Thunderstorms developed along an outflow boundary across wetsern Illinois during the evening of August 5th. The storms congealed into a bow echo as they tracked east-southeast across the region.
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 ILX wrote it up.
Thunderstorms developed along an outflow boundary across wetsern Illinois during the evening of August 5th. The storms congealed into a bow echo as they tracked east-southeast across the region. Several reports of wind damage were received along the path of the storms, mainly along and south of a Jacksonville to Taylorville to Marshall line.
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 5, 1:51 PM CST, 3 hours 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 251 PM CDT TUE AUG 5 2008 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 251 PM CDT TUE AUG 5 2008 WE FELL JUST SHY OF OFFICIAL HEAT ADVISORY CRITERIA TODAY...WHICH WAS THE FEAR DUE TO ONGOING CONVECTION. THE PROSPECT OF ANY SIGNIFICANT SUNSHINE THE REST OF THE DAY IS DIMINISHING AS CONVECTION DEVELOPS BACK TO THE WEST IN N MO. HAVE ALREADY CANCELLED THE HEAT ADVISORY. SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. THE COLD FRONT APPEARS TO JUST PASSED THROUGH GBG IN OUR NW AREA. CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT THROUGH THIS EVENING. A FEW STRONG STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE...MAINLY IN OUR SE AREA. OUR 18Z SOUNDING SHOWED MORE STABLE AIR THIS FAR NORTH...BUT A BRIEF PERIOD OF SUNSHINE FROM IJX AND SPI TO EFFINGHAM AND LWV MAY HELP DIMINISH THE LOW LEVEL CIN...AND INCREASE THE MUCAPES. THE LATEST SWOMCD HIGHLIGHTED OUR SE AREA FOR A POTENTIAL WATCH LATER THIS AFTN. WILL KEEP HIGH CHC TO LIKELY POPS THIS EVENING IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA...WITH LOWER CHANCES AFTER MIDNIGHT CENTRAL AND NORTH. GUIDANCE IS IN A LITTLE BETTER AGREEMENT ON THE FRONTAL POSITION BY 12Z WED...KEEPING IT CLOSE TO THE SOUTHERN BORDER OF OUR CWA SOUTH OF LWV. OUR SE 6 COUNTIES APPEAR TO HAVE THE HIGHEST POTENTIAL FOR STORMS ON WED...WITH SLIGHT CHANCES EXTENDING BACK TWRD SPI AND IJX. THE NAM...GFS...AND ECMWF ALL INDICATE A STORM COMPLEX DEVELOPING WED NIGHT IN NC MO AND ROLLING TOWARD SC IL. THE GFS IS ABOUT 6 TO 12 HOURS FASTER THAN THE NAM AND ECMWF...BUT POSITIONING IS SIMILAR. WILL KEEP SOME SCHC POPS IN OUR SOUTH DUE TO THE PROXIMITY OF THAT POTENTIAL MCS. WITH THE NAM BEING SLOWER WITH THE SYSTEM...IT LINGERS PRECIP NEAR OUR S CWA THROUGH THURS. BUT THE GFS AND ECMWF PUSH THE FRONT FARTHER SOUTH AND KEEP US DRY. WILL KEEP A DRY FORECAST FOR THUR. LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO PROVIDE PLEASANT WEATHER FOR FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...AND GUID IS IN DECENT AGREEMENT THROUGH SUNDAY. AFTER THAT...THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE GFS AND ECMWF. THE ECMWF CONTINUES TO PUSH A STRONG STORM SYSTEM DIRECTLY OVER CENTRAL ILLINOIS ON SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. THE GFS HAS THAT COMPLEX WELL SOUTH OF US. I INTRODUCED /SILENT/ SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUES TO ACCOUNT FOR THE POTENTIAL SYSTEM AND LINGERING FRONTAL BOUNDARY. BOTH ECMWF AND GFS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT IN THEIR DIFFERING SOLUTIONS SO FAR...SO DECIDED TO KEEP THE POPS LOW. SHIMON && .AVIATION... ISSUED 1240 PM CDT TUE AUG 5 2008 DEVELOPING MCS HAS TRACKED JUST SOUTHEAST OF THE TAF SITES EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...LEAVING BEHIND A MID-LEVEL OVERCAST. MEANWHILE...ISOLATED SHOWERS/STORMS ARE BEGINNING TO DEVELOP ALONG SYNOPTIC COLD FRONT AS IT APPROACHES THE ILLINOIS RIVER. ATMOSPHERE ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS IS RELATIVELY STABLE...SO EXTENT OF STORM DEVELOPMENT AHEAD OF FRONT THIS AFTERNOON IS STILL IN QUESTION. BASED ON STABILITY PARAMETERS AND LATEST SATELLITE/RADAR TRENDS...WILL ONLY CARRY VCTS AT KSPI...KDEC...AND KCMI THROUGH EARLY EVENING. FURTHER NORTH...FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH KPIA BEFORE ANY STORMS FIRE...SO HAVE LEFT THUNDER MENTION OUT. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT AND VARIABLE THIS AFTERNOON...BUT WILL SWITCH TO NW EARLY THIS EVENING ONCE THE FRONT SLIDES OFF TO THE EAST. WITH CLEARING SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS OVERNIGHT...FOG IS A GOOD BET...ESPECIALLY ACROSS LOCATIONS THAT PICKED UP RAIN TODAY. WILL FEATURE TEMPO GROUPS WITH VSBYS REDUCED TO BETWEEN 3 AND 4SM TO COVER THIS. AFTER THAT...EXPECT MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT N/NE WINDS WEDNESDAY MORNING. BARNES && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 306 PM CDT TUE AUG 5 2008 ILZ027>031-036>038-040>046-048-053>057-063-061100- CHAMPAIGN-CLARK-COLES-DE WITT-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-FULTON-KNOX-LOGAN- MACON-MARSHALL-MASON-MCLEAN-MENARD-MOULTRIE-PEORIA-PIATT-SCHUYLER- STARK-TAZEWELL-VERMILION-WOODFORD- 306 PM CDT TUE AUG 5 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A COLD FRONT DROPS INTO THE AREA. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH THE PERIOD. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ047-049>052-061-062-066>068-071>073-061100- CASS-CHRISTIAN-CLAY-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE- MORGAN-RICHLAND-SANGAMON-SCOTT-SHELBY- 306 PM CDT TUE AUG 5 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP IN ADVANCE OF A COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON. FREQUENT LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...WITH DAMAGING WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH AND PENNY SIZED HAIL POSSIBLE. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL SHIFT INTO SOUTHERN ILLINOIS LATER THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH THE PERIOD. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...MAINLY BETWEEN 3 PM AND 10 PM. BARNES
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
219 PM CDT TUE AUG 05 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0615 AM TSTM WND DMG HOOPESTON 40.47N 87.67W
08/05/2008 VERMILION IL EMERGENCY MNGR
25 TO 30 LARGE TREES DOWN ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF
HOOPESTON. 1 LARGE TREE DESTROYED A CAR
&&
KELLYThe Lincoln radar (KILX), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:56 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Eight-inch diameter limbs were blown down onto a house.
Several two-foot diameter trees were blown down. Power lines were blown down and blocked Highway 104.
A power pole was blown down onto a house in South Jacksonville.
A tree was blown down in Taylorville.
Numerous tree limbs were blown down.
A tree limb was blown down onto a power line in Mason.
Several three-inch diameter limbs were blown down.
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: 132522, 132533, 132534, 132523, 132524, 132525, 132532.