44
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$874K
Property damage
Flash Flood in Jackson County, Illinois: 44 recorded events between 1996 and 2024. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #723 nationally and #15 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Jackson County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Jackson County is the 2010s, when 16 of the county's 44 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 Jackson County archive, flash flood makes up 7.6% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #723 for this hazard and #15 within Illinois, putting it in the 76.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for flash flood in Jackson County with 10 recorded events, while Feb 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.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 13, 2024 | VERGENNES | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 2024 | HARRISON | 0 | $30K |
| May 8, 2024 | CARBONDALE | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 19, 2023 | REEDS | 0 | $25K |
| Mar 3, 2023 | GORHAM | 0 | $0 |
| May 25, 2020 | CRAIN | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 2019 | DOWELL | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2019 | MURPHYSBORO | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 16, 2019 | MURPHYSBORO | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 24, 2018 | CARBONDALE | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Jackson County
- Thunderstorm Wind 233
- Hail 148
- Flood 89
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
More than 150 students on the campus of Southern Illinois University were evacuated to other buildings after a dormitory was flooded. Another campus building sustained minor basement flooding. Widespread street flooding occurred, especially in the more densely populated sections of Carbondale. The eastbound lanes of Route 13 were closed in Carbondale due to high water. Nearly every road in one large neighborhood was impassable. Much of the community of Makanda was flooded, where a newly constructed bridge in the middle of town was completely underwater.
A series of supercell thunderstorms formed a procession over southwest Illinois throughout the evening hours of January 21. Rainfall amounts of 4 to 7 inches were quite common across Union and Jackson Counties between 6 P.M. and midnight. Anna reported 6.7 inches and Carbondale had 4.00 inches. Numerous roads were flooded. Damage to bridges and vehicles was reported.
Major flash flooding was reported in Makanda, which is in a hilly area near the Union County line. Roads heading in and out of Makanda were closed until the floodwaters receded. A co-operative observer measured 5.15 inches of rain in Carbondale from the overnight and early morning storms. An automated gage in Murphysboro measured 4.25 inches. Traffic was diverted from low-lying areas in Carbondale. Sewers backed up into homes and basements. On the campus of the Southern Illinois University, a couple of rooms in the Physical Plant were flooded.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Jackson County, Illinois?
44 flash flood events are recorded in Jackson County between 1996 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Jackson County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Jackson County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Jackson 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 Jackson County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/jackson-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.