Slow moving thunderstorms continued to back build and produce very heavy rain and flash flooding in a small area of west central Illinois during the early morning hours. The storms developed on an old outflow boundary with the aid of an upper level disturbance.
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.
Slow moving thunderstorms continued to back build and produce very heavy rain and flash flooding in a small area of west central Illinois during the early morning hours. The storms developed on an old outflow boundary with the aid of an upper level disturbance. The thunderstorms also produced lightning damage in DeWitt County.
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 Jul 11, 10:55 PM CST, 2 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 1155 PM CDT FRI JUL 11 2008 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 900 PM CDT FRI JUL 11 2008 A BUBBLE OF RELATIVELY COOL/STABLE SURFACE AIR IS IN PLACE ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA COURTESY OF AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED OUTFLOWS. WARM/MOIST SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW OVER THE TOP OF THIS BUBBLE AND A WEAK SHORT WAVE MOVING INTO THE REGION FROM MISSOURI/IOWA IS CONTINUING TO TRIGGER SCATTERED SHOWERS/STORMS. EXPECT THIS TREND TO CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS UNTIL THE WAVE PASSES TO OUR EAST. THEN...WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE COLD FRONT...CURRENTLY IN THE UPPER MIDWEST/CENTRAL PLAINS...TO BRING US OUR NEXT ROUND OF MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS/STORMS FOR SATURDAY. THE SEVERE THREAT IS PRETTY MUCH OVER FOR THE NIGHT DUE TO THE LOSS OF SIGNIFICANT INSTABILITY. THE MAIN THREAT WOULD BE MARGINAL HAIL AND HEAVY RAINS. GOING FORECAST IS IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE. ONLY MINOR TWEAKS ARE NEEDED FOR THE LATEST AND EXPECTED TRENDS. && .AVIATION... ISSUED 1155 PM CDT FRI JUL 11 2008 TYPICALLY DIFFICULT TO PIN POINT SUMMERTIME CONVECTION IS THE PRIMARY FORECAST CONCERN THROUGH THE 06Z TAF PERIOD. ONGOING STORMS OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A WEAK UPPER WAVE MOVING ACROSS THE REGION. STORMS OVER CENTRAL ILLINOIS EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON DRAPED MORE STABLE...OUTFLOW COOLED...AIR OVER MUCH OF THE REGION HAVE SLOWED THE EASTWARD PROGRESS OF THE STORMS THIS EVENING. SCATTERED STORMS SHOULD STILL IMPACT CENTRAL ILLINOIS THROUGH THE NIGHT...BUT THE COVERAGE LIKELY DOES NOT SUPPORT MORE THAN A VCTS MENTION IN THE TERMINALS AT THIS TIME. A COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER MIDWEST TO THE CENTRAL PLAINS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE CENTRAL ILLINOIS TERMINALS DURING THE DAYTIME HOURS SATURDAY. THIS FRONT WILL SERVE AS A FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT...MAINLY DURING THE LATE MORNING TO MID AFTERNOON HOURS. HAVE COVERED THIS MORE LIKELY STORM EVENT WITH A FEW HOURS OF TEMPO TSRA...THOUGH THE TIMING MAY STILL NEED TO BE TWEAKED A BIT. VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO PREVAIL OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE 06Z TAF PERIOD. BAK && .PREV DISCUSSION... ISSUED 244 PM CDT FRI JUL 11 2008 A WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WAS PUSHING ACRS WEST CNTRL IL THIS AFTERNOON HELPING TO SPARK SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. TYPICAL TROPICAL AIR MASS WITH DEW POINTS IN THE LOWER 70S AND A FREEZING LEVEL OF AROUND 14000 FEET ON THE 12Z ILX SOUNDING ACCOMPANIED BY RATHER LIGHT WINDS ALOFT. STORMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH...PEA SIZE HAIL AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL. WAVE SHOULD EXIT TO OUR EAST THIS EVENING WITH THE ISOLD CONVECTION TO OUR WEST AND SOUTH HAVE MORE OF A DIURNAL COMPONENT TO IT SO WL HANDLE WITH SCATTERED WORDING THIS EVENING AND CHANCE POPS OVERNIGHT FOR ADDL DEVELOPMENT AS CONVECTION