Flood and Hail in Illinois, April 3, 1999

Name: Flood and Hail in Illinois, April 3, 1999
Start: 1999-04-03T10:50
End: 1999-04-03T13:00
Location: Illinois

April 3, 1999 · NWS DVN · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

1 hail, 1 flood, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

The radar

The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 41 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:51 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 hail, 1 flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Rock Island

When: April 3, 10:50 AM CST
Where: Rock Island County, 4 mi W of Illinois City
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 41.400, -90.980

Flood, Rock Island

When: April 3, 11:25 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Rock Island County, Rock Is
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.467, -90.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two to three inches of rain fell in one hour to cause localized flooding of streets and houses from 3rd Street andRiver Drive in Davenport to 9th Street and 17th Avenue in Rock Island. A fatality occurred when a 39 year old male drove from dry ground into the flooded intersection of 5th Avenue and 40th Street in Rock Island. The victims car began floating and became lodged underneath a railroad viaduct, at which time he left his vehicle and was swept away. The water depth underneath the railroad viaduct was estimated at six to seven feet.

Thunderstorm Wind, Henry

When: April 3, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Henry County, 3 mi W of Orion
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.350, -90.430

Thunderstorm winds blew down a metal pole building, several power poles and a dozen hog houses.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Flood, Rock Island	1999-04-03	39	Male	In Water	Direct

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Illinois in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, April 1999

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: 5709946, 5709944, 5709945.