Hail and Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 30, 2002

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 30, 2002
Start: 2002-05-30T19:40
End: 2002-05-30T20:55
Location: Illinois

May 30, 2002 · NWS DVN · 4 events in 2 counties and zones

2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 funnel cloud, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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: 4

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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 30, 1:10 PM CST, 6 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 30, 1:10 PM CST, 6 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
210 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2002

.OVERVIEW...ANALYSIS SHOWS FAST JET STREAK ACROSS MONTANA TURNING
SOUTHEAST.  LEADING EDGE OF ENERGY PRODUCING A BROAD WIND SHIFT LINE OR
WEAK FRONT NOW INTO FAR NW IOWA.  MAIN DIFFERENCE ARE LOWER DEWPOINTS
BEHIND BOUNDARY.  ANALYSIS SUPPORTS SYSTEM TO PUSH SE ACROSS AREA THIS
EVENING AND INTO EARLY FRIDAY BEFORE BECOMING STATIONERY.  SATELLITE
SUGGESTING MOST MID LEVEL MOISTURE BEING SHUNTED EAST IN ADVANCE OF
SYSTEM WHICH MAY SUPPORT MORE ENERGETIC CONVECTION TONIGHT.

...ASSESSING POPS AND SEVERE POTENTIAL THIS EVENING WITH FRONT AND
THEN VERY UNSETTLED PATTERN THIS WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK WITH HEAVY RAIN
AND SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL...

.DIAGNOSIS AND DAYS 1-3...LATEST 18Z SURFACE DATA SUPPORTS MARGINAL
FORCING FOR LIMITED CONVECTION WITH ETA CLOSEST AT 18Z ON MOST LOW
LEVEL FEATURES AND CURRENT CONVECTIVE COVERAGE ALONG BOUNDARY...WITH
JUST SOME CELLS IN EASTERN WISCONSIN...AND ENHANCED CUMULUS NEAR MASON
CITY.  CALCULATIONS FROM DVN SVR WX CHKLST AND BLEP TECHNIQUE SUPPORT
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED STORMS LATE PM INTO EVENING HOURS WITH FAVORABLE
CONDITIONS FOR ROTATING CELLS OR SUPERCELLS...MOVING SSE.  HOWEVER...
QUESTION ON BL INSTABILITY AND TRIGGER...SO TORNADOES CHANCES AT PRESENT
APPEAR REDUCED...WILL NEED FOLKS TO MONITOR THIS FOR CHANGES NEXT 3-6
HOURS FOR ANY CHANGES OR LOCAL BOUNDARY DEVELOPMENT.  SO...ANTICIPATE
PRIMARY THREAT FOR MAINLY SOME LIMITED HAIL WITH RELATIVELY HIGH WBZ
10.5K AND SOME STRAIGHT LINE OR ENHANCED ROTATIONAL DOWN-DRAFTS IN
ROTATING CELLS...BEST CHANCE NORTH OF HIGHWAY 34.   AVN AND ETA MODELS
DIFFER ON AMOUNT OF MOISTURE AT TOP BL WHICH GREATLY IMPACTS MAX DOWN-
DRAFTS POTENTIAL. WILL LEAN TOWARD ETA WHICH IS MORE MOIST BASED CURRENT
SKY CONDITIONS. THUS...THIS WOULD PRODUCE NOT AS HIGH WINDS AS AVN PER
BLEP TECHNIQUE. COMPUTING WINDS FOR SFC T/TD OF 88/68..BLEP YIELDS NEAR
50KTS STRAIGHT LINE OR UP TO 84KTS IN MESO ENHANCED DOWNDRAFT TIL SUNSET
AND THEN DROPPING NEAR TO SLIGHTLY AFTER SUNSET 36 KTS STRAIGHT LINE UP
TO 64 KTS IN ROTATION FOR T/TD 82-83/66.  AVN PRODUCES VALUES 15-
20 KTS HIGHER.  ANYWAY...EXPECT CELLS AND FRONT TO MOVE EAST OR DIE
AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH DRIER AIR MOVING IN SUPPORTING LESS HUMID
CONDITIONS. WILL GO ON HIGH SIDE OF GUIDANCE BLEND INTO SATURDAY WITH
POPS LATE FRIDAY NIGHT MOST AREAS INTO SATURDAY WITH LIKELY WORDING
SOUTHERN AREAS AND CHANCE POPS NORTH.  THEN PATTERN REMAIN CONDUCIVE FOR
SIGNIFICANT STORMS WITH E-W BOUNDARY NEARBY AND IMPULSES EMBEDDED IN
ZONAL JET. THUS...EXPECT TWO TO THREE EPISODES OR MORE OF MCS/MCC
CONVECTION...OR EVEN INTENSE BOW ECHO/DERECHO VARIETY DUE TO SIGNIFICANT
BOUNDARY AND LOTS OF INSTABILITY AND MOISTURE GRADIENT TO FEED ON.  WILL
HAVE TO KEEP CHANCE POPS FOR NOW INTO SUNDAY NIGHT AS NO COHERENT AND
CONSISTENT PATTERN STANDS OUT FOR TIMING OF EPISODES OF CONVECTION.
WILL DO ESF TO EMPHASIZE HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL.

