Illinois, 2001

Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 22, 2001

May 22, 2001 · NWS ILX · 9 events in 8 counties and zones

8 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 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
9

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 May 22, 9:25 AM CST, 2 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 22, 9:25 AM CST, 2 hours 12 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
1025 AM CDT TUE MAY 22 2001

IR SATELLITE SHOWS MAIN UPPER LOW CENTERED NEAR DLH. IMAGERY LOOP
SUGGESTS MINOR VORT LOBE STRECTHING NE TO SW ACROS THE WESTERN 1/3
OF IA...ROTATING TO THE ESE.  DVN SOUNDING THIS MORNING SHOWS GOOD
INSTABILITY WITH CURRENT COLD AIR ALOFT...54 TOTAL TOTALS. ALSO MORE
COLD AIR MOVING INTO THE AREA. EXPECT DAYTIME HEATING TO TRIGGER
DEVELOPMENT OF SCATTERED SHOWERS ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS
TODAY. WITH THE SIGNIFICANT INSTABILITY...THERE IS A CHANCE OF
THUNDERSHOWERS ALSO.  PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS WILL BE LIGHT THOUGH
WITH PRECIPITATION MOVING FAST DUE TO GOOD WINDS ALOFT.

WILL ISSUE UPDATE OF ZONES...AS WILL HAVE TO INCREASE AFTERNOON
HIGHS SLIGHTLY DUE TO THE MORNING SUNSHINE.  WILL KEEP THUNDERSHOWER
CHANCES.

GOETSCH

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 22, 10:00 AM CST, 1 hour 37 minutes before
ILZ027>031-036>038-040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-231000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL ILLINOIS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
1100 AM CDT TUE MAY 22 2001

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A THUNDERSHOWER WILL DEVELOP OVER
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING...AS
A STRONG UPPER LOW SPINS OVER THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES.

HOWEVER...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED OVER THE REGION THROUGH
TONIGHT.

GOETSCH

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 42 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:32 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Menard

When
May 22, 11:37 AM CST to 11:40 AM CST
Where
Menard County, 3 mi E of Petersburg
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.017, -89.800

Several trees and tree limbs were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sangamon

When
May 22, 12:00 PM CST to 12:10 PM CST
Where
Sangamon County, Springfield
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.800, -89.650

Several trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down in Springfield and Williamsville.

Thunderstorm Wind, Logan

When
May 22, 12:12 PM CST to 12:15 PM CST
Where
Logan County, Lincoln
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.150, -89.367

Several large trees were blown down in town.

Thunderstorm Wind, Christian

When
May 22, 12:15 PM CST
Where
Christian County, Taylorville
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.550, -89.300

A large tree was blown down onto a house in Taylorville, causing minor damage.

Thunderstorm Wind, Macon

When
May 22, 12:35 PM CST
Where
Macon County, Decatur
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.850, -88.950

Several large tree limbs and power lines were blown down in town.

Thunderstorm Wind, Peoria

When
May 22, 12:38 PM CST
Where
Peoria County, Peoria
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.700, -89.600

Several shingles were blown off the roof of a local restaurant.

Thunderstorm Wind, Menard

When
May 22, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Menard County, Athens
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.950, -89.733

Large tree blown down, with no structural damage reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Woodford

When
May 22, 1:00 PM CST to 1:05 PM CST
Where
Woodford County, Germantown Hills
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.767, -89.483

A couple of trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down.

Hail, Mason

When
May 22, 1:45 PM CST
Where
Mason County, Havana
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.300, -90.067

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: 5248824, 5248825, 5248826, 5248827, 5248828, 5248829, 5248830, 5248831, 5248832.