10 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
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 Aug 25, 1:00 PM CST, 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 200 PM CDT WED AUG 25 2004 .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT... ONGOING ACTIVITY EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING HOURS. BOUNDARY HAS SET UP FROM NEAR CMI TO NORTH OF STL THEN ALONG I-70 IN MISSOURI. MUCH OF THE INITIATION HAS BEEN ELEVATED NORTH OF THAT BOUNDARY...BUT DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE SURFACE BASED ALONG THE BOUNDARY LATER THIS AFTERNOON. SHEAR ALSO RATHER IMPRESSIVE FOR AUGUST WITH SPI ETA FORECAST SOUNDING ROTATING FROM 180/35KT AT 900 MB TO 260/30 KT AT 700 MB BY 00Z. HIGHEST THREAT FOR TORNADOES SHOULD BE NEAR THE BOUNDARY ACROSS CENTRAL AND WESTERN CWA WITH POSSIBILITY OF HAIL FURTHER NORTH. HOWEVER...CLEARING IN NWRN IL MAY ALLOW ACTIVITY MOVING TOWARD THAT AREA FROM IA TO BECOME SURFACE BASED. IN ADDITION TO TORNADO AND HAIL THREAT...ECHOES ALSO APPEAR LIKELY NEAR SOUTHERNMOST BOUNDARY. WILL ISSUE FLOOD WATCH FOR CENTRAL ZONES. SHORT WAVE RIDGE SHOULD BUILD OVER REGION LATE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. ALTHOUGH INSTABILITY REMAINS IMPRESSIVE...MIDLEVEL SUBSIDENCE AND LACK OF FOCUS MAY INHIBIT CONVECTION UNTIL FRONT APPROACHES FROM NORTHWEST THURSDAY NIGHT. WILL KEEP POPS LOW UNTIL EVENING. HEAT INDICIES MAY REACH ABOVE 100 IN WEST ON THURSDAY AS DEW POINTS IN THE 70S COMBINE WITH HIGHS NEAR 90F. LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... ETA PUSHES FRONT THROUGH MUCH OF CWA FRIDAY AND THEN PRODUCES PRECIPITATION AHEAD OF A WAVE ALONG THE BOUNDARY FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. GFS IS NOT AS AGGRESSIVE IN MOVING FRONT THROUGH. FAVOR ETA GIVEN STRENGTH OF DYNAMICS AND STRENGTH OF NORTHERN PLANS SURFACE HIGH. EITHER WAY BEST CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION OVER WEEKEND SHOULD BE ACROSS SRN PORTIONS OF THE AREA. WITH PLENTY OF CLOUDS NORTH OF FRONT...TEMPS SHOULD BE NOTICABLY COOLER. DRIER AIR MOVES IN SUNDAY NIGHT AND WILL KEEP FORECAST DRY THROUGH WEDNESDAY WITH A GRADUAL WARMING TREND. && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...FLOOD WATCH ZONES 40>57...61...FOR TONIGHT. && BARKER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 1022 AM CDT WED AUG 25 2004 ILZ027>031-036>038-040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-252200- CASS-CHAMPAIGN-CHRISTIAN-CLARK-CLAY-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND- DE WITT-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-EFFINGHAM-FULTON-JASPER-KNOX-LAWRENCE-LOGAN- MACON-MARSHALL-MASON-MCLEAN-MENARD-MORGAN-MOULTRIE-PEORIA-PIATT- RICHLAND-SANGAMON-SCHUYLER-SCOTT-SHELBY-STARK-TAZEWELL-VERMILION- WOODFORD- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BLOOMINGTON...CHAMPAIGN...DANVILLE... DECATUR...EFFINGHAM...FLORA...GALESBURG...HAVANA...JACKSONVILLE... LAWRENCEVILLE...LINCOLN...MATTOON...PEORIA...SHELBYVILLE... SPRINGFIELD AND TAYLORVILLE 1022 AM CDT WED AUG 25 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A MODERATE RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER TODAY AND TONIGHT MAINLY ALONG AND WEST OF A SHELBYVILLE TO BLOOMINGTON LINE. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE REST OF EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND A FEW TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION...HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. A COUPLE OF UPPER AIR DISTURBANCES WILL LIFT NORTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION TODAY AND TONIGHT. THESE DISTURBANCES WILL INTERACT WITH THE WARM AND HUMID AIRMASS IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION AND PRODUCE THUNDERSTORMS. ANY THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL POTENTIALLY CAUSING LOCAL FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY ADDITIONAL DISTURBANCES WILL MOVE THROUGH ILLINOIS BETWEEN THURSDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY...BRINGING MORE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE REGION. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD ALSO BE STRONG TO SEVERE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT THROUGH MIDNIGHT. && THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGIC AND CLIMATE INFORMATION...IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT: HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/ILX. THIS ADDRESS IS ALL IN LOWER CASE. EH/KELLY
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 88 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:47 UTC.
10 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
The roof of a shed was blown off. Also, several trees and power lines were blown down. Some of the debris landed on Illinois Route 123.
Several trees were blown down. One tree fell onto a house causing minor roof damage.
Very heavy rain fell over the county causing numerous roads to become flooded. Also, a portion of Illinois Route 125 was washed out between Beardstown and Virginia.
Several county roads were flooded in the Rushville area due to heavy rains.
Several city streets were flooded due to heavy rains.
Very heavy rain fell countywide. Illinois Route 97 was flooded south of Petersburg.
Very heavy rain caused numerous roads to become flooded between San Jose and Lincoln. US Route 136 was closed for a time due to standing water.
Several streets in Mason City were flooded due to heavy rains.
Several streets were flooded in Bloomington and Normal.
Several streets were flooded in Clinton including the viaduct on Illinois Route 54.
Several streets and viaducts were flooded in Springfield.
Several roads in Argenta and Decatur were flooded.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, August 2004
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: 5419268, 5419269, 5419271, 5419270, 5419790, 5419791, 5419792, 5419793, 5419794, 5419795, 5419796, 5419881, 5419272, 5419882.