at an unsteady rate.
Read the full account →Thunderstorms intensified within a zone of strong southerly low level winds that provided abundant warmth and moisture. These strong low level winds enhanced wind shear, which promoted the development of supercells with isolated tornadoes.
Read the full account →Significant record to near record heavy rainfall in North Central and Northeast Iowa from 21 to 23 September of 4 to over 10 plus inches caused major river flooding on three forecast points on the Mississppi River downstream from the Iowa River and Mississippi River convergence…
Read the full account →Significant record to near record heavy rainfall in North Central and Northeast Iowa from 21 to 23 September of 4 to over 10 plus inches caused major river flooding on three forecast points on the Mississppi River downstream from the Iowa River and Mississippi River convergence…
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