Event narrative (NOAA)
County emergency managers estimated that over 500 buildings were damaged by flooding across La Salle County. In Marseilles, 1500 people were evacuated due to a compromised levee which led to dozens of homes and facilities being flooded along the river front. Several barges broke loose from a tugboat on the Illinois River and rammed into the levee. Five of the eight locks were damaged such that they could not close completely. Flooding occurred in Utica east of Route 178 resulting in evacuations on the I&M Canal. Creeks were reported out of their banks in Mendota. A woman was killed on Route 351 as it passes over the Illinois River near Peru. She drove around barricades and became stranded in knee-deep water. Her body was found about two weeks later approximately 70 yards downstream
Other notable flash flood events in Illinois
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.