ALONG A STRONG COLD FRONT TRANSLATES EWD TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BY DAWN ON SAT. SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MAIN FORECAST CONCERN WILL BE WITH RAIN CHANCES TONIGHT AND SEVERE THREAT ALONG COLD FRONT ON SATURDAY. AFTER THAT...A RATHER QUIET WX PICTURE SHAPING UP THRU WED OF NEXT WEEK. NO REAL MODEL PREFERENCES AS BOTH THE NAM-WRF AND GFS WERE HANDLING THE MOVEMENT OF THE UPPER WAVE AND COLD FRONT SIMILARLY. SEVERAL WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WERE TRACKING FRM MO EWD INTO CNTRL IL. THE LEAD WAVE PRODUCED THE SCATTERED STORMS ACRS THE FCST AREA THRU MID AFTERNOON. HOWEVER... THE WATER VAPOR LOOP STILL SHOWING SOME ENERGY OVR WRN MO BUT VERY LITTLE IN THE WAY OF CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THAT FEATURE AS A STRONG CAP EXISTED FURTHER WEST KEEPING CONVECTION MORE ISOLATED. WITH THE INITIAL WAVE PUSHING TO OUR EAST THIS EVENING...THE CONVECTION SHOULD BEGIN TO DECREASE IN COVERAGE TO THE WEST WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING SO WL CARRY SCT/ISOLD WORDING THIS EVENING AND THEN START TO SHAVE POPS ACRS OUR EAST AND SOUTHEAST AS THE BETTER SUPPORT FOR CONVECTION WITH THE STRONG COLD FRONT OVER THE PLAINS SHIFTS TO OUR FAR NW COUNTIES BY DAWN. THE STRONG UPPER LEVEL WAVE WL DIG SOUTHEAST INTO THE UPPER LAKES OVR THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS AND DRAG A COLD FRONT ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS SATURDAY AFTN. IT APPEARS AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 55 HAVE THE THREAT FOR SEEING SOME STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS DURING THE AFTN AND EVENING HOURS. MODERATE INSTABILITY/CAPES BUT RATHER WEAK SHEAR AND MORE UNIDIRECTIONAL WIND PROFILES SUGGEST ANY STORMS THAT DO ORGANIZE WL BE MORE LINEAR WITH THE MAIN THREAT BEING WITH STRONG WINDS. CONVECTION CHANCES WL START TO LOWER FROM NW TO SEE EARLY SAT EVENING AND POPS WL BE LEFT IN THE SLIGHT CHANCE RANGE EARLY SUN MORNING IN OUR EXTREME SE. HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN SETTLE INTO THE MIDWEST LATE SUNDAY AND BRING SLIGHTLY COOLER AND DRIER WEATHER TO THE AREA THROUGH MONDAY. LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY UPPER LEVEL WAVE FORECAST BY ALL MEDIUM RANGE MODELS TO BUILD NWD WITH TIME EARLY NEXT WEEK WHICH SHOULD BRING A GRDL WARMING TREND AND DRY CONDITIONS TO THE REGION. STILL SEEING SOME WEAK DISTURBANCES ROTATE ALONG THE NRN PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER LEVEL HIGH AS IT BUILDS NWD BUT FOR THE MOST PART...THESE DISTURBANCES ARE EXPECTED TO STAY WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER THRU WEDNESDAY. AFTER THAT...SHORTWAVE ENERGY WL MOVE ACRS SW CANADA INTO NRN MONTANA BY DAY 7 (FRIDAY) AS THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE STARTS TO GET DEPRESSED SOUTH AND EAST AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE. MODELS HAVE TRENDED A BIT SLOWER WITH THE FRONTAL SYSTEM ASSOCIATED WITH THE MONTANA WAVE SO IT APPEARS OTHER THAN A SLIGHT CHANCE INCORPORATED INTO THE GRIDS FOR FRIDAY...THE BEST THREAT FOR ORGANIZED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE COLD FRONT WL NOT ARRIVE UNTIL NEXT WEEKEND. SMITH && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 321 PM CDT FRI JUL 11 2008 ILZ027>031-036>038-040>043-047>053-121100- CASS-CHRISTIAN-DE WITT-FULTON-KNOX-LOGAN-MACON-MARSHALL-MASON- MCLEAN-MENARD-MORGAN-PEORIA-SANGAMON-SCHUYLER-SCOTT-STARK- TAZEWELL-WOODFORD- 321 PM CDT FRI JUL 11 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS EVENING...AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE TRACKS ACROSS THE AREA. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...HOWEVER SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A GREATER CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL EXIST ON SATURDAY...AS A COLD FRONT DROPS INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS. THE PRIMARY SEVERE THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL...AS WELL AS TORRENTIAL RAINFALL. THE SEVERE WEATHER RISK WILL SHIFT EAST OF THE I-55 CORRIDOR BY LATE AFTERNOON. