Illinois, 2001

Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 10, 2001

May 10, 2001 · NWS DVN · 6 events in 3 counties and zones

Event summary for 5/10/01:Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms developed over Central Iowa during the afternoon ahead of a slow moving cold front. The thunderstorms continued to develop and increase in coverage as they moved into Eastern Iowa during the late afternoon and early evening before reaching Northwest Illinois by mid evening.

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
$42,000
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 happened

The episode as NWS DVN wrote it up.

Event summary for 5/10/01:Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms developed over Central Iowa during the afternoon ahead of a slow moving cold front. The thunderstorms continued to develop and increase in coverage as they moved into Eastern Iowa during the late afternoon and early evening before reaching Northwest Illinois by mid evening. The storms were aided by strong surface based instability and a strong wind maxima in the mid levels of the atmosphere. The thunderstorms produced penny to quarter sized hail and strong damaging winds.

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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 10, 2:02 PM CST, 6 hours 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 10, 2:02 PM CST, 6 hours 9 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
220 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2001

COLD FRONT IS ON THE MOVE ACROSS IA THIS AFTERNOON.  CONVECTION
DEVELOPING ALONG THE FRONT AS IT PUSHES INTO THE HIGHEST INSTABILITY
AND STRONGEST MOISTURE CONVERGENCE OVER SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA...WILL
MOVE EAST INTO OUR CWA THIS EVENING/TONIGHT.

NEXT QUESTION IS POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WITH THESE STORMS.  SEVERAL
FACTORS POINT TO A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE TONIGHT...INCLUDING LOW
LIS LESS THAN -5...AMPLE BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE WITH DEW POINTS IN
THE 60S...HIGH CAPE GREATER THAN 1800...CLOSER PROXIMITY TO THE
FRONT TODAY THAN YESTERDAY...AND A SHORT WAVE MOVING OUT OF NEBRASKA
THIS EVENING.  THIS WAVE WILL ENHANCE CONVECTION AND HELP PUSH THE
FRONT THROUGH TONIGHT. LOW LEVEL JET PROGGED TO KICK IN THIS
EVENING...WHICH WILL SUSTAIN THE STORMS OVERNIGHT.  RISK OF HEAVY
RAIN SHOULD BE MINIMIZED BY ZONAL FLOW ALOFT AND  PROGRESS OF THE
FRONT THROUGH THE CWFA.

BEYOND TONIGHT...WILL KEEP CHANCE OF SHOWERS FOR POST FRONTAL
PRECIPITATION FRIDAY MORNING AND TAPER IT OFF BY AFTERNOON FROM
NORTH TO SOUTH. SURFACE RIDGE PUSHING INTO THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI
VALLEY WILL BRING COOLER TEMPS BY SATURDAY. RIDGE HOLDS THROUGH
SATURDAY NIGHT BUT SLIPS INTO THE GULF COAST BY SUNDAY...WHICH WILL
CUT OFF THE DEEP MOISTURE INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.  WARM FRONT AGAIN
PROGGED FOR MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY...SO WILL lINTRODUCE LOW POPS
FOR MONDAY NIGHT TUESDAY.  AS MENTIONED...MOISTURE AVAILABILITY WILL
BE IN QUESTION SO WILL BE CONSERVATIVE AT THIS POINT.

.DVN...
IA...NONE.
IL...NONE.
MO...NONE.

33

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 10, 7:34 PM CST, 37 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
834 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION..A..

0833 PM    SPRINGDALE                IA   65 MPH TSTM GUST
05/10/01   CEDAR                          REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.
Local storm report, May 10, 7:39 PM CST, 32 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
839 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0834 PM    7 N CALAMUS               IA   FUNNEL CLOUD
05/10/01   CLINTON                        REPORTED BY PUBLIC.
Local storm report, May 10, 7:42 PM CST, 29 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
842 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0837 PM    3 E AMISH                 IA   FUNNEL CLOUD
05/10/01   JOHNSON                        REPORTED BY PUBLIC.
Local storm report, May 10, 7:50 PM CST, 21 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
850 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0848 PM    WHAT CHEER                IA   1 INCH HAIL
05/10/01   KEOKUK                         REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.
Local storm report, May 10, 8:00 PM CST, 11 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
900 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0855 PM    DAVENPORT ARPT            IA   58 MPH TSTM GUST
05/10/01   SCOTT                          RECORDED BY NWS
                                          AUTOMATED EQUIPMENT.
Local storm report, May 10, 8:01 PM CST, 10 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
901 PM CDT THU MAY 10 2001

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0855 PM    BLUE GRASS                IA   FUNNEL CLOUD
05/10/01   SCOTT                          TWO FUNNEL CLOUDS
                                          REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTERS NW OF BLUEGRASS.

The radar

The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 21 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:09 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Rock Island

When
May 10, 8:11 PM CST
Where
Rock Island County, Port Byron
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.617, -90.333

Several trees downed. Reported by trained storm spotter.

Thunderstorm Wind, Whiteside

When
May 10, 8:20 PM CST
Where
Whiteside County, Fulton
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
41.867, -90.167

Strong winds downed 3 large trees and blew over a small greenhouse. Numerous tree limbs and power lines were also downed. Reported by law enforcement and emergency management. Initial reports by law enforcement and the public indicated a tornado, but a post storm survey conducted by emergency managementindicated the damage was due to strong straight line winds.

Thunderstorm Wind, Rock Island

When
May 10, 9:11 PM CST
Where
Rock Island County, Port Byron
Property damage
$30,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
41.617, -90.333

High winds caused damage in the Oak Grove Cemetery. Numerous tree limbs and a few trees were downed, damaging a few headstones. Reported by newspaper.

Hail, Mercer

When
May 10, 9:29 PM CST
Where
Mercer County, Viola
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
41.200, -90.583

Penny sized hail lasted 2 to 3 minutes. Reported by public.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mercer

When
May 10, 9:40 PM CST
Where
Mercer County, 8 mi S of Viola
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
41.083, -90.583

60 mph wind gust estimated by public lasting for 2 to 3 minutes.

Hail, Mercer

When
May 10, 9:40 PM CST
Where
Mercer County, 8 mi S of Viola
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
41.083, -90.583

Quarter sized hail reported by public.

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

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, May 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: 5249624, 5249625, 5249629, 5249626, 5249627, 5249628.