Flood — Sangamon, Illinois

2010-08-20 · near Archer, Sangamon, Illinois

Event narrative

A woman drowned in downtown Springfield near the intersection of 3rd and Capitol after her car stalled in an underpass which was flooded due to a storm sewer backup. As she was trying to push her car out of about three feet of standing water, she slipped partially into a manhole cover and was submerged. The area had received 1.52 of rain, with 1.41 falling during the two hours prior to the drowning. Minor flooding of typically flood-prone areas was reported elsehwere around Springfield.

Wider weather episode

An upper-level disturbance pushed into west-central Illinois during the afternoon of August 20th, triggering widespread showers and thunderstorms. Due to a very moist airmass and relatively slow storm motion, locally heavy rainfall of between 1 and 3 inches occurred. Minor flooding was reported in many typically flood-prone locations. One fatality occurred in Springfield when a woman fell partially into a manhole as she was attempting to push her car out of a flooded viaduct. Several of the thunderstorms produced gusty winds, with one cell downing numerous tree branches in Morgan County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (39.8027, -89.7041)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 266437. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.