2,067 first-hand accounts of flood events in Illinois, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
A line of thunderstorms developed near I-55 along an outflow boundary during early afternoon and progressed east-southeast towards I-70 by early evening. The storms produced scattered wind damage, and a 61 mph gust was measured at the Decatur Airport.
Read the full account →Isolated thunderstorms formed in the vicinity of a mid-level trough that extended from the Great Lakes region down across the mid-Mississippi Valley. An inverted surface trough from the lower Mississippi Valley to the lower Ohio Valley provided additional support.
Read the full account →A surface low pressure center tracked northeast along the lower Ohio River. The surface low was associated with a deep 500 mb trough, which moved east across the Mississippi Valley. Most of southern Illinois picked up one to three inches of rain.
Read the full account →A surface low pressure center tracked northeast along the lower Ohio River. The surface low was associated with a deep 500 mb trough, which moved east across the Mississippi Valley. Most of southern Illinois picked up one to three inches of rain.
Read the full account →Numerous clusters of thunderstorms developed along previous outflow boundaries across central Illinois during the afternoon and evening of August 26th. One of the cells produced wind gusts in excess of 60 mph, which downed several large trees in Pana in Christian County.
Read the full account →Strong north winds gusting as high as 45 mph produced waves as high as 12 feet along the Lake Michigan shore of northeast Illinois. These high waves combined with high lake levels produced flooding, erosion and damage.
Read the full account →Strong north winds gusting as high as 45 mph produced waves as high as 12 feet along the Lake Michigan shore of northeast Illinois. These high waves combined with high lake levels produced flooding, erosion and damage.
Read the full account →The evening of September 27th, a wave of low pressure moved along a stationary front in eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois, bringing several rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms, and tremendously heavy rains.
Read the full account →The evening of September 27th, a wave of low pressure moved along a stationary front in eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois, bringing several rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms, and tremendously heavy rains.
Read the full account →An upper level system stalled out over the region with plenty of low level moisture convergence on the nose of a modest low level jet. The forcing was focused over south central Illinois, so this is the area that got the most rainfall.
Read the full account →Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms developed along residual outflow boundaries from previous convection during the late afternoon and evening of May 25th.
Read the full account →Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms developed along residual outflow boundaries from previous convection during the late afternoon and evening of May 25th.
Read the full account →Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms developed along residual outflow boundaries from previous convection during the late afternoon and evening of May 25th.
Read the full account →The Big Muddy River reached 28.3 feet at Murphysboro on the 27th, over 10 feet above the flood stage of 16 feet. In Franklin County, a dairy farm was covered with water, and portions of Illinois Route 149 were threatened by rising water.
Read the full account →A high precipitation and flash flooding event occurred over east central Missouri and southwest Illinois beginning during the evening of August 8th, and ending during the early afternoon of August 9th.
Read the full account →A high precipitation and flash flooding event occurred over east central Missouri and southwest Illinois beginning during the evening of August 8th, and ending during the early afternoon of August 9th.
Read the full account →A stationary frontal boundary interacting with a warm and humid airmass triggered scattered strong thunderstorms during the late morning and afternoon of August 30th.
Read the full account →The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers remained above flood stage from April well into May. Heavy rainfall in the Missouri and upper Mississippi Valleys sent the Mississippi River well above flood stage. The Ohio River remained above flood stage due to frequent moderate rainfall events.
Read the full account →The center of the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry continued to move north-northeast, passing across the Ozarks of central and southwest Missouri. On the east side of Barry, a rather strong low level flow brought tropical moisture northward into the lower Ohio Valley.
Read the full account →Low pressure tracking from near Kansas City around midday on October 24th into central Illinois during the evening of the 24th triggered two distinct bands of pre-frontal convection. Some of the storms produced damaging wind gusts of 60 to 70mph and hail as large as golf balls.
Read the full account →Low pressure tracking from near Kansas City around midday on October 24th into central Illinois during the evening of the 24th triggered two distinct bands of pre-frontal convection. Some of the storms produced damaging wind gusts of 60 to 70mph and hail as large as golf balls.
Read the full account →A loosely organized cluster of thunderstorms gradually increased due to surface heating ahead of a weak low pressure center over southern Missouri. These storms occurred in a moderately unstable environment, with around 1500 j/kg of cape.
Read the full account →Low pressure tracking from near Kansas City around midday on October 24th into central Illinois during the evening of the 24th triggered two distinct bands of pre-frontal convection. Some of the storms produced damaging wind gusts of 60 to 70mph and hail as large as golf balls.
Read the full account →A line of thunderstorms preceding a cold front dropped into north-central Illinois during the pre-dawn hours of July 15th. Several cells trained over the same locations, with Doppler radar rainfall estimates of 2 to 4 inches across southern Marshall County.
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