Illinois, 2006

Flash Flood in Illinois, April 17, 2006

April 17, 2006 · NWS LOT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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
$1.0 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 16, 11:57 PM CST, 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 16, 11:57 PM CST, 3 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
0035 CDT MON APR 17 2006

.DISCUSSION FOR AFTERNOON GRIDS/ZONES...
310 PM CDT

SEVERE WX HAS BEEN FOCUS THROUGH THE DAY AS LOW NOW OVER WEST
CENTRAL ILLINOIS HAS MOVED EAST SOUTHEAST TODAY. INITIAL
THUNDERSTORMS THIS MORNING FORMED NORTH OF EAST-WEST WARM FRONT JUST
SOUTH OF FORECAST AREA. THUNDERSTORMS FORMED BANDS AROUND UPPER LOW
AND INTENSIFIED RAPIDLY THROUGH THE MORNING. MAIN WX WAS HAIL WITH
NUMEROUS REPORTS OF PEA SIZE AND SOME MARBLE SIZE. WATCHES REMAIN IN
EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING AS STRONG DYNAMICS ASSOCIATED WITH H5
LOW COMBINE WITH UNSTABLE AIRMASS ALONG WARM FRONT. AS LOW PASSES
THIS EVENING CHARACTER OF PRECIP SHOULD CHANGE TO RAIN/SHOWERS
BEFORE ENDING BEFORE MORNING. SURFACE RIDGE BUILDS BACK ACROSS THE
UPPER LAKES FROM THE NORTHEAST MONDAY.

NEXT WX ARRIVES TUESDAY NIGHT AS PAC NORTHWEST TROUGH MOVES ACROSS
NORTHERN US AND CLOSES OFF. SURFACE LOW DEVELOPS ON NORTHERN PLAINS
WITH BROADLY ARCED COLD FRONT WLL OUT AHEAD OF SYSTEM. FROPA SHOULD
OCCUR EARLY/MIDDAY WEDNESDAY. SURFACE/UPPER LOW IS SLOW TO FOLLOW.
THEY MOVE SOUTHEAST FROM THE DAKOTAS AND ARE SLOW TO MOVE THROUGH
THE AREA LEADING TO AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF CHANCE OF RAIN...THROUGH
LATE FRIDAY. WEEKEND APPEARS DRY AT THIS TIME.

TEMPS WILL BE ABOVE SEASONAL NORMS NEXT TWO DAYS THEN DROP TO AROUND
SEASONAL VALUES WITH FROPA WEDNESDAY. A LITTLE DAY TO DAY WARMING
OCCURS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. MINS THROUGH PERIOD WILL HOVER AROUND
NORMS.

RS

&&

.AVIATION...
0040 CDT

THE UPPER AIR LOW IS MOVING EAST AND THE CENTER OF THE CIRCULATION
IS EXPECTED TO BE OVER THE ILLINOIS INDIANA BORDER BY 09 UTC. THE
EASTWARD SPEED WAS DETERMINED FROM WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND PROFILER
DATA.  THE NAM AND GFS MODEL SHOW THE LOW BECOMING INCORPORATED IN
THE LARGER UPPER AIR VORTEX OFF THE EAST COAST BY THIS AFTERNOON. AN
UPPER AIR RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO BUILD OVER ILLINOIS BY THIS EVENING.
WE WILL KEEP THE LIGHT RAIN IN THE TAFS UNTIL 08 UTC. THE WIND IS
FORECAST TO DROP OFF TO 3 TO 15 KNOTS. THERE MAY BE SOME HAZE AND
LIGHT FOG TOWARDS MORNING. THE SKY WILL BE SCATTERED LATE THIS
MORNING. SOME CUMULUS MAY DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON. THE SURFACE LOW
WAS JUST NORTH OF TERRA HAUTE INDIANA. THE PRESSURE IS STILL RATHER
LOW AND THERE IS A STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT. WE WILL KEEP THE WIND
SPEED UP TO 15 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO 20 KNOT THROUGH 08 UTC AND 13
KNOTS THROUGH THE REST OF THE MORNING.

&&

.LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
.IL...NONE.
.IN...NONE.
.LM...SCA NSH TONITE INTO MON MORN.

