A complex of thundderstorms moved across central Illinois during the late afternoon and evening of 7/29/08, with the strongest storms impacting locations along and just north of I-72. Winds were generally in the 40 to 50 mph range, with isolated 60 to 70 mph gusts.
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.
A complex of thundderstorms moved across central Illinois during the late afternoon and evening of 7/29/08, with the strongest storms impacting locations along and just north of I-72. Winds were generally in the 40 to 50 mph range, with isolated 60 to 70 mph gusts. Heavy rain produced flash flooding in Champaign/Urbana.
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 29, 1:45 PM CST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 245 PM CDT TUE JUL 29 2008 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 245 PM CDT TUE JUL 29 2008 MAIN CONCERN WITH THIS FORECAST PACKAGE IS RAIN CHANCES TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...AS REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM DOLLY TRACK ACROSS THE REGION. 19Z SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS COLD FRONT PUSHING THROUGH THE UPPER MIDWEST...WHILE WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE SPINS ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS. AHEAD OF THESE TWO SYSTEMS...WARM AND VERY MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW IS BRINGING 70+ DEWPOINTS INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED IN ADVANCE OF DOLLY REMNANTS...WITH CONVECTION NOW SPREADING AS FAR EAST AS NORTHERN MISSOURI. SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY AS VIGOROUS UPPER LOW CURRENTLY OVER SOUTHERN ONTARIO CONTINUES TO TRACK EASTWARD...IT WILL HELP EJECT WEAKER UPPER LOW OVER KANSAS TOWARD CENTRAL ILLINOIS TONIGHT. MODELS ARE INDICATING ENERGY FROM THIS FEATURE WILL PUSH EASTWARD ACROSS THE REGION IN TWO DISTINCT WAVES...THE FIRST OF WHICH WILL ARRIVE THIS EVENING. NAM-WRF/GFS GENERALLY IN GOOD AGREEMENT EARLY ON...WITH SHOWERS/STORMS SPREADING ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF THE KILX CWA THIS EVENING...THEN FURTHER EASTWARD INTO EAST-CENTRAL ILLINOIS AFTER MIDNIGHT. PRECIP MAY TEND TO WANE AND SHIFT SOUTHWARD LATER TONIGHT...BEFORE FINAL PIECE OF ENERGY APPROACHES FROM THE WEST ON WEDNESDAY. WILL CARRY LIKELY POPS TONIGHT ACROSS LOCATIONS ALONG AND NORTHWEST OF A SHELBYVILLE TO CHAMPAIGN LINE...TAPERING TO CHANCE POPS ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-70. SECOND WAVE MOVES INTO THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY...AS SYNOPTIC COLD FRONT DROPS IN FROM THE NORTHWEST. EMPHASIS FOR PRECIP WILL BE A BIT FURTHER SOUTH...MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-72. WILL THEREFORE CONTINUE WITH LIKELY POPS ACROSS THOSE AREAS...WITH LOWER POPS FURTHER NORTH IN THE BLOOMINGTON AND PEORIA AREAS. FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE AMPLE MOISTURE THROUGHOUT THE PROFILE...AS EVIDENCED BY PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES. THIS RICH MOISTURE CONTENT...ALONG WITH GOOD LOW-LEVEL FORCING AND UPPER SUPPORT...WILL LEAD TO THE POSSIBILITY OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. HOWEVER...GIVEN PROGRESSIVE NATURE OF SYSTEM AND THE FACT THAT FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE IS FAIRLY HIGH...DO NOT THINK A WIDESPREAD FLOODING THREAT IS A CONCERN. TOTAL RAINFALL WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL GENERALLY BE ON THE ORDER OF ONE HALF TO ONE INCH...WITH AREAS SOUTH OF I-72 PERHAPS PICKING UP AS MUCH AS 2 INCHES IN A FEW SPOTS. AS WAVE MOVES EASTWARD AND FRONT SETTLES SOUTHWARD...RAIN CHANCES WILL COME TO AN END FROM NORTH TO SOUTH ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT. BASED ON LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE...WILL CARRY CHANCE POPS SOUTH OF I-72 AND LIKELY POPS SOUTH OF I-70. NAM-WRF HINTS AT THE POSSIBILITY OF A WEAK WAVE DEVELOPING ALONG THE BOUNDARY EARLY THURSDAY...WHICH COULD KEEP THE RAIN CHANCES ALIVE ACROSS THE FAR SE CWA. MEANWHILE...GFS PUSHES ALL THE RAIN SOUTH OF THE AREA AND DOES NOT FEATURE A WAVE. WILL ONLY MENTION SLIGHT CHANCE POPS SOUTH OF I-70 FOR THURSDAY...WITH DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED ELSEWHERE. LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY MAIN STORY IN THE EXTENDED WILL BE THE BUILDING HEAT AND HUMIDITY. 