Thunderstorms developed and moved across parts of central Illinois during the early morning hours of 7/7/08. Locally heavy rainfall of between 2 and 4 inches was observed in a few locations, particularly across DeWitt and Piatt counties.
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 and moved across parts of central Illinois during the early morning hours of 7/7/08. Locally heavy rainfall of between 2 and 4 inches was observed in a few locations, particularly across DeWitt and Piatt counties. Two thunderstorms, one near Peoria and the other in southern Champaign County produced lightning strikes which caused 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 Lincoln, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 7, 2:30 AM CST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 330 AM CDT MON JUL 7 2008 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 317 AM CDT MON JUL 7 2008 ONGOING CONVECTION ACROSS THE CWA THIS MORNING FILLING IN SOMEWHAT TO THE EAST AND WILL BE THE FIRST ISSUE FOR THE FORECAST...AS TO THE DURATION OF THE PRECIP. NEXT PROBLEM WITH THE FCST IS AN APPROACHING FRONT...AND JUST HOW FAR IT MAKES IT THROUGH THE FA BEFORE STALLING AND BECOMING ANOTHER FOCUS FOR CONTINUED PRECIP. BESIDES ALL THAT...TEMPS ON A REBOUND AS SUMMER FINALLY APPEARS TO BE SETTLING IN WITH TEMPS IN THE UPPER 80S AND LOWER 90S THROUGH THE MED RANGE OF THE FORECAST. ECMWF STILL THE PREFERRED MODEL FURTHER OUT...AND USING THE NAM/WRF AND THE RUN IN THE SHORTER TERM. SHORT TERM...TODAY AND TOMORROW... RUC ACTUALLY REFLECTING THE PRECIP ACTIVITY SPREADING IN COVERAGE THIS MORNING...IF ONLY A LITTLE TOO FAR TO THE NORTH. RUC REDUCING COVERAGE CONSIDERABLY BY 15Z. WILL PUSH HIGH CHANCES TO THE NE...BUT KEEP THE SW RELATIVELY DRY. CLEARING OUT THE AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON...BUT KEEPING SOME LOW CHANCE POPS IN THE OVERNIGHT HOURS FOR ANY PREFRONTAL ACTIVITY THAT MAY MAKE IT INTO THE FAR NRN TIER OF THE CWA BEFORE 12Z. FOR TOMORROW...TEMPS EVER SO SLIGHTLY HIGHER AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING FRONT. SPEED OF FRONT MAY RESULT IN A DROP OF MAX TEMPS IN THE NW...WHERE PRECIP MAY ARRIVE EARLIER INHIBITING MAX HEATING. PRECIP SLOWLY MAKING ITS WAY THROUGH TOMORROW NIGHT AS THE FRONT GETS INTO MORE AND MORE PARALLEL FLOW. LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... THOUGH 06Z NAM/WRF PUSHES THE FRONT EVEN FURTHER TO THE SOUTH THAN THE 00Z RUN...SFC BOUNDARY IS STILL UNCOMFORTABLY CLOSE TO WARRANT PULLING POPS COMPLETELY SOUTH OF I-70. BEYOND WED HOWEVER...FORECAST DRY AS ILX ENDS UP IN MORE OF A RIDGING PATTERN FOR THE MIDWEST. HJS && .AVIATION... ISSUED 1110 PM CDT SUN JUL 6 2008 CONVECTION CHANCES AND COVERAGE OVERNIGHT CONTINUES TO BE THE MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGE. SMALL CLUSTER OF STORMS ACRS EAST CENTRAL IOWA TRACKING EAST SHOULD STAY JUST NORTH OF PIA AND BMI BUT AM CONCERNED ABOUT ADDL DVLPMT AT THE SRN END OF THE COMPLEX WHICH MAY SHIFT THE AREA OF STORMS A BIT FURTHER SOUTHEAST INTO OUR NRN FCST AREA. AREA OF STORMS HAS SHOWN A DECREASING TREND AS IT MOVES ACRS EXTREME ERN IOWA AS IT ENCOUNTERS A FAIRLY SUBSTANTIAL WARM LAYER DEPICTED ON THE DVN AND ILX SOUNDINGS THIS EVENING. HOWEVER...STILL QUITE A BIT OF INSTABILITY ABOVE 850 MB AND SOME OF THAT WL BE REALIZED DURING THE ERLY MRNG HOURS WITH SCT CONVECTION...ESP ACRS THE NRN TAF SITES. WL INCLUDE A TEMPO GROUP FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS AT PIA AND BMI TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT A MORE SELY TRACK TO THE CURRENT CLUSTER OF STORMS. MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE WITH TORRENTIAL RAINFALL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. FURTHER EAST AND SOUTH THE PICTURE BECOMES A BIT MORE COMPLICATED WITH THE LATEST SFC ANALYSIS INDICATING THE BEST MOISTURE CONVERGENCE HAS SHIFTED INTO EASTERN IL AHEAD OF A WEAK WARM FRONT OVR SW IL. WL MAKE A LAST MINUTE DECISION ON THE RMDR OF THE TAF SITES FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AS WHETHER TO INCLUDE A TEMPO GROUP OR VCTS. WITH THE INCREASE