3 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 30, 5:38 AM CST, 6 hours 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 638 AM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004 .DISCUSSION... WARM FRONT APPEARS TO BE FROM ABOUT MLI TO HUF LIFTING NE EARLY THIS MORNING. WINCHESTER PROFILER INDICATING 35KT SSWLY 850MB FLOW RIDING OVER FRONT. SCATTERED CONVECTION DEVELOPING RAPIDLY ALONG FRONT. MEANWHILE LARGE AREA OF CONVECTION IN IOWA ASSOCIATED WITH SHORT WAVE LIFTING INTO UPPER MS VALLEY. DESPITE INITIALLY DRY LOW LEVEL AIR...EXPECT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO OVERSPREAD NORTHERN IL AND NORTHWEST IN THIS MORNING. ACTIVITY EXPECTED TO LIFT NORTH OF AREA BY EARLY AFTERNOON. MAY GET SOME BREAKS IN CLOUD COVER AND ENOUGH INSOLATION BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY AREAS SOUTH OF I-80...FOR CAPES TO REACH 1500 TO 1800. THIS ALONG WITH APPROACHING STRONG NEG TILT UPPER TROF/SURFACE COLD FRONT...LOW LEVEL SHEAR AND STRONG DIFLUENT UPPER LEVEL FLOW SHOULD SUPPORT OUTBREAK OF SEVERE STORMS LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING. MAIN THREAT SOUTH OF I-80...AND THAT WILL LIKELY BE A SQUALL LINE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL. LEANING TOWARD MESO ETA FOR TIMING/POSITIONING OF SQUALL LINE IN WESTERN IL ABOUT 21Z AND HITTING NW IN AROUND 03Z. HEAVY RAIN DOESNT APPEAR TO BE A SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO FAR NORTHERN IL WHERE RIVERS ARE IN FLOOD. HEAVY RAIN THREAT LOOKS TO ALSO BE SOUTH OF I-80 WHERE RAINFALL WAS NOT EXCESSIVE LAST COUPLE WEEKS. AS TROF ROTATES THROUGH TONIGHT...AREA WILL GET DRY SLOTTED. UPPER LOW THEN SETTLES OVER LAKES MONDAY AFTERNOON WITH SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING INSTABILITY SHOWERS UNDER COLD POOL. WILL GO DRY FROM MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUE MORNING AND BRING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDER BACK TUESDAY AFTERNOON. AS UPPER LOW DRIFTS SOUTH TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY COULD BE AN AREA OF MORE GENERAL LIGHT SHOWERS. WILL DROP THUNDER AFTER THE EARLY EVENING HOURS TUESDAY BUT KEEP SHOWERS INTO NOON WED. DRYING OUT FOR MID AND LATE WEEK. NEW MRF INDICATING A COUPLE SHORT WAVES DROPPING DOWN IN NW FLOW. POSSIBLY SOME SHOWERS LATE SATURDAY OR SUNDAY. CLOUDS AND PRECIP MAY LIMIT WARMING...ESPECIALLY FAR NORTHERN IL TODAY. OTHERWISE GUIDANCE TEMPERATURES GENERALLY FOLLOWED THROUGH THE WEEK. WINDS TURNING NORTHEAST WED AFTERNOON AND THEN LIGHT THU AND FRI SHOULD ALLOW SIGNIFICANT LAKE COOLING. ALLSOPP && .AVIATION... FOR 12Z TAFS...SHOWERS AND FEW TS POPPED UP ACROSS NORTHERN IL LAST 1-2 HRS. EXPECT THIS ACTIVITY TO REMAIN ISOLATED FIRST FEW HRS OF TAFS AND PROBABLY BEST HANDLE WITH VICINITY WORDING. LINE OF TS CURRENTLY MOVING OUT OF EASTERN IA INTO NORTHWEST IL. THIS LINE WILL PROBABLY DISSIPATE SOME BEFORE REACHING CHICAGO AREA TERMINALS BUT STILL EXPECT ENOUGH THUNDER TO WARRANT TEMPO GROUP. TS TIMING 13Z AT RFD 14Z DPA AND 15Z ORD/MDW. AFTER THESE SHOWERS AND TS MOVE THRU SHOULD BE A 2-4 HR DRY PERIOD BEFORE TS REDEVELOP AHEAD OF FROPA THIS AFTERNOON. BEST SHOT AT TIMING WOULD BE LATE AFTERNOON 21Z-00Z. AFTERNOON TS LIKELY TO BE STRONGER THAN MORNING CONVECTION MAYBE A FEW ISOLATED SVR. WITH LARGE EXTENT TO PRECIP AND MOIST LOW LEVELS THINK 2-3KFT MVFR CIGS FOR MOST THE PERIOD LOOK GOOD. LOWER MVFR CIGS AND POSSIBLY BRIEF IFR ASSOCIATED WITH HEAVIER SHOWERS AND TS. SE WINDS 10-15KTS INCREASE WITH SOME GUSTS TO 20-25KT TODAY...THEN TURN SOUTHERLY THIS EVENING AND WSW BY THE END OF THE PERIOD. && .LOT...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...NONE. IN...NONE. LK MI...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY SOUTHERN LK MI TODAY AND TONIGHT. IMPORTANT NOTICE...EFFECTIVE JUNE 8...THE AWIPS IDENTIFIER FOR THIS PRODUCT WILL CHANGE FROM CHIAFDCHI TO CHIAFDLOT. THE WMO HEADER FXUS63 KLOT WILL NOT CHANGE.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 835 AM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004 ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>022-023-032-033-039-INZ001-002-010-011-019 -302130- WINNEBAGO-BOONE-MCHENRY-LAKE IL-OGLE-LEE-DE KALB-KANE-DU PAGE-COOK- LA SALLE-KENDALL-GRUNDY-WILL-KANKAKEE-LIVINGSTON-IROQUOIS-FORD- LAKE IN-PORTER-NEWTON-JASPER-BENTON- 835 AM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004 THIS PORTION OF THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST ILLINOIS...AND NORTHWEST INDIANA. .DAY ONE... TODAY AND TONIGHT A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT THIS MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON UNTIL 1PM CDT FOR LA SALLE...GRUNDY...LIVINGSTON...KANKAKEE...FORD AND IROQUOIS COUNTIES. THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH OF A LINE FROM MENDOTA TO SANDWICH TO CHANNAHON TO KANKAKEE TO WATSEKA FOR THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE SEVERE STORMS ARE MOSTLY LIKELY TO OCCUR FROM ABOUT 400 PM THROUGH 1000 PM. