2,067 first-hand accounts of flood events in Illinois, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
A nearly stationary front draped itself from central Texas northeast through the Ohio River Valley and produced multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms, some with very heavy rainfall.
Read the full account →Isolated severe thunderstorms, including a couple of supercells, produced several damaging wind events and large hail. A potent 500 mb jet streak ejected east-northeast from the Texas panhandle and western Oklahoma to the south of a mid-level low over northern Nebraska.
Read the full account →On the evening of May 7th, a line of thunderstorms produced severe winds, severe hail, heavy rain, and even two landspouts across parts of the southern and southwestern Chicago metro.
Read the full account →During the afternoon and evening of the 31st, a wave of severe thunderstorms produced numerous tornadoes, severe hail, extensive wind damage, and localized flooding across northern and northeastern Illinois. A total of 37 tornadoes were confirmed across the state.
Read the full account →A prolonged flooding event on the Ohio river, that began in the middle of February, continued into March at Shawneetown, Olmsted, and Cairo. Minor flooding of bottomland continued at all three locations.
Read the full account →A prolonged flooding event on the Ohio river, that began in the middle of February, continued into March at Shawneetown, Olmsted, and Cairo. Minor flooding of bottomland continued at all three locations.
Read the full account →A prolonged flooding event on the Ohio river, that began in the middle of February, continued into March at Shawneetown, Olmsted, and Cairo. Minor flooding of bottomland continued at all three locations.
Read the full account →A persistent frontal boundary interacting with a very moist airmass led to periods of showers and thunderstorms across central Illinois on June 19th and 20th.
Read the full account →A cold front advancing eastward across the Midwest triggered scattered thunderstorms during the late afternoon and evening of July 28th. A few of the storms became strong to severe, with isolated wind damage being reported in Peoria and Schuyler counties.
Read the full account →A cold front advancing eastward across the Midwest triggered scattered thunderstorms during the late afternoon and evening of July 28th. A few of the storms became strong to severe, with isolated wind damage being reported in Peoria and Schuyler counties.
Read the full account →Heavy rains during the fourth week of July resulted in the Pecatonica River at Freeport going above the moderate flood stage level of 14 feet around 3 am CDT July 24. It crested around 16.2 feet around 1 am CDT July 25.
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 →A slow-moving cold front passed across the region between the 20th and 22nd. Several upper level disturbances moved north-northeast along the front, touching off numerous showers and thunderstorms.
Read the full account →A wide band of thunderstorms, oriented from west to east, moved east across the same areas for a few hours during the nighttime hours. Rainfall amounts were 2 to 3.5 inches in many places, with isolated amounts near 7 inches at Carbondale.
Read the full account →Heavy rain falling on saturated ground caused water levels to rise quickly. After the initial rapid rises, a prolonged period of flooding set in as light to moderate rain continued to fall.
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 →Thunderstorms developed over Southeast Iowa and West Central Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours producing heavy rain and strong winds of 40 to 60 mph. Rainfall of 2 to 5 inches occurred over a period of a few hours with most of it falling in about an hour.
Read the full account →A thunderstorm developed in a near tropical atmosphere just east of Dubuque, Iowa along a weak boundary that stretched from Decorrah, to Dubuque, to near Sterling, Illinois.
Read the full account →A cold front interacting with a seasonably warm and moist environment triggered clusters of strong to severe thunderstorms across central Illinois during the afternoon and evening of August 30th.
Read the full account →A cold front interacting with a seasonably warm and moist environment triggered clusters of strong to severe thunderstorms across central Illinois during the afternoon and evening of August 30th.
Read the full account →A cold front interacting with a seasonably warm and moist environment triggered clusters of strong to severe thunderstorms across central Illinois during the afternoon and evening of August 30th.
Read the full account →Heavy rainfall shortly before Christmas caused sharp rises on regional rivers. The heavy rainfall was caused by a slow-moving cold front that passed across the Lower Ohio and Mid Mississippi Valleys between the 20th and 22nd.
Read the full account →In Jackson County, sheriff's deputies used a johnboat to help evacuate a family whose house became surrounded by water. In Williamson County, several roads were closed by high water, including Old Route 13 near Route 148.
Read the full account →In Jackson County, sheriff's deputies used a johnboat to help evacuate a family whose house became surrounded by water. In Williamson County, several roads were closed by high water, including Old Route 13 near Route 148.
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