Flood — Jackson, Illinois

2008-03-18 to 2008-03-21 · near Ava, Jackson, Illinois

Event narrative

A large mobile home park east-northeast of Carbondale was flooded due to Crab Orchard Creek. Water was up to the bottom of mobile homes, and vehicles were submerged. Over 100 people were evacuated from the park. A business in Carbondale had two to six feet of water on the first floor. A two-day power outage affecting several buildings at Southern Illinois University was caused by water in manholes. Up to six feet of water was pumped out of a manhole before repairs could start. The small community of Makanda was cut off by flooded roads. A number of roads were closed by flooding, including Route 13, the main east-west artery through the county. At least one water rescue was conducted. About 30 basements were flooded in Murphysboro.

Wider weather episode

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. A deep southwest wind flow brought subtropical moisture across the frontal zone. Two-day rainfall amounts included 11.64 inches at Anna (Union County) and 11.50 inches at Galatia (Saline County). At the Carbondale airport, the two-day total was 6.61 inches. Other two-day totals included: 7.66 at Harrisburg, 7.53 at Mt. Carmel, and 10.50 at Du Quoin.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.8800, -89.5000)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 84927. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.