Illinois, 2002

Flash Flooding and Hail in Illinois, April 12, 2002

April 12, 2002 · NWS ILX · 11 events in 6 counties and zones

8 hail, 3 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
11

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 12, 9:30 AM CST, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 12, 9:30 AM CST, 3 hours 50 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
1030 AM CDT FRI APR 12 2002

WILL BE UPDATING FCST SHORTLY TO REFLECT CURRENT CLOUD AND PCPN
TRENDS.

15Z SFC ANALYSIS SHOWING CF LINGERING NEAR I-55 THIS MORNING. LOW
CLOUDS DOMINATING BEHIND FRONT WITH LIGHT SHRAS. SCTD TSRA CONT
AHEAD OF FRONT...NOW MAINLY SOUTH OF I-70 ALTHOUGH RECENT RADAR
IMAGERY SHOWING MORE STORMS DEVELOPING JUST NE OF ILX. PARTIAL
CLEARING HAS OCCURRED IN THIS AREA AND INSTABILITY CONTS TO
INCREASE. MSAS INDICATING LIS OF -2 TO -3.

FRONT EXPECTED TO MOVE VERY LITTLE THIS AFTERNOON AS UPPER LEVEL S/W
AND ASSOCIATED SFC LOW MOVES NE ALONG BOUNDARY. THIS WAVE COMBINED
WITH INCREASED INSTABILITY SHOULD ALSO HELP ENHANCE PCPN CHCS
ESPECIALLY EAST OF I-55 INTO THIS AFTERNOON. CONDITIONS SHOULD
BECOME MOSTLY DRY ALONG ILLINOIS RIVER. WILL ALSO NEED TO MODIFY
TEMPS. CLOUDS BEHIND FRONT SHOULD KEEP TEMPS LOWER AND SOME SUN IN
EAST SHOULD PUSH TEMPS OVER 70 MARK.

.ILX...NONE.

FRIEDERS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 12, 10:00 AM CST, 3 hours 20 minutes before
ILZ027>031-036>038-040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-121700-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL ILLINOIS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
1100 AM CDT FRI APR 12 2002

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON IN
AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 55. NO ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER
IS EXPECTED. ALTHOUGH A FEW OF THE STRONGER STORMS COULD PRODUCE
BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.

FRIEDERS
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 10:41 AM CST, 2 hours 39 minutes before
ILZ027>031-036>038-040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-121800-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL ILLINOIS...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
1141 AM CDT FRI APR 12 2002

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON...MAINLY EAST
OF INTERSTATE 55. A FEW OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

THEREFORE SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER THIS AFTERNOON.
STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WATCHES AND WARNINGS.

FRIEDERS

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 132 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:22 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 hail, 3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Vermilion

When
April 12, 1:20 PM CST to 1:45 PM CST
Where
Vermilion County, Sidell
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.917, -87.817

Hail up to one inch was reported in Sidell, Georgetown, and Danville.

Hail, Shelby

When
April 12, 2:08 PM CST
Where
Shelby County, 2 mi NW of Findlay
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.533, -88.783

Hail, Douglas

When
April 12, 2:42 PM CST
Where
Douglas County, Tuscola
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.800, -88.283

Hail, Coles

When
April 12, 2:44 PM CST
Where
Coles County, Ashmore
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.533, -88.017

Flash Flood, Vermilion

When
April 12, 3:00 PM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Vermilion County, Georgetown
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.183, -87.733 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very heavy rain fell over extreme southern portions of Vermilion County. Illinois Route 1 and several secondary roads were closed due to high water. Numerous basements were flooded in Georgetown with some residents evacuated. No injuries were reported. Also several township roads in the area were washed out.

Hail, Coles

When
April 12, 3:15 PM CST
Where
Coles County, Ashmore
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
STORM CHASER
Coordinates
39.533, -88.017

Hail, Vermilion

When
April 12, 3:19 PM CST to 3:20 PM CST
Where
Vermilion County, Sidell
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.917, -87.817

Hail, Edgar

When
April 12, 3:25 PM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Edgar County, Paris
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.617, -87.700

Flash Flood, Clay

When
April 12, 4:02 PM CST to 5:02 PM CST
Where
Clay County, Flora
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.754, -88.490 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very heavy rainfall fell in a short period of time over southern sections of Clay County. Three to 6 inches of water was reported over numerous roads in Flora.

Hail, Clay

When
April 12, 4:15 PM CST to 4:20 PM CST
Where
Clay County, 3 mi S of Clay City
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.633, -88.350

Flash Flood, Edgar

When
April 12, 4:15 PM CST to 5:30 PM CST
Where
Edgar County, Paris
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.679, -87.746 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very heavy rainfall fell over a short amount of time in Paris. Numerous roads in the area were flooded as well as basements. Several people were rescued from their cars after driving into areas with water over the roads. No injuries were reported.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Illinois in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, April 2002

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: 5290205, 5290206, 5290207, 5290208, 5290213, 5290211, 5290209, 5290210, 5290214, 5290212, 5290215.