10 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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 May 23, 3:45 AM CST, 4 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 445 AM CDT MON MAY 23 2004 .DISCUSSION... FOLLOWED THE ETA MODEL AGAIN WITH THIS FORECAST PACKAGE WHICH HAS THE BEST TRACK RECORD LATELY. BIG FORECAST CONCERN IS ADDRESSING SPC HIGH MODERATE TO HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT NW HALF OF IL FROM I-55 WEST. MODELS AGREE WITH A QUIET AND NICE DAY TODAY THEN SHOWERS AND THUNDESTORMS BECOME LIKELY BY OVERNIGHT TONIGHT AND CONTINUE TUE. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE AREA WED/THU TO RETURN DRY WEATHER TO CENTRAL IL AS FRONT PUSHES SOUTH INTO AR/TN. CONVECTION CHANCES RETURN FRI AND SAT AS THE FRONT LIFTS BACK NORTH TOWARD IL AND STRONG LOW PRESSURE APPROACHES THE MIDWEST. SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT... 1000 MB LOW PRESSURE NEAR TRAVERSE CITY IN NW LOWER MICHIGAN HAS A COLD FRONT FROM LAFAYETTE INDIANA TO JUST SE OF EFFINGHAM AND INTO CENTRAL MO. THIS WAS THE FRONT THAT PRODUCED SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL IL SUNDAY EVENING. QUITE A CONTRAST OF AIR MASS FROM NW TO SE ACROSS CENTRAL/SE IL EARLY THIS MORNING. DAWN TEMPS RANGE FROM THE LOWER 50S NW BY GALESBURG TO AROUND 70 SE BY LAWRENCEVILLE. DEWPOINTS RANGE FROM THE MID TO UPPER 40S NW IL BY GALESBURG TO THE MID 60S FROM I-70 SOUTH. FRONT SLIPS FURTHER SE TOWARD THE OHIO RIVER THIS MORNING THEN BEGINS LIFTING BACK NORTH INTO SOUTHERN IL THIS AFTERNOON AS LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS OVER SW KANSAS. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER IL MOST OF TODAY TO PROVIDE PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. WRAP AROUND LOW CLOUDS ACROSS NORTHERN IL SKIRTING SLOWLY SOUTHWARD INTO FAR NORTHERN 3 COUNTIES NORTH OF PEORIA EARLY THIS MORNING SHOULD LIFT BACK NORTH LATER THIS MORNING. CIRRUS CLOUDS SPREADING RADIDLY EAST ACROSS CENTRAL IL THIS MORNING FROM MO. HIGHS TO RANGE FROM THE LOWER 70S NW BY THE QUAD CITIES TO 80 TO 85 SE BY LAWRENCEVILLE. SHORT WAVE OVER NEW MEXICO TO INTENSIFY AS IT BECOMES NEGATIVELY TILTED AND RAPIDLY EJECTS NE INTO NW IL BY MIDNIGHT WITH STRONG OMEGA/LIFT MOVING ACROSS CENTRAL IL OVERNIGHT. FRONT TO LIFT BACK NORTH AS A WARM FRONT INTO CENTRAL IL THIS EVENING AND RETURN MOISTURE AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS AS CAPES AT LEAST 1500 TO 2000 J/KG AND LIFTED INDICES TO MINUS 5C PER ETA. SHOULD STAY DRY THRU SUNSET...THEN CONVECTION BECOMES LIKELY FROM I-55 WEST LATE THIS EVENING...AND EAST OF I-55 AFTER MIDNIGHT. ADDED CHANCE OF SEVERE STORMS NORTH OF I-70. HEAVY RAIN 1 TO 1.5 INCHES AND LOCALLY MORE POSSIBLE TOO ESPECIALLY FROM PEORIA NORTH. SPC DAY1 OUTLOOK HAS HIGH RISK TONIGHT OVER NW IL NW OF PEORIA AND MODERATE RISK AS FAR EAST AT I-55. TORNADIC SUPERCELLS AGAIN POSSIBLE LATE THIS EVENING OVER NW COUNTIES AND SYSTEM SHOULD EVOLVE INTO A SEVERE MCS BY OVERNIGHT AS IT MOVES EAST ACROSS CENTRAL IL WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS FROM BOW SEGMENTS POSSIBLE. SPC CONTINUES A SLIGHT RISK FOR TUE ACROSS CENTRAL IL SE OF GALESBURG AND INTO SE IL TUE NIGHT AS ANOTHER SHORT WAVE MOVES INTO CENTRAL IL TUE AFTERNOON. KEPT LIKELY CHANCE OF CONVECTION TUE ACROSS THE AREA...AND MAY CONTINUE TO BE LIKELY TUE NIGHT FROM I-70 SOUTH. HPC PAINTS QPF OF 1 TO 1.5 INCHES ACROSS AREAS SE OF PEORIA TUE. THE MAIN COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SE ACROSS CENTRAL AND SE IL TUE NIGHT WITH DRIER AND COOLER WX ARRIVING WED. LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY... WEAK HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO MO WED AFTERNOON PUSHING THE FRONT DOWN INTO TN AND AR WITH CHANCES OF CONVECTION SOUTH OF ILX CWFA OVER SOUTHERN IL. DRY AGAIN THU AS FRONT STAYS WELL SOUTH OF AREA. HIGH PRESSURE DRIFTING OFF TO THE EAST THU NIGHT ALLOWS FRONT TO START TO RETURN BACK NORTH WITH CHANCE OF CONVECTION SOUTH OF I-70 THU NIGHT AND ACROSS CENTRAL IL FRI AND BETTER CHANCE FRI NIGHT/SAT. GFS HAS BEEN TRENDING SLOWER BRINGING FRONT BACK NORTH SIMILAR TO WHAT ECMWF WAS SHOWING PAST FEW RUNS. LATEST EXTENDED GFS RUN SHOWS CHANCE OF CONVECTION SUNDAY WITH UNSETTLED SW UPPER LEVEL FLOW AND LOW PRESSURE APPROACHING IL FROM THE WEST. ECMWF HAS LOW PRESSURE FURTHER WEST AT 12Z/SUNDAY. DUE TO THESE MODEL DIFFERENCES WILL LEAVE DRY FORECAST SUNDAY. && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...NONE. && HUETTL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 600 AM CDT SUN MAY 23 2004 ILZ027>031-036>038-040-041-241100- FULTON-KNOX-MARSHALL-MASON-MCLEAN-PEORIA-SCHUYLER-STARK-TAZEWELL- WOODFORD- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BLOOMINGTON...GALESBURG...HAVANA AND PEORIA 600 AM CDT SUN MAY 23 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE BEST CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL LIKELY BE ALONG AND NORTH OF I-74. