Illinois, 2001

Strong Wind in Illinois, February 25, 2001

February 25, 2001 · NWS LOT · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

An intense area of low pressure brought strong winds to northern Illinois and northwest Indiana. Peak wind gusts were near 50 mph.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
18

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 LOT wrote it up.

An intense area of low pressure brought strong winds to northern Illinois and northwest Indiana. Peak wind gusts were near 50 mph. Some recorded winds include 56 mph at Morris in Grundy County, 55 mph at Waukegan in Lake County, 53 mph at Rockford in Winnebago County, and 49 mph at O'Hare Airport in Chicago. The winds knocked down a few tree limbs causing scattered power outages. Altogether 74,000 ComEd customers lost power. There was some minor damage at construction sites in Evanston and Northbrook. Also in Evanston, a window was blown out on a high rise building. Flights were delayed from an hour to 90 minutes at O'Hare Airport.

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 Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 25, 3:31 AM CST, 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 25, 3:31 AM CST, 29 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
300 PM CST SAT FEB 24 2001

 THE STRONG CYCLONE WILL MOVE INTO ONTARIO BY SUNDAY EVENING. THERE
ARE LARGE PRESSURE RISES IN IOWA AND MISSOURI AT 09Z. WITH THE LARGE
TEMPERATURE GRADIENT WITH THIS STORM AND STRONG WINDS ALOFT. WILL
KEEP A WIND ADVISORY FOR TODAY AND EARLY TONIGHT.

WILL FORECAST FLURRIES AND SNOW SHOWER FOR A BRIEF TIME SUNDAY AS
THE WRAP AROUND COMES OVE4R NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA.

.CHI...GALE WARNINGS FOR LAKE MICHIGAN
       WIND ADVISORY FOR NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA TODAY
       AND TONIGHT.

WHW

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

18 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Boone

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Boone forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
42.323, -88.823 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Cook

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Cook forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)

Strong Wind, De Kalb

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
De Kalb forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
41.894, -88.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Du Page

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Du Page forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
41.852, -88.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Ford

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Ford forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
40.597, -88.223 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Grundy

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Grundy forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
41.285, -88.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Iroquois

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Iroquois forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
40.747, -87.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Kane

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Kane forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
41.939, -88.429 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Kankakee

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Kankakee forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
41.138, -87.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Kendall

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Kendall forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
41.591, -88.429 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, La Salle

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
La Salle forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
41.344, -88.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Lake

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Lake forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
42.349, -87.862 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Lee

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Lee forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
41.746, -89.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Livingston

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Livingston forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
40.892, -88.558 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, McHenry

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
McHenry forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
42.324, -88.452 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Ogle

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Ogle forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
42.043, -89.321 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Will

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Will forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)

Strong Wind, Winnebago

When
February 25, 4:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Winnebago forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
42.336, -89.161 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Strong Wind
Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Illinois in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, February 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: 5230562, 5230563, 5230564, 5230565, 5230566, 5230567, 5230568, 5230569, 5230570, 5230571, 5230572, 5230573, 5230574, 5230575, 5230576, 5230577, 5230578, 5230579.