.EXTENDED (MON-WED)...MEDIUM MODELS VARY QUITE A BIT SO WILL CONTINUE
CHANCE POPS INTO TUESDAY WITH SOME COOLER AND DRIER AIR SUGGESTED
WEDNESDAY.  AGAIN PATTERN FAVORABLE FOR HEAVY RAINS WITH ABOVE NORMAL
SEVERE RISKS.  CLOUD COVER DEFINITELY TO GREAT IMPACTS ON TEMPS AND
POSSIBLE LAKE EFFECT MONDAY...WILL TRY AND INCORPORATE TRENDS INTO
MEX/FMR GUIDANCE.

.DVN...
IA...NONE.
IL...NONE.
MO...NONE.

NICHOLS

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 30, 3:53 PM CST, 3 hours 47 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
453 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2002

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

0424 PM    MARTELLE                  IA   45 MPH TSTM GUST
05/30/02   JONES                          REPORTED BY FIRE AND
                                          RESCUE.

0424 PM    MARTELLE                  IA   .25 INCH HAIL
05/30/02   JONES                          REPORTED BY FIRE AND
                                          RESCUE.

Local storm report, May 30, 6:36 PM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
736 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2002

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

0723 PM    ALBURNETT                 IA   1 INCH HAIL
05/30/02   LINN                           ICE CUBE SIZE HAIL.
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC.
                                          RELAYED TO THE NWS BY
                                          KCRG TV IN CEDAR RAPIDS.

Local storm report, May 30, 6:50 PM CST, 50 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
750 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2002

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

0742 PM    SPRINGVILLE               IA   1 INCH HAIL
05/30/02   LINN                           REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

Local storm report, May 30, 6:56 PM CST, 44 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
756 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2002

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

0745 PM    1 N MARION                IA   1 INCH HAIL
05/30/02   LINN                           REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

Local storm report, May 30, 7:14 PM CST, 26 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
814 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2002

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

0755 PM    SPRINGVILLE               IA   .88 INCH HAIL
05/30/02   LINN                           REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT.

0800 PM    SPRINGVILLE               IA   .75 INCH HAIL
05/30/02   LINN                           REPORTED BY STORM
                                          SPOTTER.

Local storm report, May 30, 7:40 PM CST, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
840 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2002

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

0829 PM    SUTLEFF                   IA   .5 INCH HAIL
05/30/02   JOHNSON                        REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

The radar

The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 106 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:38 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Stephenson

When: May 30, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Stephenson County, Lena
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 42.383, -89.833

Trees down.

Hail, Stephenson

When: May 30, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Stephenson County, Cedarville
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 42.367, -89.633

Funnel Cloud, Stephenson

When: May 30, 7:55 PM CST
Where: Stephenson County, 1 mi SE of Cedarville
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 42.352, -89.662 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Carroll

When: May 30, 8:55 PM CST
Where: Carroll County, Riverview
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.050, -90.100

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.
Funnel Cloud: A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.

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, 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: 5297778, 5297779, 5297780, 5297777.