Scattered thunderstorms developed on the leading edge of a large thunderstorm complex in western Illinois and northeast Missouri during the evening of 8/28. One of the thunderstorms produced a lightning strike which caused a house fire in the city of Havana in Mason County.
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The episode as NWS ILX wrote it up.
Scattered thunderstorms developed on the leading edge of a large thunderstorm complex in western Illinois and northeast Missouri during the evening of 8/28. One of the thunderstorms produced a lightning strike which caused a house fire in the city of Havana in Mason County. The occupants of the house escaped without injury.
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 Aug 28, 6:14 PM CST, 42 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 714 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2008 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 714 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2008 DID A QUICK UPDATE TO THE GRIDS FOR LIKELY STORMS THIS EVENING IN THE SW THIRD OF THE CWA. ADDED MENTION OF SEVERE STORMS WITH HAIL AND WINDS FOR THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA AS WELL. WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 06Z. THE STRONGEST PORTION OF THE BOW ECHO APPEARS LIKE IT MAY CLIP SCOTT COUNTY. FARTHER TO THE NORTH AND EAST...THE SEVERE THREAT WILL BE OF A SCATTERED NATURE AND PRIMARILY FOR LARGE HAIL. LESS ORGANIZED DOWNBURSTS WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE IN THAT AREA AS WELL. UPDATED ZONES AND GRIDS ARE ALREADY AVAILABLE. SHIMON && .AVIATION... ISSUED 636 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2008...FOR THE 00Z TAFS STORMS ARE DEVELOPING IN OUR W CWA...AHEAD OF THE MAIN MCS IN N MO. THE STORM TRACKS APPEAR TO TAKE MOST OF THE ACTIVITY SOUTH OF LINCOLN...WITH SPI IN THE PATH OF THE STRONGEST STORMS. HAVE HIT SPI THE HARDEST WITH IFR VIS TO 1SM...+TSRA AND GUSTY WINDS BETWEEN 00Z AND 03Z. DEC MAY SEE SOME OF THAT...BUT AREAS N AND E OF SPI WILL SEE MORE SCATTERED STORMS AND A BIT WEAKER. MAY BE SEEING A SVR STORM WATCH SOON FOR OUR SW AREAS AS WELL. DID NOT EXTEND THE VCTS IN THE TAFS MUCH BEYOND 06Z...BUT MAY NEED TO ADJUST AS THE LINE PROGRESSES INTO OUR CWA. FOG IS EXPECTED TO BECOME LOCALLY DENSE IN THE WAKE OF THESE STORMS. CMI WILL HAVE A CHANCE FOR VLIFR VIS AGAIN...SINCE THE LOWER DEWPOINT AIR IS LAGGING WELL BEHIND THIS LINE OF STORMS. DEWPOINTS WILL LIKELY REMAIN AROUND 70 IN MUCH OF THE AREA THROUGH MORNING. WILL KEEP AT LEAST IFR FOG IN A TEMPO FOR ALL SITES. SHIMON && .PREV DISCUSSION... ISSUED 300 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2008 SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY... MCS THAT MOVED ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS EARLIER TODAY HAS LEFT A MODIFIED AIRMASS THAT SHOULD PRECLUDE ANY MEANINGFUL CONVECTION INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. THE WESTERN EDGE OF THIS BUBBLE OF RELATIVELY STABLE AIR IS RECOVERING OVER NORTHEASTERN MISSOURI... AND THIS PROCESS SHOULD CONTINUE EASTWARD INTO WESTERN ILLINOIS THROUGH 00Z UNTIL THE SUN BEGINS TO GO DOWN. UPSTREAM AIRMASS OVER NORTHERN MISSOURI AND NORTHEAST KANSAS IS QUITE UNSTABLE NEAR THE COLD FRONT THAT EXTENDS FROM CENTRAL IOWA TO JUST NORTHWEST OF TOPEKA. HEALTHY ELEVATED CONVECTION IS INCREASING NORTH OF THE FRONT OVER SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA...AND EXPECT FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF A SURFACE-BASED VARIETY ACROSS NORTHERN MISSOURI. SOME CHANCE THAT OUR AIRMASS MAY RECOVER SUFFICIENTLY TO SUPPORT A HAIL/WIND THREAT IN THE WEST AS THE DEVELOPING STORMS MOVE EASTWARD ALONG THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE UPPER JET. WILL HOLD OFF ON LIKELY POPS DUE TO QUESTIONS REGARDING AREAL COVERAGE...BUT WILL STILL HAVE HEALTHY CHANCE POPS OVER THE WEST/SOUTHWEST. THE COLD FRONT SHOULD PROGRESS TOWARD THE ILLINOIS RIVER VALLEY BY MIDNIGHT WITH A REDUCTION IN PRECIPITATION IN ITS WAKE. WILL THEREFORE TAKE POPS DOWN TO SLIGHT CHANCE AFTER 06Z IN THE NORTHWEST. AS THE FRONT MAKES IT INTO THE