Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Illinois, July 26 to 27, 2002

Name: Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Illinois, July 26 to 27, 2002
Start: 2002-07-26T22:05
End: 2002-07-27T04:30
Location: Illinois

July 26 to 27, 2002 · NWS ILX · 6 events in 5 counties and zones

3 thunderstorm wind, 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: 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 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 Jul 26, 8:15 PM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 26, 8:15 PM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
915 PM CDT FRI JUL 26 2002

WILL BE UPDATING FCST TO ADJUST WORDING FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS
FOR TONIGHT. SOME HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED IN WESTERN IL AND ARE
MOVING EAST AND SOUTHEAST. ANOTHER AREA OF STRONGER STORMS HAS
DEVELOPED IN NE MO AND WRN IA. THIS WILL EVENTUALLY MOVE INTO WRN
IL LATER TONIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.

UPDATE OUT SHORTLY.

.ILX...NONE.

AUTEN

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 26, 4:05 PM CST, 6 hours before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN, IL
505 PM CDT FRI JUL 26 2002

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

0505 AM    PEORIA                    IL   WIND DAMAGE
07/26/02   PEORIA                         METAL STORAGE SHED BLOWN
                                          OFF BASE AND OVER A FENCE.
                                          NUMEROUS HEALTHY LIMBS
                                          DOWN, SOME UP TO 6-8 INCHES
                                          IN DIAMETER. REPORTED BY
                                          SWOP OBSERVER.

GEELHART

Local storm report, Jul 26, 4:15 PM CST, 5 hours 50 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN, IL
515 PM CDT FRI JUL 26 2002

SUMMARY REPORT FROM JULY 26 SO FAR...

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

0445 AM    KICKAPOO                  IL   .75 INCH HAIL
07/26/02   PEORIA

0500 AM    PEORIA                    IL   2.00 INCH HAIL
07/26/02   PEORIA                         REPORTED AT THE
                                          INTERSECTION OF WILLOW
                                          KNOLLS ROAD AND UNIVERSITY
                                          DRIVE.

0505 AM    PEORIA                    IL   WIND DAMAGE
07/26/02   PEORIA                         METAL STORAGE SHED BLOWN
                                          OFF BASE AND OVER A FENCE.
                                          NUMEROUS HEALTHY LIMBS
                                          DOWN, SOME UP TO 6-8 INCHES
                                          IN DIAMETER. REPORTED BY
                                          SWOP OBSERVER. TIME
                                          ESTIMATED.

0515 AM    MACKINAW                  IL   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/26/02   TAZEWELL                       REPORTED BY COOPERATIVE
                                          OBSERVER

0515 AM    MACKINAW                  IL   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
07/26/02   TAZEWELL                       WIND GUST ESTIMATED BY
                                          COOPERATIVE OBSERVER.

0525 AM    PEKIN                     IL   WIND DAMAGE
07/26/02   TAZEWELL                       TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN
                                          ON ROUTE 9 EAST OF PEKIN.
                                          REPORTED BY COOPERATIVE
                                          OBSERVER.

GEELHART

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sangamon

When: July 26, 10:05 PM CST
Where: Sangamon County, Buffalo
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: INSURANCE COMPANY
Coordinates: 39.850, -89.417

Numerous trees were blown down in Buffalo.

Thunderstorm Wind, Fulton

When: July 26, 10:15 PM CST to 10:25 PM CST
Where: Fulton County, Cuba
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 40.500, -90.200

Numerous large tree limbs and several trees were blown down in an area from Cuba to five miles northeast of Cuba.

Thunderstorm Wind, Macon

When: July 27, 12:20 AM CST to 12:35 AM CST
Where: Macon County, Decatur
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 39.850, -88.950

Numerous trees, tree limbs, and power lines were blown down. A few homes had minor roof damage due to fallen trees and tree limbs. No injuries reported.

Flash Flood, Sangamon

When: July 27, 1:24 AM CST to 3:30 AM CST
Where: Sangamon County, Dawson
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.758, -89.659 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several inches of rain fell in a short amount of time, causing several roads in the Buffalo and Dawson areas to become flooded.

Flash Flood, Logan

When: July 27, 1:26 AM CST to 4:30 AM CST
Where: Logan County, New Holland
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.125, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy rains caused flooding on Illinois Route 10 near New Holland, as well as numerous rural roads.

Flash Flood, Knox

When: July 27, 2:33 AM CST to 3:30 AM CST
Where: Knox County, Galesburg
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 40.932, -90.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several inches of rain fell in a short amount of time in an area from Galesburg to Williamsfield. Several rural roads were flooded.

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.
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

Every storm in Illinois in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, July 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: 5312067, 5312062, 5312063, 5312064, 5312065, 5312066.