1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
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 May 17, 1:50 PM CST, 10 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 250 PM CDT THU MAY 17 2001 SEVERAL FORECAST CONCERNS FOR THE FORECAST TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS INDICATED THE MAIN SYNOPTIC FRONT FROM NRN WI THRU CENT IA TO A SFC WAVE IN NW MO. A LARGE MCS HAS DEVELOPED IN NW MO AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE FRONT/SFC WAVE...AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM THE CONVECTION THIS MORNING...AND A TROF THAT XTNDS DOWN INTO THE SRN PLAINS. SATELLITE IMAGES...AS WELL AS MODELS ALL POINT TO A CONVECTIVELY INDUCED VORT MAX SCENT KS INTO WRN OK. THERE WAS ALSO A WEAK BOUNDARY BTWN PIA/SPI AND BMI/DEC WHERE SOME ELEVATED SHWRS HAVE FORMED. 18Z ILX RAOB INDICATED THAT THE ATMOSPHERE WAS RATHER CAPPED IN THE LOWER LEVELS. THE ATMOSPHERE WAS UNSTABLE WRT ELEVATED CONVECTION FORCED ABV 850 MB. HOWEVER...SFC BASED CONVECTION WILL TAKE QUITE A BIT OF FORCING/HEATING TO OVERCOME THE CAP. QUESTION FOR TONIGHT/FRIDAY IS THE EFFECT OF THE VARIOUS BOUNDARIES AND ESPECIALLY THE MCV IN KS AND THE MCS IN NW MO. THE MODELS ARE QUITE DIFFERENT IN THEIR HANDLING OF THESE FEATURES. THE AVN IS A BIT QUICKER WITH THE FRONT AND FARTHER NORTH WITH THE REMNANTS OF THE VORT MAX...WHILE THE ETA IS FARTHER SOUTH AND SLOWER WITH THE FRONT. THE AVN HAS BEEN MOST CONSISTENT IN THE PAST SEVERAL RUNS...BUT THE ETA IS CLOSER IN THE 6 HOUR FCST AT 18Z. ALSO NOTED THAT A SLIGHT SE PUSH OF THE MCS IN NW MO MAY RESULT IN THE HEAVIER PCPN IN OUR REGION DEVELOPING/TRACKING FARTHER TO THE SOUTH LATE THIS EVE/OVERNIGHT SIMILAR TO THE ETA. WILL GO WITH HIGH POPS (80 PERCENT) FOR WHOLE CWA OVERNIGHT AND MENTION THE PSBLTY OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE I-72 CORRIDOR LATE TONIGHT AND SOUTH OF I-70 FRIDAY. WILL ALSO KEEP CLOUDS AND RAIN IN THE FCST THROUGH THE DAY FRIDAY AS THE SFC WAVE TRACKS INTO SRN IL. DRIER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION FRIDAY NIGHT SO WILL CLEAR THE SKY AND GO WITH TEMPS A BIT BELOW GUIDANCE. MOSTLY SUNNY CONDITIONS XPCTD SATURDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES ACRS IL. WILL NOT MAKE TOO MANY CHANGES TO THE EXTENDED FCST...KEEPING THE CHC FOR RAIN IN FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY. ONLY CHANGE WILL BE TO ADD PCPN FOR LATE SUNDAY IN WRN HALF OF FORECAST AREA. COORD WITH LSX. ...PRELIMINARY CCF FOR COORDINATION PURPOSES ONLY... SPI TU 062/073 049/075 053 23860 PIA TU 059/071 048/075 053 23850 DEC TU 062/072 049/075 052 23860 CMI TU 063/072 048/075 052 23871 MTO TU 065/073 048/074 052 23871 LWV TU 068/074 050/078 053 23871 .ILX...NONE. MILLER
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 42 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:42 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain fell across much of the county, resulting in numerous reports of flooded roads, with the most extensive flooding occurring in Pekin, Delavan and Tremont. In Tremont, Route 9 was covered with flowing flood waters.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, May 2001
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: 5248818.