2,067 first-hand accounts of flood events in Illinois, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
Heavy rains during the third week of June resulted in the Mississippi River at Keokuk going above the moderate flood stage level of 17.5 feet on June 22 around 5 am. It crested around 18.6 feet around 7 pm June 22.
Read the full account →Heavy rains during the second week of May resulted in moderate flooding on the Rock River.||At Joslin, the river level surpassed the moderate flood stage level of 14 feet on May 15 around 10 am. It crested around 14.5 feet around 1 pm May 16.
Read the full account →Heavy rains during the fourth week of July resulted in moderate flooding on the Mississippi River from Rock Island to Gregory Landing.||At Rock Island, it crested around 17.2 feet around 1 pm July 27.|At Illinois City, it crested around 17.0 feet around 7 am July 28.|At…
Read the full account →Thunderstorms trained across portions of northern Illinois producing torrential rainfall that resulted in flash flooding. Portions of I-80 became inundated by the flood waters and had to be closed.
Read the full account →Minor flooding occurred along the Lower Wabash River and the Big Muddy River, and moderate flooding occurred on the Little Wabash River. A heavy rainfall event on March 3 was followed by a winter storm on March 4 into early March 5.
Read the full account →Slow moving thunderstorms dumped between 6 and 10 inches of rain over Cass county. The flash flooding washed out several roads, including the road between Chandlerville and Oakford. Sixty-six homes sustained damage, ranging from water in the basement to structural collapse.
Read the full account →Two fronts pushed across the region between the 22nd and 27th at the same time a longwave trough set up over the central Plains. Widespread showers and thunderstorms brought periods of rain.
Read the full account →Strong to severe thunderstorms moved across northern Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours of July 23rd producing strong winds. Additional thunderstorms developed in the late evening of July 23rd and lasted in the early morning hours of July 24th producing very heavy…
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 →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 →Widespread heavy rainfall from 8 to 14 inches occurred during the last week of April. At the Carbondale airport, a rainfall total of 11.01 inches was measured from April 22-30. This excessive rainfall caused most creeks and streams to flood for an extended period of time.
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 →A series of heavy rainfall events in April, followed by another heavy rainfall event in early May, kept many rivers above flood stage for all or most of the month. Some of the river flooding was major.
Read the full account →This was the first of two major flash flood events. The second occurred on May 10. The combined effect of the two events prompted a federal disaster declaration for the county.
Read the full account →Many roads in Jackson County became impassable after 3 to 5 inches of rain fell in about 3 hours. U.S. 51 near Illinois 149 was impassable. This flooding combined with the late April flash flood resulted in a federal disaster declaration for Jackson County.
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 →Widespread river flooding occurred as a result of several heavy rain events in June. The remnants of Tropical Storm Bill on the 19th were responsible for widespread heavy rain that drove most of the smaller rivers above flood stage.
Read the full account →A cold front stalled out across eastern Iowa September 13 while remnants from Pacific Hurricane Lowell and moisture from the remnants of Hurricane Ike moved across the region. Copious amounts of rain was the result over much of the Midwest.
Read the full account →A cold front stalled out across eastern Iowa September 13 while remnants from Pacific Hurricane Lowell and moisture from the remnants of Hurricane Ike moved across the region. Copious amounts of rain was the result over much of the Midwest.
Read the full account →Severe thunderstorms developed over northeast Illinois during the afternoon on October 2nd. These thunderstorms caused significant wind damage across parts of the Chicago Metro Area.
Read the full account →An upper level disturbance tracked over northern Missouri and Iowa April 17th and 18th bringing several rounds of showers and thunderstorms to the region. Heavy rains of 3 to 7 inches were recorded over the 48 hour period. This resulted in widespread flash flooding.
Read the full account →An upper level disturbance tracked over northern Missouri and Iowa April 17th and 18th bringing several rounds of showers and thunderstorms to the region. Heavy rains of 3 to 7 inches were recorded over the 48 hour period. This resulted in widespread flash flooding.
Read the full account →An upper level disturbance tracked over northern Missouri and Iowa April 17th and 18th bringing several rounds of showers and thunderstorms to the region. Heavy rains of 3 to 7 inches were recorded over the 48 hour period. This resulted in widespread flash flooding.
Read the full account →An upper level disturbance tracked over northern Missouri and Iowa April 17th and 18th bringing several rounds of showers and thunderstorms to the region. Heavy rains of 3 to 7 inches were recorded over the 48 hour period. This resulted in widespread flash flooding.
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