&&
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 16, 3:00 PM CST, 9 hours before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
400 PM CDT SUN APR 16 2006

ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>022-023-032-033-039-INZ001-002-010-011-
019-170930-
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-
400 PM CDT SUN APR 16 2006

THIS PORTION OF THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL
AND NORTHEAST ILLINOIS...AND NORTHWEST INDIANA.

.DAY ONE... TONIGHT

THERE IS A RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING ACROSS ALL OF
NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA. SOME
THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.
THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH OF THE ILLINOIS AND KANKAKEE RIVERS MAY ALSO
POSSIBLY PRODUCE A TORNADO. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER EXISTS
THROUGH 9PM THIS EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED THROUGH THIS EVENING.

&&

COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE
NWS CHICAGO WEBPAGE: WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO (LOWER CASE)

LMZ740>745-766-170930-
WINTHROP HARBOR IL TO MICHIGAN CITY IN-
LAKE MICHIGAN-
400 PM CDT SUN APR 16 2006

THIS PORTION OF THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ILLINOIS
AND INDIANA WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE... TONIGHT

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH EARLY
EVENING. THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND LARGE
HAIL.

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING FOR THE
ILLINOIS AND INDIANA NEARSHORE WATERS. NORTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 25
KNOTS WILL CAUSE WAVES TO BUILD TO 4 TO 6 FEET.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

&&

COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE
NWS CHICAGO WEBPAGE: WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO (LOWER CASE)

HANDEL

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 16, 7:11 PM CST, 4 hours 49 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
811 PM CDT SUN APR 16 2006

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0709 AM     HAIL             CHATSWORTH              40.75N 88.29W
04/16/2006  E1.00 INCH       LIVINGSTON         IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

0713 AM     HAIL             CHATSWORTH              40.75N 88.29W
04/16/2006  E1.00 INCH       LIVINGSTON         IL   PUBLIC

0720 AM     HAIL             PIPER CITY              40.76N 88.19W
04/16/2006  E1.00 INCH       FORD               IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

1225 PM     HAIL             STILLMAN VALLEY         42.10N 89.18W
04/16/2006  E1.00 INCH       OGLE               IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

1230 PM     HAIL             STILLMAN VALLEY         42.10N 89.18W
04/16/2006  E0.88 INCH       OGLE               IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

1235 PM     HAIL             OSWEGO                  41.70N 88.33W
04/16/2006  E0.75 INCH       KENDALL            IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            AT INTERSECTION OF US34 AND US30.

1242 PM     HAIL             AURORA                  41.77N 88.29W
04/16/2006  E1.75 INCH       KANE               IL   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            NUMEROUS REPORTS FROM AROUND THE CITY.

0137 PM     HAIL             LOVES PARK              42.34N 89.01W
04/16/2006  E0.88 INCH       WINNEBAGO          IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

0149 PM     HAIL             JOLIET                  41.53N 88.12W
04/16/2006  E0.75 INCH       WILL               IL   NWS EMPLOYEE

            WEST SIDE OF JOLIET - MARBLE TO PENNY SIZE HAIL COVERING
            GROUND.

0433 PM     FLOOD            4 E STREATOR            41.13N 88.75W
04/16/2006                   LA SALLE           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            ROUTE 18 CLOSED WITH WATER OVER HIGHWAY.

0442 PM     FLOOD            BEECHER                 41.35N 87.61W
04/16/2006                   WILL               IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            BEECHER RD CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING - OTHER ROADS UNDER
            WATER.

0457 PM     TORNADO          PIPER CITY              40.76N 88.19W
04/16/2006                   FORD               IL   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            BRIEF TOUCHDOWN IN PIPER CITY AT US24, EAST OF 1700E.
            TOOL SHED KNOCKED OVER. -TIME CORRECTED TO 1657-

0500 PM     FLOOD            CHATSWORTH              40.75N 88.29W
04/16/2006                   LIVINGSTON         IL   CO-OP OBSERVER

            2.70 INCHES RAINFALL IN ONE HOUR - STREET FLOODING

0500 PM     FLOOD            MARSEILLES              41.33N 88.69W
04/16/2006                   LA SALLE           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            STREET FLOODING

0541 PM     TORNADO          4 S ASHKUM              40.82N 87.95W
04/16/2006                   IROQUOIS           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            BREIF TOUCHDOWN AT US45 AND DANFORTH RD.

