Severe thunderstorms moved across east central Illinois during the afternoon hours of May 15th, which produced hail and wind damage.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 episode as NWS LOT wrote it up.
Severe thunderstorms moved across east central Illinois during the afternoon hours of May 15th, which produced hail and wind damage.
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 15, 12:15 PM CST, 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL 115 PM CDT TUE MAY 15 2007 .DISCUSSION FOR MORNING ZONES/GRIDS... MAIN FORECAST ISSUE FOR THIS PERIOD REMAINS TO BE THE COLD FRONT DIGGING THROUGH THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE MIDWEST. CONVECTION INITIATED OUT AHEAD OF IT ON MONDAY AND A REPEAT PERFORMANCE IS EXPECTED ON TUESDAY FOR OUR NECK OF THE WOODS. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW THAT THE ATMOSPHERE SHOULD DESTABILIZE IN THE EARLY PORTION OF THE AFTERNOON OUT AHEAD OF THE FRONT. AS STORMS DEVELOP...SOME MAY TAP INTO THE 40KT LOW TO MID LEVEL FLOW AND BRING IT DOWN TO THE SFC. THIS WIND SHEAR MAY AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF BOW SEGMENTS...THUS THE MAIN SEVERE THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS ALONG WITH HAIL. BUMPED UP MAX TEMPERATURES IN THE REGION OUT AHEAD OF THE FRONT WHERE DAYTIME HEATING AND WAA WILL HELP IN THE WARMING BEFORE THE FRONT CAN GO THROUGH. WITH H85 CONVERGENCE OCCURRING NORTH AND WEST OF THE SFC BOUNDARY...RAIN SHOWERS WILL LINGER IN THE HOURS AFTER THE FRONT PASSES. ADDED A CHANCE FOR POPS IN THE EVENING AS THE FRONT SLOWS DOWN A BIT AND A WEAK INVERTED TROF DEVELOPS ALONG THE BACKSIDE OF THE FRONT WHICH COULD AID IN THE SHOWER DEVELOPMENT. AFTER THIS SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH...A SHORTWAVE TROUGH CURRENTLY IN NORTHERN MANITOBA WILL RAPIDLY DROP SOUTHWARD INTO THE LAKES REGION BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING. MINIMAL CAPPING AND SOME MARGINAL LAPSE RATES WILL ALLOW FOR SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS TO DEVELOP WITH ENOUGH UPWARD FORCING FROM THE SHORTWAVE. MOISTURE LOOKS FAIRLY MINIMAL SO COVERAGE SHOULD NOT BE OVERWHELMING. TOYED WITH THE IDEA OF ADDING ISOLATED THUNDER IN THE AFTERNOON...BUT PASSED ON IT FOR THE MOMENT DUE TO LIMITED CAPE/INSTABILITY. SOME COLDER AIR WILL GET PULLED DOWN WITH THIS SYSTEM AND CREATE SOME RELATIVELY COOL OVERNIGHT LOWS ON WED/THU. LOW TEMPS SHOULD STAY IN THE LOW 40S BOTH NIGHTS...SO ANY FROST DEVELOPMENT ON EITHER NIGHT DOES NOT SEEM FEASIBLE AT THE MOMENT. OF EITHER NIGHT...THU NIGHT WOULD HAVE THE BETTER CHANCE WITH THE SFC RIDGE PARKED OVER THE REGION BRINGING CLEAR SKIES AND CALM WINDS. TEMPERATURES WILL THEN START REBOUNDING ON FRIDAY AS THE RIDGE AXIS PASSES THRU AND THE SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS KICK IN. THE NEXT WEATHER MAKER TO MONITOR WILL BE THE COLD FRONT DROPPING DOWN FROM CANADA ON SUNDAY. DROUGHT DISCUSSION...THE FIRST TWO WEEKS IN MAY HAVE BEEN RATHER DRY ACROSS NORTHERN IL/IN WITH ONLY ABOUT 0.10 TO 0.25 FALLING...WHICH IS ABOUT AN INCH AND A HALF BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS POINT IN THE MONTH. THIS HAS INCREASED THE CHATTER A BIT ABOUT WHETHER WE ARE IN OR HEADED FOR A DROUGHT. ALTHOUGH THE PAST TWO WEEKS HAVE BEEN BELOW NORMAL...THE OVERALL TREND OVER THE LONG TERM IS THAT ALL OF THE REGION IS WELL ABOVE NORMAL FOR PRECIPITATION. SINCE FEB 14TH...THE REGION IS ABOUT A HALF INCH TO TWO INCHES ABOVE NORMAL AND SINCE NOV 16TH OF 2006 THE REGION IS ABOUT TWO TO FOUR INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THE EARLY PORTION OF SPRING FEATURED QUITE A BIT OF RIVER FLOODING. HEAVY RAINS AND A MELTING SNOWPACK HELPED CONTRIBUTE TO THIS. SO...THE MOISTURE IS THERE IN THE LAYERS BELOW THE TOPSOIL. FARMERS HAVE ACTUALLY WELCOMED THE DRY SPELL. BECAUSE OF THE HEAVY RAINS AT THE END OF APRIL...MOST FIELDS WERE TOO WET FOR FARMERS TO GET INTO IN NORTHERN IL/IN. HOWEVER...SINCE THE DRY OUT...MOST FARMERS HAVE SINCE BEEN ABLE TO GET OUT AND WORK THE FIELDS. WITH THE APPROACHING RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS FORECAST FOR TUESDAY...SOME PLACES MAY RECEIVE AN INCH OR SO OF RAIN WHICH WOULD BRING THEM BACK UP TO NORMAL AT THIS POINT IN THE MONTH. IF THE DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUE THROUGH SUMMER...THEN SOME DROUGHT CONDITIONS MAY START TO EMERGE. THE CURRENT LONG RANGE FORECAST FROM CPC INDICATES EQUAL CHANCES FOR ABOVE NORMAL...BELOW NORMAL...AND NEAR NORMAL PRECIPITATION OVER THE NEXT THREE MONTHS. HALBACH && .AVIATION... 