Illinois, 2002

Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Illinois, May 1, 2002

May 1, 2002 · NWS ILX · 24 events in 13 counties and zones

11 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, 4 flash flood, 3 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
24

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 1, 9:05 AM CST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 1, 9:05 AM CST, 3 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
1005 AM CDT WED MAY 1 2002

HAVE ALREADY UPDATED FCST WITH MAIN CHANGE BEING THE ADJUSTMENT TO FFA.

WAA PCPN DEVELOPED RAPIDLY THIS MORNING ACROSS NRN MO AND HAS
SHIFTED EAST INTO CENT IL. RAIN AND STORMS SHOULD CONT TO INCREASE
ACROSS THE AREA THRU THE AFTERNOON AS WAA CONTS TO INCREASE. LOW
STILL EXPECTED TO TRACK CLOSE TO I-70 CORRIDOR. THIS WOULD PLACE
BEST POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER SOUTH OF I-70. RISK OF FLOODING IS
ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA WITH LOW FFG AND WAA HEAVY RAINS IN NORTH AND
SEVERE STORMS AND MORE LOCALIZED FLASH FLOOD POTENTIAL IN SE. HAVE
ALSO LOWERED TEMPS MOST LOCATIONS GIVEN EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER AND
RAINFALL.

.ILX...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TONIGHT ALL OF CENTRAL/SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS

FRIEDERS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 1, 10:10 AM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes before
ILZ027>031-036>038-040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-011800-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL ILLINOIS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
1110 AM CDT WED MAY 1 2002

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND FLOODING POSSIBLE ACROSS CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS THROUGH TONIGHT...

A DANGEROUS SITUATION IS DEVELOPING ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTHEAST AND
CENTRAL ILLINOIS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. A STRONG LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM MOVING INTO MISSOURI THIS AFTERNOON...WILL TRACK ACROSS
CENTRAL ILLINOIS TONIGHT. A WARM...MOIST...AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL
MOVE INTO THE AREA AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME
MORE WIDESPREAD THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HEAVY RAINFALL IS LIKELY
AND FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. OTHER STORMS
COULD BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...MAINLY ALONG
AND SOUTH OF I-72 FROM SPRINGFIELD TO CHAMPAIGN. ISOLATED TORNADOS
ARE ALSO POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-70.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ACROSS
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS.

FRIEDERS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, 4 flash flood, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Schuyler

When
May 1, 12:35 PM CST
Where
Schuyler County, 3 mi S of Rushville
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.067, -90.567

Hail, Mason

When
May 1, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Mason County, 5 mi SE of Snicarte
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
40.067, -90.167

Hail, Menard

When
May 1, 1:20 PM CST to 1:22 PM CST
Where
Menard County, 5 mi W of Petersburg
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
40.017, -89.950

Hail, Clay

When
May 1, 1:30 PM CST to 1:47 PM CST
Where
Clay County, 3 mi W of Louisville
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.767, -88.550

One hundred cars received hail damage at a car dealership in Louisville. Additional vehicles around Louisville sustained broken windows.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When
May 1, 1:45 PM CST to 1:54 PM CST
Where
Clay County, Flora
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.667, -88.483

Several large trees were blown down in Flora and south of Clay City. The winds also damaged dugouts at the little league field in Flora.

Hail, Morgan

When
May 1, 1:45 PM CST
Where
Morgan County, 7 mi SE of Jacksonville
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.667, -90.133

Thunderstorm Wind, Richland

When
May 1, 1:45 PM CST to 2:20 PM CST
Where
Richland County, Noble
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.700, -88.217

Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees in Noble, Olney, and Parkersburg.

Hail, Sangamon

When
May 1, 2:00 PM CST to 2:02 PM CST
Where
Sangamon County, Auburn
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.583, -89.750

Hail, Richland

When
May 1, 2:00 PM CST to 2:20 PM CST
Where
Richland County, 2 mi S of Olney
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.700, -88.083

Flash Flood, Richland

When
May 1, 2:00 PM CST to 2:30 PM CST
Where
Richland County, Olney
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.712, -88.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous streets in town were flooded for around half an hour due to heavy rains. One street had a section collapse that was over a 48 inch drainage pipe. Also, several basements were flooded and one Olney Central College building suffered water damage from the flooding.

Flash Flood, Christian

When
May 1, 2:15 PM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Christian County, Morrisonville
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.546, -89.277 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous roads between Morrisonville and Taylorville were briefly flooded due to heavy rains.