0625 PM     TSTM WND DMG     UTICA                   41.34N 89.01W
04/16/2006                   LA SALLE           IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            UTILITY POLES DOWN AT US6 AND IL178.

&&

BN
Local storm report, Apr 16, 8:22 PM CST, 3 hours 38 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
922 PM CDT SUN APR 16 2006

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0709 AM     HAIL             CHATSWORTH              40.75N 88.29W
04/16/2006  E1.00 INCH       LIVINGSTON         IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

0713 AM     HAIL             CHATSWORTH              40.75N 88.29W
04/16/2006  E1.00 INCH       LIVINGSTON         IL   PUBLIC

0720 AM     HAIL             PIPER CITY              40.76N 88.19W
04/16/2006  E1.00 INCH       FORD               IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

1225 PM     HAIL             STILLMAN VALLEY         42.10N 89.18W
04/16/2006  E1.00 INCH       OGLE               IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

1230 PM     HAIL             STILLMAN VALLEY         42.10N 89.18W
04/16/2006  E0.88 INCH       OGLE               IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

1235 PM     HAIL             OSWEGO                  41.70N 88.33W
04/16/2006  E0.75 INCH       KENDALL            IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            AT INTERSECTION OF US34 AND US30.

1242 PM     HAIL             AURORA                  41.77N 88.29W
04/16/2006  E1.75 INCH       KANE               IL   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            NUMEROUS REPORTS FROM AROUND THE CITY.

0137 PM     HAIL             LOVES PARK              42.34N 89.01W
04/16/2006  E0.88 INCH       WINNEBAGO          IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

0149 PM     HAIL             JOLIET                  41.53N 88.12W
04/16/2006  E0.75 INCH       WILL               IL   NWS EMPLOYEE

            WEST SIDE OF JOLIET - MARBLE TO PENNY SIZE HAIL COVERING
            GROUND.

0433 PM     FLOOD            4 E STREATOR            41.13N 88.75W
04/16/2006                   LA SALLE           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            ROUTE 18 CLOSED WITH WATER OVER HIGHWAY.

0442 PM     FLOOD            BEECHER                 41.35N 87.61W
04/16/2006                   WILL               IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            BEECHER RD CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING - OTHER ROADS UNDER
            WATER.

0457 PM     TORNADO          PIPER CITY              40.76N 88.19W
04/16/2006                   FORD               IL   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            BRIEF TOUCHDOWN IN PIPER CITY AT US24, EAST OF 1700E.
            TOOL SHED KNOCKED OVER. -TIME CORRECTED TO 1657-

0500 PM     FLOOD            MARSEILLES              41.33N 88.69W
04/16/2006                   LA SALLE           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            STREET FLOODING

0500 PM     FLOOD            CHATSWORTH              40.75N 88.29W
04/16/2006                   LIVINGSTON         IL   CO-OP OBSERVER

            2.70 INCHES RAINFALL IN ONE HOUR - STREET FLOODING

0541 PM     TORNADO          4 S ASHKUM              40.82N 87.95W
04/16/2006                   IROQUOIS           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            BREIF TOUCHDOWN AT US45 AND DANFORTH RD.

0620 PM     TORNADO          2 NW MARTINTON          40.94N 87.75W
04/16/2006                   IROQUOIS           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            WEST OF INTERSECTION OF IL1 AND COUNTY ROAD 2900N.

0625 PM     TSTM WND DMG     UTICA                   41.34N 89.01W
04/16/2006                   LA SALLE           IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            UTILITY POLES DOWN AT US6 AND IL178.

0656 PM     TORNADO          3 NW BEAVERVILLE        40.98N 87.70W
04/16/2006                   IROQUOIS           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            BREIF TOUCHDOWN.

&&

BN

The radar

The Chicago radar (KLOT), 51 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:59 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Cook

When
April 17, 12:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where
Cook County, Southeast Portion
Property damage
$1.0 million
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
41.883, -87.600

Several streets were flooded and closed across southern Cook County. Three feet of water was over Governors Highway in Park Forest. Numerous roads were closed from Harvey to New Lenox. Rivers and streams overflowed. Hundreds of basements were flooded. 5.13 inches of rain was measured in Lansing. In Chicago Heights, the water was up to 10 feet deep in low-lying areas.

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Illinois in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, April 2006

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: 5499635.