Severe Storms and Flooding on Jan. 23-24, 2002

Just several days after a moderate snowfall, severe storms and flooding struck the region. The severe weather occurred during the night of January 23. Tornado Watch Number 5 was issued as the storms were arriving. The most damaging event was a tornado that struck Calhoun, Kentucky, which is south of Owensboro. Click here for the storm survey that was conducted for this F-2 tornado. Another storm survey was conducted for wind damage in Livingston County, Kentucky, which is northeast of Paducah. Click here for the Livingston County survey. A summary of all wind and hail reports is also available.

Damage scene in Calhoun following F-2 tornado

Calhoun tornado damage photo above is courtesy of Rodney Gardner. Click on photo for the full-size version.

For several hours, intense thunderstorms tracked along the same path, from Ripley County, Missouri to near Owensboro, Kentucky. The radar image below was taken about when the Calhoun tornado was occurring. The storms in the image were moving east-northeast, following one another over the same areas. Major flooding was already occurring west of Poplar Bluff when this radar image was produced. Click for full size.

Radar image at 10:22 P.M. on Jan. 23, 2002

Rainfall totals were in the 3 to 5 inch range across a narrow swath from Poplar Bluff through Cairo, Illinois to Webster County, KY. The map below shows the axis of heaviest rainfall and resultant flooding. Portions of U.S. Highway 60 were closed between Paducah and Evansville, and major flooding occurred in Ripley County, Missouri. Extensive flooding of roads occurred in Scott County, Missouri and Johnson and Pulaski Counties in Illinois. 

Rainfall map for Jan. 23-24 flooding event

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