Hail, Lawrence

When
May 1, 2:20 PM CST
Where
Lawrence County, Sumner
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
STORM CHASER
Coordinates
38.717, -87.850

Hail, Christian

When
May 1, 2:20 PM CST to 2:30 PM CST
Where
Christian County, 1 mi W of Morrisonville
Measured
2 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.417, -89.483

Hail, Shelby

When
May 1, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Shelby County, Tower Hill
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.383, -88.967

Flash Flood, Shelby

When
May 1, 3:00 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Shelby County, 2 mi N of Shelbyville
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.391, -88.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Illinois Route 128 north of Shelbyville was flooded briefly. Also, Illinois Route 16 was flooded in spots near its intersection with Illinois Route 32.

Flash Flood, Clay

When
May 1, 3:00 PM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where
Clay County, Flora
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
38.754, -88.490 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several streets in Flora were briefly flooded with 6 to 18 inches of water running over them.

Thunderstorm Wind, Shelby

When
May 1, 3:10 PM CST to 3:20 PM CST
Where
Shelby County, Mode
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
39.267, -88.733

Thunderstorm winds blew down a shed that was under construction, destroyed another farm shed, tore the roof off of another one, and blew down numerous trees and tree limbs.

Tornado, Shelby

When
May 1, 3:20 PM CST to 3:21 PM CST
Where
Shelby County, 3 mi WNW of Sigel
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
39.233, -88.550

A tornado briefly touched down 3 miles west northwest of Sigel. It removed half of a barn roof and threw the debris into the owner's backyard. Several 2 by 6 beams from the roof were driven into the ground. A horse was also injured as the roof fell on top of it. No other injuries were reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Effingham

When
May 1, 3:20 PM CST to 3:37 PM CST
Where
Effingham County, 7 mi NNW of Effingham
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
39.217, -88.583

Thunderstorm winds destroyed an unoccupied mobile home. The winds blew another unoccupied mobile home over, as well as, two semis on I-70 near Montrose and numerous trees and tree limbs.

Tornado, Cumberland

When
May 1, 3:30 PM CST to 3:31 PM CST
Where
Cumberland County, 9 mi S of Neoga
Rating
F0
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
50 yd
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
39.183, -88.450

A tornado briefly touched down 9 miles south of Neoga. It blew down several trees and caused shingle damage to a church. It also destroyed a 140 foot by 100 foot machine shed, throwing the debris up to a mile away. Many of the 2 by 6 beams from the roof were driven into the ground. One beam was driven 4 feet into the ground and had to be removed by a winch. No injuries were reported.

Tornado, Cumberland

When
May 1, 3:30 PM CST to 3:35 PM CST
Where
Cumberland County, 10 mi S of Neoga
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
100 yd
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
39.167, -88.450

A tornado touched down 1 mile southwest of Lillyville. It destroyed a large barn, killing 3 horses and 4 pigs. As the tornado moved east southeast it took half of a barn roof off, throwing the debris one mile away. It damaged several grain silos and took the roof off of another barn before lifting and dissipating. No injuries were reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cumberland

When
May 1, 3:30 PM CST to 3:35 PM CST
Where
Cumberland County, 10 mi SSW of Neoga
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
39.183, -88.517

Thunderstorm winds blew a well secured mobile home two feet off its foundation in Lillyville. Also, numerous trees and tree limbs were blown down. No injuries were reported.

Hail, Cumberland

When
May 1, 3:41 PM CST
Where
Cumberland County, Jewett
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.217, -88.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford

When
May 1, 4:04 PM CST to 4:25 PM CST
Where
Crawford County, 8 mi W of Eaton
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.083, -87.950

Damaging thunderstorm winds created a two mile wide by 17 mile long damage path across northern Crawford County. Six homes sustained major damage due to three to four foot diameter trees that were blown down on them. A mobile home was completely destroyed and several grain bins were blown over. Also, numerous power lines, power poles and trees were blown down in this area. Eleven homes sustained minor damage. There was one indirect death due to the damage. A 68 year old woman who was picking up debris after the storms moved through had a heart attack and died.

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.
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.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

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 historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 2002Warnings in Illinois, May 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: 5302457, 5302462, 5302458, 5302459, 5302460, 5302461, 5302465, 5302463, 5302464, 5302617, 5302554, 5302466, 5302467, 5302468, 5302555, 5302556, 5302547, 5302469, 5302548, 5302549, 5302550, 5302551, 5302552, 5302553.