Scattered thunderstorms developed ahead of an upper level disturbance in a semi-moist atmosphere. 50 inches occurred in a 15 to 30 minute time period.
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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 episode as NWS DVN wrote it up.
Scattered thunderstorms developed ahead of an upper level disturbance in a semi-moist atmosphere. Due to the slow movement of the storms, rainfall amounts of 1.25 to 1.50 inches occurred in a 15 to 30 minute time period.
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 Jul 16, 2:00 PM CST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 300 PM CDT FRI JUL 16 2004 .SYNOPSIS... WEAK SURFACE LOW WAS LOCATED OVER SW WI WITH COLD FRONT EXTENDING SOUTHWEST THROUGH S CNTRL IA AT 18Z. MOST EXTENSIVE CONVECTION WAS NORTHEAST OF THE LOW/WRM FRNT OVER WI WITH SCTD TO ISOLD STRONG TSRA ALONG/AHEAD OF THE CFNT IN IA. STORMS ALL MOVING TO THE SE WITH DEEP NW FLOW OVER REGION. && .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)... MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT DEVELOPING UNUSUALLY STRONG MID LEVEL TROF OVER THE EASTERN U.S. DURING THE PERIOD AND MOVING A STRONG SURFACE LOW UP THE EAST COAST OVER THE WEEKEND. FRONT OVER NWRN CWA THIS AFTERNOON SHOULD BE E OF CWA BY MIDNIGHT. WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO HANG ON TO SOME POPS THROUGH EARLY EVENING. ONCE FRONT IS TO THE EAST...EXPECT DRY WX THROUGH THE WEEKEND HAS HIGH PRESSURE PARKS OVER CWA BY LATE SATURDAY INTO LATE SUNDAY. TEMPS WILL BE ON THE COOL SIDE FOR MID JULY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. H8 TEMPS WILL BE IN THE +12C TO +14C RANGE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. LATE MORNING/AFTERNOON CU/SC WILL HELP LIMIT TEMP RISE ON SATURDAY WHILE LIGHT WINDS NEAR THE RIDGE AXIS SHOULD LIMIT MIXING ON SUNDAY. WILL GO WITH HIGHS FROM THE MID 70 NE TO AROUND 80 SATURDAY WITH SUNDAY MINS IN THE UPPER 50S TO LOW 60S. MAX TEMPS WILL BE A FEW DEGREES WARMER SUNDAY. MONDAY...WITH SURFACE RIDGE EAST OF AREA...RETURN FLOW SHOULD HELP TEMPS WARM IN THE LOW 80S. LONG TERM (TUE THROUGH FRI)... MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW AMPLIFIED PATTERN EARLY IN THE PERIOD WITH RIDGE OVER THE PLAINS AND A DEEP TROF OVER THE APPALACHIANS. WAVE MOVING INTO BC TUE...KNOCKS PLAINS RIDGE DOWN BY MID WEEK TEMPORARILY PUTTING MID MS VALLEY IN FAST ZONAL FLOW. AMPLIFIED PATTERN REESTABLISHES ITSELF BY THE END OF THE WEEK AS ANOTHER EAST COAST TROF IS CARVED OUT. MAIN THREAT OF PCPN WILL BE WED THROUGH THU AS S/W ENERGY CROSSES NORTH CENTRAL U.S. PUSHING COLD FRONT THROUGH CWA. THE GFS/ECMWF ARE ALSO SUGGESTING A THREAT OF PCPN MONDAY NIGHT/TUESDAY WITH SOME WEAK ENERGY AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE TROF MOVING THROUGH THE NORTHWEST FLOW. FOR NOW WILL GO WITH LOW CHANCE POPS TO COVER THIS SINCE THE FEATURE HAS BEEN CONSISTENT THE LAST FEW RUNS. TEMPS MID WEEK SHOULD BE JUST ABOVE NORMAL AHEAD OF MAIN SYSTEM WHILE NORMAL TO BELOW TEMPS RETURNING BY THE END OF THE WEEK. && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...NONE. IL...NONE. MO...NONE. && DLF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 500 AM CDT FRI JUL 16 2004 IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007- 009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-171000- BENTON IA-BUCHANAN IA-BUREAU IL-CARROLL IL-CEDAR IA-CLARK MO- CLINTON IA-DELAWARE IA-DES MOINES IA-DUBUQUE IA-HANCOCK IL- HENDERSON IL-HENRY IA-HENRY IL-IOWA IA-JACKSON