Flood and Hail in Illinois, June 3, 2002

Name: Flood and Hail in Illinois, June 3, 2002
Start: 2002-06-03T18:10
End: 2002-06-03T21:00
Location: Illinois

June 3, 2002 · NWS LOT · 6 events in 5 counties and zones

A line of severe thunderstorms moved across northern Illinois during the evening hours of June 3rd. The thunderstorms blew down trees and power lines across much of Lee county.

Where it happened

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.

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 happened

The episode as NWS LOT wrote it up.

A line of severe thunderstorms moved across northern Illinois during the evening hours of June 3rd. The thunderstorms blew down trees and power lines across much of Lee county. A two foot diameter tree was blown down in De Kalb in Dekalb county and trees were blown down in Aurora in Kane county. On the west side of De Kalb in Dekalb county, several streets had minor flooding due to heavy rainfall.

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 Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 3, 12:45 PM CST, 5 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 3, 12:45 PM CST, 5 hours 25 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
145 PM CDT MON JUN 3 2002

FIRST WV FROM IA MOVED THRU THIS AM...PROVIDING SUFFICIENT LO LVL
MSTR IN LWR LAYERS. ADDED HTG FROM SOLAR BREAKOUT DIFFICULT AT SFC
WITH CVT OF 87 ON ORD ETA SOUNDING THIS AFTN. BAROCLINIC BNDRY TO
SOUTH HAS SLIPPED NORTH OF PONTIAC AS EVIDENT BY TEMPS IN MID TO UPR
80S. TEMP/MSTR DISCONTINUITY ENUF NOW TO SEE IT ON RADAR.

SPC EXPECTING CONVECTION TO FIRE IN IA AND ALG WI/IL BORDER AGAIN
THIS AFTN AND IS PRIME LOCATION FOR MONITORING. CAPES BEST SOUTH OF
BNDRY BUT CAPPED ABOVE 800 MB. ABV CAP HAVE VERY STEEP LAPSE RATES.
THIS LIKELY ADVECTING NORTH WITH BNDRY TWRD I-80.

ANOTHER MID LVL TROF SWINGING THRU AFT MDNGT TNGT...SO IF STORMS NOT
FIRING WITH DAYTIME HTG...HAVE ANOTHER SHOT AT STORMS OVRNGT AGAIN
INTO TUESDAY MRNG.

THETA-E RIDGE SLIPS E OF AREA OVRNGT HOWEVER SO THAT NEXT FIRING OF
MCS IN SRN INDIANA OR SWRN OH ON TUESDAY. SHUD PREPARE FOR SFC LOW
PASSAGE TO E OF AREA TUESDAY EVE WITH COOLER AND STABLE FLOW THRU
ALL IL/NWRN IN BY WED AM WITH POST FRNTL SHWERS IN CYCLONIC FLOW ON
WEDNESDAY.

ANTICYCLONIC FLOW SPREADING INTO AREA WED NGT AND ANTICIPATE SUNNY
SKIES THURSDAY...FRIDAY...AND SATURDAY. MRF BACKING OFF OF
RETROGRADING LO FOR SUNDAY. BUT EXPECT SOME HI CLDNESS TO MOVE IN ON
SUNDAY IN ADVANCE OF APPROACHING DEEP TROF IN NRN-CNTL PLAINS. SFC
FNT MOVG THRU WITH PCPN APPARENTLY CONFINED TO SOUTH OF FCST
AREA.

AM PREFERRING NGM MOS TEMP NUMBERS SINCE WARM SECTOR BUILDING NWD
OVRNGT.

.CHI...NONE

BRUMER

The radar

The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:11 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Winnebago

When: June 3, 6:10 PM CST
Where: Winnebago County, Rockford
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.267, -89.083

Thunderstorm Wind, Lee

When: June 3, 6:40 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Lee County, Countywide
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 41.733, -89.250

Thunderstorm Wind, De Kalb

When: June 3, 6:56 PM CST to 6:58 PM CST
Where: De Kalb County, De Kalb
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.933, -88.750

Flood, De Kalb

When: June 3, 7:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: De Kalb County, De Kalb
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 41.894, -88.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Kane

When: June 3, 7:10 PM CST to 7:19 PM CST
Where: Kane County, Aurora
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 41.767, -88.317

Hail, Du Page

When: June 3, 8:05 PM CST
Where: Du Page County, Darien
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 41.750, -87.950

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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, June 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: 5299587, 5299588, 5299589, 5298723, 5298721, 5298722.