High Wind, Bureau
- When
- September 29, 11:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Bureau forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 41.404, -89.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in Illinois, September 29, 1997
Gradient winds caused widespread damage to trees and property in Iowa and Illinois. Sixty seven year old woman had leg broken when hit by falling tree limb.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 13 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 13
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS DVN wrote it up.
Gradient winds caused widespread damage to trees and property in Iowa and Illinois. Sixty seven year old woman had leg broken when hit by falling tree limb. She later suffered a stroke and died. Over 65,000 power customers were without power for several days due to downed power lines. The winds slowed river operations at Lock and Dam 13 near Fulton IL as some boaters were afraid to leave the safety of the narrow channel and enter the wide open upstream pool where winds might capsize their boats.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
13 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Carroll
- When
- September 29, 11:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Carroll forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 42.069, -89.934 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Hancock
- When
- September 29, 11:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hancock forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 40.404, -91.165 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Henderson
- When
- September 29, 11:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Henderson forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 40.818, -90.925 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Henry
- When
- September 29, 11:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Henry forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 41.353, -90.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Jo Daviess
- When
- September 29, 11:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jo Daviess forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 42.366, -90.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, McDonough
- When
- September 29, 11:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- McDonough forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 40.456, -90.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Mercer
- When
- September 29, 11:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Mercer forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 41.205, -90.741 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Putnam
- When
- September 29, 11:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Putnam forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 41.205, -89.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Rock Island
- When
- September 29, 11:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Rock Island forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Coordinates
- 41.467, -90.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Sixty seven year old woman had leg broken when hit by falling tree limb. She later suffered a stroke and died.
High Wind, Stephenson
- When
- September 29, 11:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Stephenson forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 42.352, -89.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Warren
- When
- September 29, 11:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Warren forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 40.849, -90.615 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Whiteside
- When
- September 29, 11:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Whiteside forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 41.756, -89.914 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Damaging Winds in New York, September 29, 1997
- Strong Wind in Wisconsin, September 29, 1997
- High Wind in Ohio, September 29, 1997
- High Wind in Illinois, September 29, 1997
- High Wind in Iowa, September 29, 1997
- High Wind in Michigan, September 29 to 30, 1997
- High Wind in Illinois, September 29, 1997
- High Wind in Ohio, September 29, 1997
- Strong Wind in New York, September 29, 1997
- Strong Wind in Wisconsin, September 29, 1997
- Strong Wind in Massachusetts, September 29, 1997
- High Wind in Ohio, September 29, 1997
More
Every storm in Illinois in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, September 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5624089, 5624090, 5624091, 5624092, 5624093, 5624094, 5624095, 5624096, 5624097, 5624098, 5624099, 5624100, 5624101.