Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 17, 1999

Name: Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 17, 1999
Start: 1999-05-17T14:25
End: 1999-05-17T14:25
Location: Illinois

May 17, 1999 · NWS PAH · 1 event in 1 county or zone

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

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $250,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 Paducah radar (KPAH), 63 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:24 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Union

When: May 17, 2:25 PM CST
Where: Union County, Countywide
Property damage: $250,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 37.470, -89.270

High winds from a line of thunderstorms caused widespread damage across Union County. Hundreds of downed trees and power lines were reported. In Cobden, community officials estimated 100,000 dollars damage occurred. Children escaped injury at an elementary school in McClure when storms blew off the gymnasium's roof. Damaging winds caused extensive damage in Anna, where numerous trees and limbs were blown down. A one-story frame house in Anna was flattened by a falling tree. In Jonesboro, there were small trees down and 10-inch diameter limbs. Two houses in Jonesboro sustained some of the worst storm-related damage due to trees smashing into them. Power was out for more than 12 hours in some areas, prompting the cancellation of some schools the following day. In East Cape Girardeau, grain bins were heavily damaged.

What these are

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, May 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: 5693767.