IN LOW LVL MOISTURE...FOG AND HAZE WL LIMIT VISIBILITIES OVERNIGHT IN ADDITION TO ANY CONVECTION WHICH MAY PASS THROUGH. AT THIS POINT...IT APPEARS THE NORTHERN FCST AREA WL SEE SOME PATCHY MVFR VSBYS IN FOG/HZ. SCATTERED CONVECTION CHANCES WILL HOLD AT LEAST THRU THE MID MORNING HOURS MONDAY BEFORE THE WARM FRONT SHIFTS NORTHEAST OF THE AREA BY AFTN. WL CARRY VCTS ACRS THE NORTH IN THE MRNG AND THEN KEEP THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD DRY. SFC WNDS WL BE LIGHT SELY TNT WL BECOME SW BY LATE MONDAY MORNING WITH A FEW GUSTS APPRCHG 20KTS DURING THE AFTN. SMITH && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 317 PM CDT SUN JUL 6 2008 ILZ027>031-036>038-040-041-071100- FULTON-KNOX-MARSHALL-MASON-MCLEAN-PEORIA-SCHUYLER-STARK-TAZEWELL- WOODFORD- 317 PM CDT SUN JUL 6 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AN UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL BRING A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS INTO NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS TONIGHT. NONE OF THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ON MONDAY...AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL INCREASE MARKEDLY ON TUESDAY...AS A COLD FRONT SINKS INTO THE REGION FROM THE NORTHWEST. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ047-049-050-071100- CASS-MORGAN-SCOTT- 317 PM CDT SUN JUL 6 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AN UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL BRING A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS TONIGHT. NONE OF THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ON MONDAY...AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL INCREASE MARKEDLY ON TUESDAY...AS A COLD FRONT SINKS INTO THE REGION FROM THE NORTHWEST. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARDS. THE ILLINOIS RIVER WILL REMAIN IN FLOOD AT BEARDSTOWN AND POINTS DOWNSTREAM THROUGH THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ042>046-048-051>057-061>063-071100- CHAMPAIGN-CHRISTIAN-CLARK-COLES-CUMBERLAND-DE WITT-DOUGLAS-EDGAR- LOGAN-MACON-MENARD-MOULTRIE-PIATT-SANGAMON-SHELBY-VERMILION- 317 PM CDT SUN JUL 6 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AN UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL BRING A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS TONIGHT. NONE OF THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ON MONDAY...AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL INCREASE MARKEDLY ON TUESDAY...AS A COLD FRONT SINKS INTO THE REGION FROM THE NORTHWEST. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT...MAINLY NORTH OF I-70. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARDS. HEAVY RAIN WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR MINOR FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ066>068-071>073-071100- CLAY-CRAWFORD-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-RICHLAND- 317 PM CDT SUN JUL 6 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AN UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL BRING A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS ON MONDAY. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL INCREASE MARKEDLY ON TUESDAY NIGHT...AS A COLD FRONT SINKS INTO THE REGION FROM THE NORTHWEST. HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR MINOR FLOODING. STORM CHANCES WILL CONTINUE ON WEDNESDAY AS THE FRONT LINGERS NEAR SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. BARNES
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:03 UTC.
2 lightning, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck an apartment complex near Bradley University setting fire to a third floor apartment ceiling, the attic and the roof. There were no injuries.
Lightning struck a garage in Pesotum and set it ablaze. The garage and its contents were destroyed.
High water flowing across IL Route 32 between the town of Lake City and US-36.
Six to eight inches of water was flowing across IL Route 32 between the town of LaPlace and US-36.
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: 127697, 127699, 126835, 126834.