IA-JEFFERSON IA- JO DAVIESS IL-JOHNSON IA-JONES IA-KEOKUK IA-LEE IA-LINN IA-LOUISA IA- MCDONOUGH IL-MERCER IL-MUSCATINE IA-PUTNAM IL-ROCK ISLAND IL- SCOTLAND MO-SCOTT IA-STEPHENSON IL-VAN BUREN IA-WARREN IL- WASHINGTON IA-WHITESIDE IL- 500 AM CDT FRI JUL 16 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST... EAST CENTRAL...AND SOUTHEAST IOWA...NORTHWEST...NORTH CENTRAL... AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...AND NORTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA TODAY INTO THIS EVENING. A WEAK SURFACE FRONT WILL DROP SOUTHEAST TO LAY ACROSS THE AREA TODAY...AS AN UPPER LEVEL WAVE MOVES ACROSS THE AREA AT THE SAME TIME. THE ATMOSPHERE IS EXPECTED TO BE MODERATELY UNSTABLE...BUT OTHER FEATURES ARE NOT QUITE AS FAVORABLE FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS. SO...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER. STORMS THAT BECOME STRONG ENOUGH MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY AN ACTIVE STORM TRACK WILL SET UP ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST BY THE MIDDLE PART OF NEXT WEEK. ALTHOUGH THE BEST CHANCE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA IN MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN...THERE WILL STILL BE THE CHANCE OF SOME STRONG STORMS IN THE LOCAL AREA FROM TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. LE/12
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
143 PM CDT FRI JUL 16 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0141 PM HAIL 3 W OXFORD JUNCTION 41.98N 91.01W
07/16/2004 0.75 INCH JONES IA STORM CHASER
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES WITH 50 MPH WINDS.
&&
WDNPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
149 PM CDT FRI JUL 16 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0137 PM HAIL 3 W OXFORD JUNCTION 41.98N 91.01W
07/16/2004 0.75 INCH JONES IA TRAINED SPOTTER
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES WITH WINDS UP TO 50 MPH.
&&
WDNPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
156 PM CDT FRI JUL 16 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0150 PM HAIL OXFORD MILLS 41.97N 90.97W
07/16/2004 0.75 INCH JONES IA TRAINED SPOTTER
PENNY HAIL WITH 50 TO 60 MPH WINDS.
&&
WDNPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
209 PM CDT FRI JUL 16 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0205 PM HAIL LOWDEN 41.86N 90.92W
07/16/2004 0.50 INCH CEDAR IA TRAINED SPOTTER
PEA TO MARBLE HAIL WITH 32 MPH WINDS.
&&
WDNPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
219 PM CDT FRI JUL 16 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0200 PM TSTM WND DMG OXFORD JUNCTION 41.98N 90.95W
07/16/2004 JONES IA TRAINED SPOTTER
12 INCH TREE LIMB DOWN IN TOWN. NUMEROUS 3 TO 4 INCH
LIMBS DOWN WITH A HIGHWAY SIGN DOWN.
&&
WDNPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
223 PM CDT FRI JUL 16 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0202 PM DOWNBURST OXFORD JUNCTION 41.98N 90.95W
07/16/2004 JONES IA TRAINED SPOTTER
LOTS OF PONDING OF WATER WITH WATER DEPTH UP TO 4 INCHES
DEEP ON SIDES OF ROAD. OVER 1.25 INCHES OF RAIN IN LESS
THAN 30 MINUTES.
&&
WDNThe Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 81 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:30 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
4 foot diameter tree uprooted with power lines down.
From co-op observer.
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, July 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: 5424371, 5424372, 5424373.