Illinois, 2000

Flooding and Hail in Illinois, May 31, 2000

May 31, 2000 · NWS DVN · 8 events in 4 counties and zones

he atmosphere recharged within a few hours of the passage of the bow MCS. Thunderstorms redeveloped from Southern Minnesota into Northern Iowa, and moved back into Northwest Illinois during the late afternoon and continued for much of the evening.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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.

he atmosphere recharged within a few hours of the passage of the bow MCS. Thunderstorms redeveloped from Southern Minnesota into Northern Iowa, and moved back into Northwest Illinois during the late afternoon and continued for much of the evening. WIth the atmosphere slightly more stable, the threat transitioned from hail and high wind to heavy rain and flooding. Early on there were reports of golfball sized hail in Whiteside County and 1 inch hail in Henry County. With this being the third round of convection to affect the area in the last 36 hrs, soils were very saturated. 1 to 4 inches of rain had already fallen across much of Northwest Illinois with isolated higher amounts. Additional heavy rain during the late afternoon and evening sent several creeks and streams out of their banks, including Rock Creek in Whiteside County. Several roads were washed out in Whiteside, Henry, Bureau and Putnam Counties.

The radar

The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 56 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:52 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 flood, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Whiteside

When
May 31, 3:50 PM CST
Where
Whiteside County, Morrison
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.817, -89.967

Hail, Whiteside

When
May 31, 3:57 PM CST
Where
Whiteside County, Morrison
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.817, -89.967

Flood, Whiteside

When
May 31, 5:15 PM CST
Where
Whiteside County, Morrison
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
41.756, -89.914 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Henry

When
May 31, 5:20 PM CST
Where
Henry County, 2 mi S of Cambridge
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.267, -90.200

Flood, Whiteside

When
May 31, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Whiteside County, Countywide
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
41.756, -89.914 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Henry

When
May 31, 7:15 PM CST
Where
Henry County, Countywide
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
41.353, -90.131 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Bureau

When
May 31, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Bureau County, Countywide
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
41.404, -89.529 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Putnam

When
May 31, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Putnam County, Countywide
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
41.205, -89.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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.

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: 5145819, 5145820, 5145821, 5145822, 5145823, 5145824, 5145825, 5145826.