68
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$50.9M
Property damage
Flash Flood in St. Louis County, Missouri: 68 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #357 nationally and #30 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in St. Louis County, Missouri: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in St. Louis County is the 2010s, when 24 of the county's 68 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the St. Louis County archive, flash flood makes up 4.7% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #357 for this hazard and #30 within Missouri, putting it in the 88.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for flash flood in St. Louis County with 16 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 14, 2008 | CLAYTON | 0 | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 5, 2024 | BRENTWOOD | 0 | 2 | 0 | $200K |
| Jul 26, 2022 | (SUS)SPIRIT/ST LOUIS | 0 | 1 | 0 | $50.0M |
| Aug 23, 1996 | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $65K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 2025 | LEMAY | 0 | $1K |
| Apr 4, 2025 | VIGUS | 0 | $30K |
| Nov 5, 2024 | BRENTWOOD | 0 | $200K |
| Apr 2, 2024 | SOUTH BELLEFONTAINE | 0 | $1K |
| Jul 17, 2023 | SAPPINGTON | 0 | $0 |
| May 14, 2023 | AFFTON | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 16, 2023 | CENTAUR | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 4, 2022 | PATTONVILLE | 0 | $250K |
| Aug 4, 2022 | CHESTERFIELD | 0 | $75K |
| Jul 28, 2022 | CLAYTON | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from St. Louis County
- Hail 660
- Thunderstorm Wind 632
- Tornado 57
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The remnants of Hurricane Ike moved through the midwest dumping between 3 and 6 inches of rain in just under 6 hours on already saturated soils. This caused widespread flash flooding over St. Louis County. One of the hardest hit areas was University City. Two people drowned in University City when trying to move their vehicles away from the rising flood waters. Another person was killed when a large tree limb that was struck by lightning fell on her in Ladue. Other areas affected by the flash flooding were Hazelwood, Ferguson, Brentwood, Maplewood, Rock Hill, Webster Groves, and Florissant. Over 600 homes, apartments and business were affected by the flooding. Numerous water rescues had to be performed when people drove their vehicles into flooded roadways and became stuck in the flood waters.
Heavy rain caused numerous road closures with vehicles stranded in St. Louis County. Multiple water rescues were reported from cars driving through flooded roadways. At Bayless and I-55, flash flooding from heavy rain and overflow from Gravois Creek resulted in two fatalities.
Up to 10 inches of rain fell in a period of 8 hours causing catastrophic flooding in portions of St. Louis County. Numerous roads were flooded. There were multiple swift water rescues and scores of flooded interstates and homes across the St. Louis metropolitan area. One fatality was reported in Hazelwood where a 39 year old man drowned attempting to flee his flooded truck. His body was found about half a mile down stream from the semi truck. St. Louis-Lambert International Airport also observed a new all-time record for daily precipitation: 8.64 of rain fell since midnight Central Standard Time (Daylight Savings Time is not used for climatological record-keeping). This value broke the previous record of 6.85, which occurred on August 20th, 1915 due to the remnants of the Galveston 1915 Hurricane. The storm-total rainfall was 9.07, but spans two days. Several hundred homes and businesses sustained minor to major flood damage. A large number of unoccupied vehicles were damaged/destroyed due to the flooding as well. Dollar amount damage so far is estimated around $50 million.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in St. Louis County, Missouri?
68 flash flood events are recorded in St. Louis County between 1996 and 2025, causing 7 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in St. Louis County?
The strongest flash flood on record in St. Louis County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for St. Louis County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in St. Louis County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/st-louis-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.