SOUTHEAST BY 12Z FRI...IT WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY SEPARATED FROM ITS ASSOCIATED UPPER TROUGH THAT WILL BE MOVING INTO THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES. IT SHOULD THEREFORE SLOW DOWN AND POSE AT LEAST A CHANCE OF ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION SOUTHEAST OF INTERSTATE 70 FOR THE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. FORECAST SOUNDINGS OVER THAT AREA SHOW CAPE VALUES OF 2000-2500 J/KG BY 18Z BEFORE THE DRIER AIR PUSHES COMPLETELY THROUGH...SO WILL MAINTAIN CHANCE POPS DOWN THERE INTO EARLY AFTERNOON. REMAINDER OF SHORT TERM PERIOD FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY SHOULD BE MAINLY CLEAR AND DRY AS HIGH PRESSURE NOW OVER THE PLAINS COMES EAST AND PARKS ACROSS THE MIDWEST. LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY... MONDAY AND TUESDAY WILL CONTINUE TO BE DRY WITH A WARMING TREND AS HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS ANCHORED FROM THE GREAT LAKES SOUTHWESTWARD INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. THE GFS AND ECMWF MODELS BOTH INDICATE A CONUS UPPER PATTERN FEATURING A TROUGH-WEST RIDGE-EAST WHICH WILL AID IN WARMING HIGHS INTO THE LOWER 90S...ESPECIALLY IN SOUTHEASTERN ILLINOIS. BY WEDNESDAY...THE WESTERN TROUGH WILL BEGIN TO MOVE NORTHEAST INTO SOUTH-CENTRAL CANADA AND DRIVE THE NEXT COLD FRONT INTO THE MIDWEST. BY THEN...THE REMAINS OF GUSTAV WILL ALSO BE MOVING NORTH TOWARD ARKANSAS. LIKE YESTERDAY...THE ECMWF DEPICTION OF THE TRACK OF GUSTAV FITS REASONABLY WELL THE THE LATEST NHC PROJECTED TRACK. IN ANY EVENT...A COMPLICATED SITUATION WILL EVOLVE WITH A POSSIBLE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE COLD FRONT AND THE DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE FROM THE REMAINS OF GUSTAV. PREDICTABILITY IS STILL RATHER POOR THIS FAR IN ADVANCE...BUT WILL RAISE POPS INTO THE SLIGHT CHANCE TO CHANCE CATEGORIES WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. 04 && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 310 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2008 ILZ027>031-036-037-040-041-047-291100- CASS-FULTON-KNOX-MARSHALL-MASON-PEORIA-SCHUYLER-STARK-TAZEWELL- WOODFORD- 310 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO THE ILLINOIS RIVER VALLEY THIS EVENING...TRIGGERING SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...HOWEVER A FEW OF THE STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG TO LOCALLY SEVERE...PRODUCING HAIL...WIND GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. THE THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL COME TO AN END LATER TONIGHT AS THE FRONT SHIFTS FURTHER SOUTH AND EAST. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A COLD FRONT WILL BEGIN TO APPROACH FROM THE WEST BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...POSSIBLY BRINGING A FEW THUNDERSTORMS INTO THE REGION ON WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS EVENING...PARTICULARLY BEFORE 900 PM CDT. ILZ038-042>046-048>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-291100- CHAMPAIGN-CHRISTIAN-CLARK-CLAY-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND-DE WITT- DOUGLAS-EDGAR-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-LOGAN-MACON-MCLEAN-MENARD- MORGAN-MOULTRIE-PIATT-RICHLAND-SANGAMON-SCOTT-SHELBY-VERMILION- 310 PM CDT THU AUG 28 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS TONIGHT...TRIGGERING WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR A FEW LINGERING THUNDERSTORMS ON FRIDAY...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF A TAYLORVILLE TO DANVILLE LINE...AS THE COLD FRONT SLOWLY SETTLES SOUTH TO THE OHIO RIVER. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. BARNES
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:58 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck a house in the city of Havana setting the roof and attic ablaze. The residents of the house were able to flee uninjured. The house burned to the ground.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, August 2008
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: 129286.