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREATS INCLUDE LONG-TRACK STRONG TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND NORTHERN INDIANA THIS MORNING INTO EARLY AFTERNOON. THE BULK OF THE RAIN WILL MOVE NORTH AND EAST OF ILLINOIS AND INDIANA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. WITH ENOUGH BREAK UP OF THE CLOUD COVER THIS AFTERNOON...HEATING FROM THE SUN AND SURGING DEWPOINTS ON STRONG SOUTH WINDS WILL SUFFICIENTLY DESTABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP. LOW LEVEL WINDS...A STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM...AND A STRONG JET STREAM ALOFT WILL FAVOR ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORMS. A SQUALL LINE IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT AND MOVE WEST TO EAST ACROSS NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THE STORMS... ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80...BUT STORMS SHOULD BE MOVING FAST ENOUGH THAT FLASH FLOODING IS NOT A MAJOR THREAT. RAINFALL OVER FAR NORTHERN ILLINOIS...WHERE MINOR RIVER FLOODING IS OCCURRING...IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE EXCESSIVE...BUT COULD BE SUFFICIENT TO AGGRAVATE OR PROLONG ONGOING STREAM FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING AND AGAIN TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING BUT THE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. && COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE NWS CHICAGO WEBPAGE: WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/LOT (LOWER CASE) LMZ740>746-766-302130- WINTHROP HARBOR IL TO NEW BUFFALO MI- LAKE MICHIGAN- 835 AM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004 THIS PORTION OF THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ILLINOIS AND INDIANA WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE... TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. THE MAIN THREAT TO BOATERS WILL BE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...ROUGH SEAS AND LIGHTNING. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A WARM FRONT WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD MID MORNING THROUGH EARLY OR MID AFTERNOON. THEN A SQUALL LINE IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT AND SWEEP ACROSS SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN THIS EVENING. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR HAZARDOUS WINDS AND WAVES TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING AND AGAIN TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING BUT SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED. && COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE NWS CHICAGO WEBPAGE: WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/LOT (LOWER CASE)
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
1134 AM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1120 AM FLASH FLOOD JOLIET 41.53N 88.12W
05/30/2004 WILL IL LAW ENFORCEMENT
STREET FLOODING
&&
WENPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
1135 AM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1030 AM FLOOD OTTAWA 41.35N 88.84W
05/30/2004 LA SALLE IL TRAINED SPOTTER
STREET FLOODING - 1.05 INCHES
&&
WENPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT ... CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
1150 AM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1120 AM FLASH FLOOD JOLIET 41.53N 88.12W
05/30/2004 WILL IL LAW ENFORCEMENT
STREET FLOODING
1120 AM FLOOD WHEATON 41.86N 88.11W
05/30/2004 DUPAGE IL EMERGENCY MNGR
STREET FLOODING - PARK ST AND MAIN ST CLOSED.
1120 AM FLOOD CLARENDON HILLS 41.80N 87.96W
05/30/2004 DUPAGE IL TRAINED SPOTTER
STREET FLOODING
1115 AM DOWNBURST WINFIELD 41.87N 88.15W
05/30/2004 DUPAGE IL EMERGENCY MNGR
STREET FLOODING
1100 AM FLOOD DE KALB 41.93N 88.75W
05/30/2004 DE KALB IL EMERGENCY MNGR
STREET FLOODING - 1.90 INCHES IN JUST OVER AN HOUR.
1030 AM FLOOD OTTAWA 41.35N 88.84W
05/30/2004 LA SALLE IL TRAINED SPOTTER
STREET FLOODING - 1.05 INCHES
0950 AM TSTM WND DMG OTTAWA 41.35N 88.84W
05/30/2004 LA SALLE IL TRAINED SPOTTER
MANY LIMBS DOWN ON SOUTH SIDE OF TOWN.
&&
WENThe Chicago radar (KLOT), 76 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:43 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A semi tractor-trailer was overturned by wind on Interstate 65 at mile marker 238.
Trees and power poles were blown down.
Power lines and tree limbs were blown down.
Street flooding occurred in Earl Park when 1 inch of rain fell in 15 minutes. Roads were also flooded 4 miles west northwest of Boswell.
Street flooding occurred.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, 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: 5397217, 5397218, 5397219, 5397220, 5397221.