2,067 first-hand accounts of flood events in Illinois, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon merged with a cold front over the mid-section of the country. The tropical moisture squeezed out by the front produced widespread heavy rainfall.
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 →An approaching cold front brought showers and thunderstorms to central Illinois during the evening of May 31st. Many of the storms became severe, producing widespread wind damage across the area. Two tornadoes briefly touched down as well.
Read the full account →June turned out to be a very wet month across the region with many places 3 to 5 inches above normal. Heavy rain fell during the first two days of June and was scattered during the last half of the month.
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 →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 →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 →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 →A stationary boundary just south of the area provided a focus for widespread thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall. Radar estimates and surface reports indicated anywhere from 2 to over 6 inches of rain falling during the evening and overnight hours across the area.
Read the full account →In Union County, flash flooding struck the small community of Mill Creek, forcing some residents out of their homes. An elderly woman was rescued by boat from her flooded home, and Route 127 was closed.
Read the full account →Moderate to major flooding of the Ohio River and some of its tributaries occurred. A state disaster declaration included Massac, Pope, Hardin, 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 →A low pressure system moved towards northern Illinois during the evening hours, causing thunderstorms to develop in the afternoon and evening hours across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana.
Read the full account →The remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon merged with a cold front over the mid-section of the country. The tropical moisture squeezed out by the front produced widespread heavy rainfall.
Read the full account →Widespread flooding continued from April into May across southern Illinois. Following excessive rain in April, a final dose of heavy rain came between April 30 and May 2. Numerous rounds of showers and thunderstorms produced additional average rainfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches.
Read the full account →Slow moving thunderstorms dumped between 3 and 4 inches of rain over the extreme northern portions of Lawrence county. The heavy rains caused flash flooding conditions in the town of Birds when a nearby creek, Brushy Creek) got out of its banks.
Read the full account →Thunderstorms brought heavy rain and strong winds to the area in the early morning hours. Another round of storms brought more heavy rain around dawn that caused flash flooding.
Read the full account →Supercell thunderstorms developed in the afternoon and evening north of a warm front that ran from Southern Iowa into Central Illinois. Three distinct supercells produced a majority of the wind, hail, and heavy rain reports from Jefferson County Iowa into Henry County Illinois.
Read the full account →Supercell thunderstorms developed in the afternoon and evening north of a warm front that ran from Southern Iowa into Central Illinois. Three distinct supercells produced a majority of the wind, hail, and heavy rain reports from Jefferson County Iowa into Henry County Illinois.
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 →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 →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.
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