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE PRIMARY THREATS BUT AN ISOLATED TORNADO CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THERE IS A MODERATE RISK TOMORROW EVENING AND NIGHT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. THE BEST CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL LIKELY BE ALONG AND WEST OF THE ILLINOIS RIVER. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AGAIN ON TUESDAY...BEFORE QUIETER WEATHER MOVES INTO THE AREA DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. .SPOTTER ACTIVATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING. ILZ042>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-241100- CASS-CHAMPAIGN-CHRISTIAN-CLARK-CLAY-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND- DE WITT-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-LOGAN-MACON-MENARD- MORGAN-MOULTRIE-PIATT-RICHLAND-SANGAMON-SCOTT-SHELBY-VERMILION- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CHAMPAIGN...DANVILLE...DECATUR... EFFINGHAM...FLORA...JACKSONVILLE...LAWRENCEVILLE...LINCOLN... MATTOON...SHELBYVILLE...SPRINGFIELD AND TAYLORVILLE 552 AM CDT SUN MAY 23 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... THERE IS SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE SLIGHT RISK IS FOR THE ENTIRE AREA. DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREATS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY EVENING AND DURING THE NIGHT. THERE WILL ALSO BE A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS AGAIN ON TUESDAY. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREATS. .SPOTTER ACTIVATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. && 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. HALL
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 30 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:29 UTC.
10 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds blew down several telephone poles as well as large tree limbs.
Thunderstorms dropped penny sized hail over a large portion of Clay County, especially in Xenia, Flora and Hord.
Several power lines were blown down, as well as a large tree.
A tornado briefly touched down near a golf course. No damage or injuries were reported.
Thunderstorm winds blew a 16' by 20' door off a barn, knocked a chimney over, and blew down numerous large tree limbs.
Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines. In Bethany, two houses sustained minor damage due to trees falling on them. In Sullivan, the roof of a Morton building that was under construction was peeled back and the building collapsed.
Several power lines and trees were blown down.
A tornado touched down 3 miles southeast of Gridley damaging several farm buildings. It then traveled to the northeast increasing in intensity 1.5 miles south southwest of Meadows causing moderate damage to several more farm buildings. The tornado continued to intensify reaching F2 intensity right before it crossed over into Livingston County. There were no buildings on the McLean County side of the road but the survey team determined that the damage to the buildings on the Livingston County side of the road was of F2 intensity. The tornado then traveled into Livingston County (NWS Chicago's warning area). No injuries were reported.
Several large trees were uprooted in Charleston.
Several trees were blown down around town. Some of the trees caused minor damage to a couple of homes. No injuries were reported.
Water covered several roadways for a time over the southern half of the county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 2004Warnings in Illinois, May 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: 5401149, 5401150, 5401151, 5401152, 5401153, 5401154, 5401155, 5401156, 5400740, 5400741, 5400743, 5400742, 5400746, 5400744, 5400745, 5400747, 5400748, 5400807, 5400987, 5400988.