Hail and Heavy Rain in Illinois, April 6, 2006

Name: Hail and Heavy Rain in Illinois, April 6, 2006
Start: 2006-04-06T12:00
End: 2006-04-06T13:35
Location: Illinois

April 6, 2006 · NWS DVN · 6 events in 3 counties and zones

Where it happened

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.

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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 happened

The episode as NWS DVN wrote it up.

Another upper level disturbance allowed scattered thunderstorms to develop during the morning and afternoon hours across Iowa and Illinois. A supercell thunderstorm developed southwest of Ottumwa, Iowa and moved east across southeast Iowa and into west central Illinois. This supercell thunderstorm was a prolific hail and heavy rain producer but produced no severe winds due to being elevated.

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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 6, 5:25 AM CST, 6 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 6, 5:25 AM CST, 6 hours 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
625 AM CDT THU APR 6 2006

.UPDATE...H85 FRONT HAS AIDED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BACK BUILDING
MCS OVER SOUTHEAST IOWA INTO WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. PRECIP FALLING
SHOULD TO STRENGTHEN BAROCLINIC ZONE AND KEEP THE SURFACE WARM FRONT
WELL SOUTH OF THE AREA. THEREFORE HAVE UPDATED THE FORECAST TO LOWER
MAX TEMPS TODAY AND INCREASE POPS IN THE SOUTH HALF.

&&

.SYNOPSIS...
A STRONG SPRING STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION TODAY
THROUGH FRIDAY BRINGING A THREAT OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL.
SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL BE REPLACED WITH MUCH COOLER
TEMPERATURES ON FRIDAY.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
ACTIVE PERIOD OF WX EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT 48 HOURS. CONVECTION THIS
MORNING SHOULD BECOME A LITTLE MORE WIDESPREAD AS A VORT MAX MOVES
INTO THE AREA FOLLOWED BY PRECIP BECOMING MORE SCATTERED THIS
AFTERNOON. AS EXPECTED...THE MODELS NOW DELAY THE ARRIVAL OF THE
WARM FRONT AND STALL IT OUT JUST SOUTH OF I-80. FRONT SHOULD BE
STRENGTHENED BY A STRONG LAKE AFFECT TONIGHT. INCREASED
FRONTOGENETICAL FORCING TO INCREASE PRECIP AMOUNTS. MODELS ARE
GETTING WETTER WITH EACH NEW RUN. THEREFORE HAVE RAISED HEADLINES
FOR A FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT UNTIL NOON FRIDAY ROUGHLY NORTH OF A LINE
FROM STERLING...TO MUSCATINE...AND THEN WEST ALONG THE I-80
CORRIDOR. BEST CHANCES FOR HEAVY RAIN LOOK TO BE ALONG AND NORTH OF
HIGHWAY 30.

PRECIP TO RAPIDLY SHUT DOWN FRIDAY AFTERNOON WITH QUIET WX EXPECTED
FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. GLOBAL MODELS DISAGREE ON THE
TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY TIME PERIOD. THEY DO AGREE ON ANOTHER SYSTEM
EJECTING OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST TROF BUT DISAGREE ON TIMING. THEREFORE
WILL NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY TIME PERIOD.

&&

.DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT UNTIL NOON
FRIDAY.
IA...IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068.
IL...ILZ001-002-007-009-015.
MO...NONE.

08

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 6, 4:00 AM CST, 8 hours before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
500 AM CDT THU APR 6 2006

IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007-
009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-071000-
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 THU APR 6 2006

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL
ILLINOIS...NORTHWEST ILLINOIS...WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST
CENTRAL IOWA...NORTHEAST IOWA...SOUTHEAST IOWA AND NORTHEAST
MISSOURI.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

MULTIPLE HAZARDS ARE POSSIBLE FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS MORNING ARE EXPECTED TO DECREASE IN
OVERALL COVERAGE THIS AFTERNOON. THERE IS A CHANCE OF SEVERE STORMS
THIS MORNING. HOWEVER...THE ONLY THREAT IS MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL.
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTHEAST IOWA AND WEST
CENTRAL ILLINOIS...WHICH MAY CAUSE MINOR FLOODING IN LOW LYING AND
URBAN AREAS.

TONIGHT...THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME QUITE NUMEROUS. THERE
IS A CHANCE OF SEVERE STORMS DURING THE EVENING HOURS WITH THE
PRIMARY THREATS BEING HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND. THE SEVERE THREAT IS
HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON HOW MUCH WARMING OCCURS DURING THE AFTERNOON.
AT THIS TIME...THE AREA MOST AT RISK IS SOUTH OF A LINE FROM
SIGOURNEY IOWA TO GALESBURG ILLINOIS.

