Illinois, 2000

Hail and Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 18, 2000

May 18, 2000 · NWS ILX · 10 events in 2 counties and zones

A series of thunderstorms (six) formed and moved over a two county area over a 2 and a half hour period. Over $4 million dollars worth of damage was reported.

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
$4.0 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
10

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 ILX wrote it up.

A series of thunderstorms (six) formed and moved over a two county area over a 2 and a half hour period. Over $4 million dollars worth of damage was reported. The most intense damage was reported in the Jamaica and Georgetown (Vermilion County) areas. Georgetown was hit twice within an hour's time by baseball sized hail. A green house sustained major damage. Thousands of cars sustained major hail damage, including broken windshields. Also, hundreds of homes and businesses had windows broken out and siding damaged. In Jamaica, the high school sustained around $300,000 in damage to its facilities. In Pesotum (Champaign County), eleven Illinois State Patrol squad cars sustained minor to major hail damage. A couple of the cars had windshields broken, as well as the light bars on top. Damage to the squad cars was estimated around $24,000. No injuries were reported.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Hail, Champaign

When
May 18, 8:45 AM CST to 9:02 AM CST
Where
Champaign County, 2 mi E of Ivesdale
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.933, -88.417

Hail, Vermilion

When
May 18, 9:28 AM CST to 9:30 AM CST
Where
Vermilion County, Georgetown
Measured
2.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.983, -87.633

Hail, Champaign

When
May 18, 9:37 AM CST
Where
Champaign County, Champaign Urbana Arp
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
40.033, -88.283

Hail, Vermilion

When
May 18, 9:40 AM CST
Where
Vermilion County, Rossville
Measured
2 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.383, -87.667

Hail, Champaign

When
May 18, 9:50 AM CST to 10:15 AM CST
Where
Champaign County, 3 mi S of Sadorus
Measured
2.75 in hail
Property damage
$24,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.917, -88.350

Thunderstorm Wind, Champaign

When
May 18, 9:50 AM CST
Where
Champaign County, 3 mi S of Sadorus
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.917, -88.350

Hail, Vermilion

When
May 18, 10:30 AM CST to 10:35 AM CST
Where
Vermilion County, Indianola
Measured
2.75 in hail
Property damage
$4.0 million
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.933, -87.733

Hail, Champaign

When
May 18, 10:38 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where
Champaign County, 3 mi S of Champaign
Measured
2.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.067, -88.250

Hail, Vermilion

When
May 18, 11:04 AM CST
Where
Vermilion County, Oakwood
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.117, -87.783

Hail, Vermilion

When
May 18, 11:20 AM CST
Where
Vermilion County, Hoopeston
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.467, -87.667

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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

More

Every storm in Illinois in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, May 2000

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: 5150027, 5150029, 5150030, 5150028, 5148863, 5148864, 5148865, 5148866, 5148867, 5148868.