115 PM CDT FOR 18Z TAFS...COMPLEX FRONTAL SYSTEM WORKING THROUGH NRN IL THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL VEER TO N-NW LATER IN THE DAY AS COOLER AIR SLIDES IN. CIGS EXPECTED TO DETEREORATE TO MVFR OR LOW MVFR LATE IN THE DAY AND TONIGHT AS RAIN AND SHOWERS INCR. PERIOD OF THUNDERSTORMS UNTIL AROUND SUNSET WITH WDLY SCTD STORMS ALREADY NEAR PIA. MAIN PERIOD OF TSTM THREAT FROM 20Z-00. SECOND IMPULSE ROTATING THROUGH THE REGION ON WED WILL PROLONG MVFR CONDS AND THREAT OF SHOWERS. KML && .MARINE... 230 AM CDT LOW PRESSURE DRIVING EAST SOUTHEAST ACROSS SRN ONTARIO TO NEW ENGLAND TODAY WILL TRAIL A COLD FRONT DOWN LAKE MICHIGAN. WHILE MAIN LOW MOVES OUT OF LAKE VICINITY...PRESS GRADIENT WEAKENS WHILE WINDS SHIFT TO WEST THEN NORTH THRU THE DAY. STRONG WINDS THIS EARLY MRNG TO 30S KTS DWINDLING TO 10 TO 20 KNOTS IN OPEN GRADIENT TODAY THEN PICKING UP TO 20-25 KNOTS FROM THE NORTH TONIGHT WITH INFLUX OF COLD AIR DOWN LAKE. A SECONDARY TROF DROPPING DOWN LAKE WED NGT AND THURSDAY WILL KEEP WEST TO NORTH FLOW OVER LAKES THRU THURSDAY NIGHT...ALBEIT 20 KTS OR LESS. HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WORKING OVER LAKES FRIDAY WILL TURN FLOW BACK TO SW FRIDAY...VEERING TO NORTH AGAIN LT SATURDAY AS ANOTHER COLD FRONT DROPS DOWN LAKE. NO GALES BUT SMALL CRAFT ADV LIKELY ON SOUTH END OF LAKE FOR WAVES AS LONG FETCH DOWN LAKE NEXT FEW DAYS ACCUMULATES WAVE HEIGHT. RLB .LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .IL...NONE. .IN...NONE. .LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THRU 12Z TUESDAY. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL 430 AM CDT TUE MAY 15 2007 ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>022-023-032-033-039-INZ001-002-010-011- 019-160930- 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- 430 AM CDT TUE MAY 15 2007 THIS PORTION OF THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST ILLINOIS...AND NORTHWEST INDIANA. .DAY ONE... TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM WAUKEGAN TO BURLINGTON TO DEKALB TO PAW PAW. THE MAIN SEVERE THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WIND AND HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY ON TUESDAY. && COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE NWS CHICAGO WEBPAGE: WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO LMZ740>745-766-160930- WINTHROP HARBOR IL TO MICHIGAN CITY IN- LAKE MICHIGAN- 430 AM CDT TUE MAY 15 2007 THIS PORTION OF THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ILLINOIS AND INDIANA WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE... TODAY AND TONIGHT A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. && COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE NWS CHICAGO WEBPAGE: WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO HALBACH
The Chicago radar (KLOT), 62 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:23 UTC.
11 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A gust to 60 mph was measured at the Dwight Airport in southern Grundy County.
Penny to nickel size hail reported. Hail covered the ground and stripped leaves off trees near Garfield and Route 113.
A barn was damaged just south of Manhattan.
A semi truck was blown over on Interstate 57, one mile north of Will-Peotone Road. The driver was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Trees and tree limbs were blown down in Peotone.
Tree limbs were blown down.
Trees and power lines were blown down.
Several trees and numerous tree limbs were blown down. An empty, above ground pool was destroyed.
Three 12 inch diameter trees were blown down.
Several trees were blown down in a park.
Trees blown down north of Watseka and a large tree was uprooted near North Fifth Street and Sheridan. A 30 foot by 50 foot roof was ripped off a barn on County Road 1630 N.
Tree limbs blown down west of Watseka.
A downtown building had about 90 feet of the roof peeled off and about a 10 foot section that was blown off. Debris from this roof was blown across the street. Tree limbs and power lines were also blown down.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, May 2007
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: 33182, 33161, 33164, 34808, 34931, 33166, 33167, 33169, 34933, 34809, 34932, 33170, 33171, 33176.