Flooding March 2008

March 2008 Flood Event Review A large upper trough with a closed upper low slowly moved east across the Central United States March 17th through the 19th. This allowed a strong southerly flow to transport copious amounts of moisture from the deep south into the Midwest. Several waves of low pressure moved along a nearly stationary frontal boundary that remained just south of the forecast area, across northern Arkansas and extreme southern Illinois. Several rounds of rain and thunderstorms brought locally heavy rainfall to much of the forecast area, with the greatest amounts confined along and south of Interstate 44 in Missouri and Interstate 70 in Illinois. Total rainfall ranged from less than an inch across portions of west central Illinois to almost 10 inches in southern Reynolds County, Missouri. The excessive rainfall led to flash flooding of low lying areas and major flooding on local rivers and creeks for the next week. Many people were affected by this event, with millions of dollars in damage recorded across the forecast area.

3 Day Radar Loop	Regional Rainfall Graphic	Local Rainfall Amounts


Ellington, Missouri Flash Flood
Ellington, Missouri received 2.77 inches of rainfall between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Tuesday March 18th from a series of thunderstorms that continuously went over the same area. This caused small creeks in town, including Logan Creek, to become roaring rivers. Much of the town experienced flooding and unfortunately one person was killed when trying to clear debris from underneath a bridge in front of his house. Below is the hydrograph of Logan Creek, which shows nearly a 10 foot rise in just a few hours time.




Meramec River at Steelville, Missouri
The Meramec River crested at 26.84 feet (nearly 15 feet above flood stage) on March 19th 2008 at 6 p.m. at Steelville, Missouri. This is approximately 0.4 feet, or three inches, below the record crest of 27.22 feet that was observed on July 27th 1998. This flood event ranks as the second highest flood of record at this point on the Meramec River.
Gray Line = Major Flood Level Yellow Line = Moderate Flood Level Cyan Line = Flood Stage Blue Line = Action Stage


Meramec River at Sullivan, Missouri
The Meramec River crested at 31.75 feet (nearly 17 feet above flood stage) on March 20th at 2 a.m. at Sullivan, Missouri. This around 1.75 feet below the record stage of 33.50 feet that was observed on August 1st 1915. This flood crest will rank as the fourth highest flood of record for this point on the Meramec River.



Meramec River at Pacific, Missouri
The Meramec River at Pacific, Missouri crested at 28.84 inches at 4 p.m. on March 21st. This is the fourth highest flood crest ever recorded at this forecast point.



Meramec River at Eureka, Missouri
The Meramec River at Eureka, Missouri crested at 40.06 feet at 9 p.m. on March 22nd. This is the third highest flood crest ever recorded at this forecast point.



Meramec River at Valley Park, Missouri
The Meramec River at Valley Park, Missouri crested at 37.83 feet at 7 a.m. on March 22nd. This is the third highest flood crest ever recorded at this forecast point.




Meramec River at Arnold, Missouri
The Meramec River at Arnold, Missouri crested at 39.35 feet at 4 p.m. on March 22nd.



Gasconade River at Rich Fountain, Missouri
The Gasconade River at Rich Fountain, Missouri crested at 33.13 feet at 4 p.m. on March 21st. This is the second highest crest ever recorded at this forecast point and only a few inches below the record crest of 33.27 feet which was recorded December 6th, 1982.



Huzzah Creek - Highway 8 (Near Steelville, Missouri)
The Huzzah Creek, near Steelville, Missouri rose nearly 13 feet in less than 12 hours and crested at 15.69 feet at 11 p.m. March 18th.



Bourbeuse River at Union, Missouri
Bourbeuse River at Union, Missouri rose to 25.89 feet at 7a.m. on March 21st, which is more than 10 feet above flood stage. This is the 5th highest crest in the history of this forecast point.



Big River at Byrnesville, Missouri
The Big River at Byrnesville crested at 27.47 feet at 2 p.m. on March 20th, which is more than 11 feet above the flood stage of 16 feet. This is the fourth highest flood crest ever recorded at this forecast point.



Big River at Richwoods, Missouri
The Big River at Richwoods crested at 28.70 feet at 3 p.m. March 19th. The hydrograph below, shows the Big River rose nearly 25 feet in less than two days.



Kaskaskia River at Vandalia, Illinois
The Kaskaskia River at Vandalia, Illinois crested at 26.48 feet at 7 p.m. on March 21st. This was a major flood crest.



Crooked Creek at Hoffman, Illinois
The Crooked Creek at Hoffman, Illinois crested at 17.41 feet at 5 a.m. on March 20th, this is more than 5 feet above flood stage.



Additional information on each river forecast point is available here.

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office