Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, April 21, 2001

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, April 21, 2001
Start: 2001-04-21T16:30
End: 2001-04-21T18:56
Location: Illinois

April 21, 2001 · NWS ILX · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

4 hail, 2 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Lincoln, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 21, 2:05 PM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 21, 2:05 PM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
230 PM CDT SAT APR 21 2001

SURFACE BOUNDARY HAS SET UP FROM NORTHERN ILLINOIS TO QUINCY TO
KANSAS CITY. CONVECTION HAS ALREADY BEGUN TO DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT
ACROSS MISSOURI AND KANSAS. THIS ACTIVITY EXPECTED TO INCREASE AND
CRAWL EASTWARD ALONG THE FRONT...WITH MAXIMUM CONVERGENCE ACROSS
CENTRAL ZONES. HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES AND MODERATE TO STRONG
INSTABILITY WILL RESULT IN SOME LARGE HAIL REPORTS...BUT MAIN THREAT
WILL BE THE HEAVY RAINFALL FROM TRAINING MULTICELLS. WILL ISSUE A
FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT FROM RUSHVILLE/WINCHESTER THROUGH
SPRINGFIELD TO BLOOMINGTON. AREAS FURTHER NORTH MAY SEE ISOLATED
HEAVY AMOUNTS...BUT THE MAIN FOCUS WILL BE TO THE SOUTH.

AFTER LINGERING ACTIVITY SUNDAY MORNING...ALL MODELS TAKE THE MAIN
SYNOPTIC BOUNDARY TO THE NORTH. THIS IS SUSPECT...SINCE ALL OF THE
OVERNIGHT THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY MAY REINFORCE THE FRONT FURTHER
SOUTH. WILL KEEP LIKELY POPS FOR THE MORNING HOURS...BUT WILL NOT
COMPLETELY REMOVE THEM FOR THE AFTERNOON. SUNDAY NIGHT SHOULD SEE A
RELATIVE LULL AS FOCUS SHIFTS TO THE NEXT SYSTEM OUT WEST. WILL KEEP
CHANCE POPS IN THE NORTH IN CASE OVERNIGHT ACTIVITY COMES INTO
NORTHERN ILLINOIS.

MODELS ARE ALL TRENDING A LITTLE FASTER WITH THE FRONT THAT COMES
INTO ILLINOIS MONDAY. LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER GOOD SHOT AT THUNDERSTORMS
WITH THIS SYSTEM AS THE BOUNDARY PUSHES INTO THE AREA DURING PEAK
HEATING TIME.

MAIN CHANGE IN THE EXTENDED PORTION OF THE FORECAST WILL BE TO
REMOVE POPS ON TUESDAY...AS IT LOOKS LIKE WE WILL BE DRY-SLOTTED IN
THE WAKE OF THE MONDAY STORM SYSTEM. A SECONDARY SHORTWAVE IS STILL
SLATED FOR WEDNESDAY...SO WILL KEEP CHANCE POPS GOING FOR THEN.
LATTER PART OF THE WEEK LOOKS DRY WILL A SLOW WARMING TREND. MRF
BRINGS THE NEXT FRONT INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS SATURDAY...SO WILL
INTRODUCE A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE NORTH.   ..04..

SPI TT 064/080 065/079 048 04+62
PIA TT 061/078 062/075 044 04+73
DEC TT 064/080 065/079 048 04+62
CMI TT 062/081 064/082 050 04+62
MTO TT 062/081 064/082 050 04+62
LWV BT 066/084 067/085 052 04632

.ILX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TNGTX ZNS 38..40>43..47>53.

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 70 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:30 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Woodford

When: April 21, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Woodford County, Metamora
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 40.783, -89.350

Hail, Tazewell

When: April 21, 4:50 PM CST to 5:25 PM CST
Where: Tazewell County, 11 mi WSW of South Pekin
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.433, -89.850

Numerous reports of hail were reported in the Spring Lake, Pekin and Mackinaw areas.

Thunderstorm Wind, Fulton

When: April 21, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Fulton County, Lewistown
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.400, -90.150

Windows were blown out of a house as well as power poles knocked down.

Hail, McLean

When: April 21, 5:43 PM CST to 6:07 PM CST
Where: McLean County, Danvers
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.533, -89.167

Thunderstorm moved out of Tazewell County into McLean County. Dime to walnut size hail was reported in Danvers, with dime to half dollar size hail reported west and north of Bloomington/Normal.

Thunderstorm Wind, Tazewell

When: April 21, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Tazewell County, 1 mi NW of Green Vly
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.417, -89.650

Irrigation tower blown over.

Hail, McLean

When: April 21, 6:56 PM CST
Where: McLean County, Colfax
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.567, -88.617

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

Every storm in Illinois in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, April 2001

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: 5239586, 5239587, 5239590, 5239588, 5239591, 5239589.