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ044>046-054>057-061-121100- CHAMPAIGN-COLES-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-MOULTRIE-PIATT-SHELBY-VERMILION- 321 PM CDT FRI JUL 11 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS EVENING...AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE TRACKS ACROSS THE AREA. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...HOWEVER SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A GREATER CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL EXIST ON SATURDAY...AS A COLD FRONT DROPS INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS. THE PRIMARY SEVERE THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL...AS WELL AS TORRENTIAL RAINFALL. THE SEVERE WEATHER RISK WILL SHIFT EAST OF THE AREA BY EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ062-063-066>068-071>073-121100- CLARK-CLAY-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-RICHLAND- 321 PM CDT FRI JUL 11 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING...AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE TRACKS ACROSS THE AREA. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...HOWEVER SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A GREATER CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL EXIST ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AS A COLD FRONT DROPS INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS. THE PRIMARY SEVERE THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL...AS WELL AS TORRENTIAL RAINFALL. THE SEVERE WEATHER RISK WILL SHIFT EAST AND SOUTH OF THE AREA BY AROUND MIDNIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. BARNES
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
1029 PM CDT FRI JUL 11 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0333 PM HAIL CHATHAM 39.67N 89.70W
07/11/2008 E0.50 INCH SANGAMON IL TRAINED SPOTTER
TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED DIME SIZE HAIL IN THE VILLAGE OF
CHATHAM.
0335 PM HAIL 1 N CHATHAM 39.69N 89.70W
07/11/2008 E0.88 INCH SANGAMON IL LAW ENFORCEMENT
0500 PM HEAVY RAIN MOUNT PULASKI 40.01N 89.28W
07/11/2008 M2.31 INCH LOGAN IL CO-OP OBSERVER
3 HOUR RAINFALL TOTAL
0610 PM TSTM WND DMG RUSHVILLE 40.12N 90.57W
07/11/2008 SCHUYLER IL EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES AND POWER POLES DOWN
0645 PM FLOOD 2 W PAWNEE 39.59N 89.62W
07/11/2008 SANGAMON IL TRAINED SPOTTER
IL ROUTE 104 IS DOWN TO 1 LANE...FOR ABOUT 1 MILE...DUE
TO FLOODING OF THE ROAD
&&
KELLYThe Lincoln radar (KILX), 47 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:15 UTC.
7 flash flood, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Several vehicles were flooded on IL Route 97, one mile south of Petersburg.
High flowing water washed out a bridge and road on the south side of Athens. Parts of IL Route 29 were flooded between IL Route 123 and the town of Athens.
Gudgel Bridge Road at Price Road was closed due to mudslides blocking the road 2 miles southwest of Athens.
Two 8-inch diameter culverts were washed out on Harvest Road southwest of Athens. A car plunged into the void, resulting in two minor injuries.
IL Route 97 was closed at New Salem due to water flowing across the road.
A culvert was washed out on Foggy Bottom Avenue 7 miles south of Petersburg.
Lightning struck the water plant in the village of Kenney destroying a transformer for the water tower's pump. Several electrical devices within the plant were also damaged. There were no injuries.
Several county roads were closed across northern Sangamon County due to high water.
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, July 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: 126840, 126844, 126845, 126850, 126854, 126857, 127702, 126839.