A MUCH MORE SERIOUS SITUATION APPEARS TO BE SHAPING UP LATE TONIGHT
INTO FRIDAY MORNING REGARDING HEAVY RAINFALL. A WARM FRONT IS
FORECAST TO STALL JUST SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80. THIS FRONT WILL
PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR HEAVY RAIN TO DEVELOP NORTH OF THE FRONT. THE
AREA AT MOST RISK IS ALONG AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 30...WITH A SLIGHTLY
LOWER RISK ALONG THE INTERSTATE 80 CORRIDOR FROM THE QUAD CITIES WEST
TO MARENGO.

THE CEDAR...WAPSIPINICON...PECATONICA...ROCK...AND LOWER IOWA RIVERS
ARE EXPECTED TO SEE MODERATE TO SIGNIFICANT RISES BY EARLY NEXT
WEEK.

EMERGENCY MANAGERS ARE URGED TO LISTEN TO LATER FORECASTS AS THE
RESPECTIVE THREATS BECOME BETTER DEFINED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH AND MUCH COOLER
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ON FRIDAY. ADDITIONALLY...THERE IS A CHANCE
OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MORNING. HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE IN THE
MORNING...MAINLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM MARENGO...TO MUSCATINE...TO
STERLING.

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS NEXT TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 6, 11:37 AM CST, 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
1237 PM CDT THU APR 06 2006

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

1233 PM     HAIL             1 N WEST POINT          40.73N 91.45W
04/06/2006  E1.00 INCH       LEE                IA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

TAS

Local storm report, Apr 6, 11:39 AM CST, 21 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
1239 PM CDT THU APR 06 2006

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

1239 PM     HAIL             2 N DENMARK             40.78N 91.33W
04/06/2006  E0.50 INCH       LEE                IA   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

TAS

Local storm report, Apr 6, 11:41 AM CST, 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
1241 PM CDT THU APR 06 2006

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

1240 PM     HAIL             WEST BURLINGTON         40.82N 91.18W
04/06/2006  E0.75 INCH       DES MOINES         IA   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

TAS

Local storm report, Apr 6, 11:43 AM CST, 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
1243 PM CDT THU APR 06 2006

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

1243 PM     HAIL             BURLINGTON              40.81N 91.12W
04/06/2006  E0.50 INCH       DES MOINES         IA   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

TAS

Local storm report, Apr 6, 11:46 AM CST, 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
1246 PM CDT THU APR 06 2006

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

1245 PM     HAIL             DENMARK                 40.75N 91.33W
04/06/2006  E0.25 INCH       LEE                IA   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

TAS

Local storm report, Apr 6, 11:48 AM CST, 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
1248 PM CDT THU APR 06 2006

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

1246 PM     HAIL             BURLINGTON              40.81N 91.12W
04/06/2006  E0.88 INCH       DES MOINES         IA   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SPOTTER RELAYED REPORT AND HAIL IS STARTING TO COVER THE
            GROUND.

&&

MIKEZ

The radar

The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 109 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:59 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 hail, 2 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Henderson

When: April 6, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Henderson County, 2 mi S of Carman
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 40.700, -91.067

Large marble hail with some stones estimated to be penny size.

Heavy Rain, McDonough

When: April 6, 12:20 PM CST to 12:31 PM CST
Where: McDonough County, Blandinsville
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates: 40.456, -90.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Water ponded on the road.

Heavy Rain, McDonough

When: April 6, 12:35 PM CST to 1:35 PM CST
Where: McDonough County, Walnut Grove
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 40.456, -90.678 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

2 inches of rain with storms.

Hail, Warren

When: April 6, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Warren County, 1 mi SE of Youngstown
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 40.650, -90.600

Dime to penny sized hail; 2.10 inches of rain with afternoon storms.

Hail, Warren

When: April 6, 1:05 PM CST
Where: Warren County, 6 mi S of Greenbush
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 40.633, -90.533

Along the Warren/McDonough County line.

Hail, McDonough

When: April 6, 1:05 PM CST
Where: McDonough County, 2 mi ENE of Walnut Grove
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 40.633, -90.517

Along the Warren/McDonough County line.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Illinois in 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5503133, 5503137, 5503138, 5503134, 5503135, 5503136.