12Z 29 JUL MODELS HAVE CONTINUED THE TREND OF THE PAST SEVERAL MODEL RUNS...INDICATING UPPER RIDGING BUILDING EASTWARD INTO THE MIDWEST OVER THE WEEKEND AND PERSISTING INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. WITH BETTER RUN-TO-RUN CONSISTENCY NOW IN PLACE...CONFIDENCE IS GROWING FOR A VERY HOT PERIOD OF WEATHER BEGINNING ON SATURDAY. WITH 850MB TEMPS PROGGED TO CLIMB INTO THE 23 TO 26C RANGE AND ANY SIGNIFICANT FRONTAL BOUNDARIES REMAINING WELL TO THE NORTH OF THE REGION...HAVE RAISED HIGH TEMPS INTO THE MIDDLE 90S THIS WEEKEND. MODELS TRY TO BREAK DOWN THE RIDGE BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...WITH A FRONT APPROACHING LATE TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. WILL KEEP THINGS DRY FOR NOW...AS MODELS OFTEN BREAK DOWN PATTERNS TOO QUICKLY. BARNES && .AVIATION... ISSUED 1251 PM CDT TUE JUL 29 2008 PRECIPITATION TRIGGERS HAVE BEEN RATHER SUBTLE FOR THE REGION IN THE NEXT 24 HRS. FORECAST A BIT PROBLEMATIC IN PINNING DOWN TIME AND LOCATION. WAVE MOVING ACROSS THE NRN PORTIONS SHOULD BRING PRECIP IN THE FORM OF TS BEFORE MIDNIGHT...AND SECOND WAVE SHOULD BE CONFINED MORE TO THE SRN TERMINALS. HAVE TRIED TO HASH THAT OUT IN THE TAFS WITH PIA AND BMI LEFT WITH SHOWERS...AND THEN VCTS TOMORROW MORNING. AS FOR ANY PRECIP THIS AFTERNOON...GOING TO KEEP IT TO VCTS AS LINE OF MID LEVEL MOISTURE MOVING ACROSS THE MISS RIVER VALLEY...WITH SOME VERY WEAK RADAR RETURNS. AFTER MIDNIGHT...CHANCES FOR THUNDER GO UP CONSIDERABLY FOR THE REGION. HJS && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 323 PM CDT TUE JUL 29 2008 ILZ043>046-052>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-301100- CHAMPAIGN-CHRISTIAN-CLARK-CLAY-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND-DE WITT- DOUGLAS-EDGAR-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-MACON-MOULTRIE-PIATT- RICHLAND-SHELBY-VERMILION- 323 PM CDT TUE JUL 29 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL BE WELL INTO THE 90S THIS AFTERNOON. IF SKIES REMAIN MOSTLY SUNNY...HEAT INDEX READINGS AROUND 100 ARE NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. A WEAK SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL SINK INTO THE REGION FROM THE NORTH TONIGHT. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY WITH THE APPROACH OF THE FRONT...BUT BETTER CHANCES WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL TONIGHT WHEN THE FRONT PUSHES IN. ORGANIZED SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER...THE STORMS TONIGHT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL LINGER ACROSS THE REGION INTO THURSDAY...MAINTAINING A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. THE MOST WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE WEDNESDAY...WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. && THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGIC AND CLIMATE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/LINCOLN. THIS ADDRESS IS ALL IN LOWER CASE. ILZ027>031-036>038-040>042-047>051-301100- CASS-FULTON-KNOX-LOGAN-MARSHALL-MASON-MCLEAN-MENARD-MORGAN-PEORIA- SANGAMON-SCHUYLER-SCOTT-STARK-TAZEWELL-WOODFORD- 323 PM CDT TUE JUL 29 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL BE WELL INTO THE 90S THIS AFTERNOON. IF SKIES REMAIN MOSTLY SUNNY...HEAT INDEX READINGS AROUND 100 ARE NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MAKE ITS WAY INTO WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS LATE THIS AFTERNOON...BRINGING STRONG WINDS AND HAIL THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. AS THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING INTO LESS FAVORABLE AIR...THEY SHOULD DIMINISH AS MOVING WEST TO EAST. HOWEVER...AS THE STORMS ARE SLOW MOVING IN NATURE...SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING COULD BE POSSIBLE UNDER THE STRONGER STORMS. SOME STORMS COULD REACH SEVERE CRITERIA...BUT THE THREAT SHOULD LESSEN BEYOND SUNSET. A WEAK SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL SINK INTO THE REGION FROM THE NORTH TONIGHT. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY WITH THE APPROACH OF THE FRONT...BUT BETTER CHANCES WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL TONIGHT WHEN THE FRONT PUSHES IN. ORGANIZED SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER...THE STORMS TONIGHT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL LINGER ACROSS THE REGION INTO THURSDAY...MAINTAINING A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. THE MOST WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE WEDNESDAY...WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. && THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGIC AND CLIMATE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/LINCOLN. THIS ADDRESS IS ALL IN LOWER CASE. HJS
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:27 UTC.
9 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was blown down onto the roof of the fire department. Several power lines were blown down across town.
Two large trees were blown down.
Several large tree limbs were blown down.
A ten-inch diameter tree was split by high winds.
A tree was blown down near Beason.
Numerous large tree branches were blown down.
A large tree was blown down onto a house in Lexington.
Several trees and tree limbs were blown down.
Several trees and power lines blown down near Fisher.
Flash flooding and high water was reported on numerous streets in Champaign and Urbana. Numerous basements were flooded as well.
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: 126797, 126799, 126807, 126801, 126802, 126804, 126806, 126811, 127709, 127713.