An area of strong to severe thunderstorms with very heavy rain moved across east central Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours of the 6th. Several storms produced wind damage and one storm produced a tornado that passed through the town of Lerna in Coles County.
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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.
An area of strong to severe thunderstorms with very heavy rain moved across east central Illinois during the afternoon and evening hours of the 6th. Several storms produced wind damage and one storm produced a tornado that passed through the town of Lerna in Coles County. Widespread flooding occurred in the wake of the storms.
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 Jun 6, 1:50 PM CST, 1 hour earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 250 PM CDT FRI JUN 6 2008 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 215 PM CDT FRI JUN 6 2008 PROFILERS SHOWING A GRDL WEAKENING OF WIND FIELDS ACRS THE MIDWEST THIS AFTN AND THIS TREND IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO THIS EVENING. STRONGEST WINDS MIXED TO THE SFC DURING THE LATE MRNG AND EARLY AFTN HOURS WITH THE STRONGER WINDS FIELDS NOW ABOVE 4000 FEET. WL TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE FCST SOUNDINGS AND PROFILERS IN A COUPLE OF HOURS...BUT IF CURRENT TRENDS CONTINUE...WL CANCEL THE WIND ADVSY AT ZONE ISSUANCE TIME. ...HAVE DECIDED TO HOLD ONTO THE WIND ADVSY UNTIL THE EXPIRATION TIME OF 600 PM CDT THIS EVENING...STILL SEEING WIND GUSTS APPROACH 50 MPH ACROSS THE NORTH AND WEST THIS AFTN... SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGE THIS PERIOD WILL BE WITH THUNDERSTORM CHANCES TNT AND OVER THE WEEKEND ALONG WITH TEMPS. SHORTWAVE ENERGY PUSHING OUT OF SW MO WL INTERACT WITH A WEAKENING FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO PRODUCE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ACRS PARTS OF THE AREA THRU THE EVENING HOURS. STORMS DURING THEIR INITIAL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT COULD EXHIBIT STRONG LOW LVL ROTATION AND PSBLY PRODUCE A TORNADO. UNIDIRECTIONAL WIND FIELDS SUGGEST MORE LINEAR TYPE STORMS EARLY THIS EVENING WITH A STRAIGHT LINE WIND THREAT. LATER THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT...CONCERN SHIFTS MORE TWDS A HEAVY RAIN THREAT ACRS OUR SOUTHEAST. MORE FAVORABLE LOW LVL CONVERGENCE AND THETA-E ADVECTION AND NOSE OF 50KT LOW LVL JET CNTRD ACRS MO INTO SRN IL...MORE ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-72 OVERNIGHT SO WL CARRY A LITTLE HIGHER POPS THERE. UPPER LEVEL HEIGHTS ARE FORECAST TO BUILD ACRS THE OHIO VALLEY STARTING ON SATURDAY WITH ANY OVERNIGHT CONVECTION LIFTING NORTHEAST AND THEN DIMINISHING AS IT ENCOUNTERS WARMING TEMPS ALOFT. WL CARRY LOW CHANCE POPS DURING THE DAY AS ANY REMNANT OUTFLOWS FROM OVERNIGHT CONVECTION COULD IGNITE ADDL STORMS DURING THE DAY. GFS AND WRF MODELS SUGGEST MODERATE TO EXTREME INSTABILITY ACRS NE IOWA...NRN IL AND SRN WISCONSIN SAT AFTN AND EVENING AS THE NEXT SHORTWAVE HEADS NE THRU THE UPPER GREAT LAKES. THIS SHOULD DRAG A WEAK COLD FRONT SOUTHEAST INTO NE IOWA AND SOUTH CNTRL WISCONSIN BY EVENING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG AND EAST OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY SAT AFTN AND EVENING AND THEN TRACK NE...STAYING TO OUR NORTH. WL KEEP POPS LOW SATURDAY NIGHT AS CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN TO OUR NORTH OVERNIGHT. VERY WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS EXPECTED ON SUNDAY AS THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGING HOLDS OVR THE MIDWEST. CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE TO FIRE TO OUR NW ON SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT WITH A GRDL SHIFT SE INTO OUR FAR NW COUNTIES WHERE THE CURRENT LOW CHANCE POPS LOOK REASONABLE LATE SUNDAY. BASED ON THE CURRENT GFS AND ECMWF MODELS OUR BEST THREAT FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING IN LATE SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY AS THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY SHIFTS SE INTO THE LOWER MIDWEST. LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN TO PREVAIL ACRS MIDWEST DURING THIS PERIOD AS SEVERAL RATHER STRONG SHORTWAVES FOR THE MIDDLE OF JUNE WL AFFECT THE FCST AREA TUESDAY MRNG AND AGAIN LATE FRIDAY. CONVECTION CHANCES WILL REMAIN ACRS THE AREA AT LEAST THRU TUE MRNG BEFORE UPPER LEVEL RIDGING BUILDS BACK OVR THE MIDWEST FOR A BRIEF TIME. NEXT SHORTWAVE WL PUSH INTO THE NW PORTION OF THE COUNTRY HELPING TO BUILD HEIGHTS ACRS OUR AREA FOR MIDWEEK. NEXT FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE AREA LATE THU INTO FRIDAY...BUT CONTINUE TO SEE SOME TIMING DIFFERENCES WITH THIS PARTICULAR SHORTWAVE LATE IN THE PERIOD SO WL KEEP THE POPS IN THE 20-30 RANGE FOR NOW. SMITH && .AVIATION... ISSUED 1252 PM CDT FRI JUN 6 2008 HAVE TEMPO GROUPS OF THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL IL TAF SITES THIS AFTERNOON AND AGAIN LATE TONIGHT INTO MID SAT MORNING. FIRST ROUND OF STORMS DUE TO OUTFLOW BOUNDARY MOVING EASTWARD FROM THE IL RIVER/I-55 TOWARD THE IN/IL BORDER BY 00Z. VSBYS COULD BE RESTRICTED TO 1 TO 2 MILES IN HEAVY RAIN WITH CEILINGS DOWN TO 2500 FT. WINDY WITH SSW WINDS 20 TO 27 KTS AND GUSTS OF 30 TO 38 KTS. MODELS SHOWING ANOTHER AREA OF CONVECTION LIFTING NE ACROSS CENTRAL IL BETWEEN 09Z-15Z THEN INTO NORTHERN IL BY SAT AFTERNOON. SOUTH WINDS DIMINISH TO 13 TO 15 KTS TONIGHT THEN SSW GUSTS OF 20 TO 25 KTS AFTER 13Z SAT. HUETTL && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR ILZ027>031- 036>038-040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 221 PM CDT FRI JUN 6 2008 ILZ027>031-036-037-040-041-071100- FULTON-KNOX-MARSHALL-MASON-PEORIA-SCHUYLER-STARK-TAZEWELL- WOODFORD- 221 PM CDT FRI JUN 6 2008 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON. SOME STORMS COULD BE SEVERE FROM I-55 EAST...WITH THE MAIN THREATS BEING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. AN ISOLATED TORNADO CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. WINDY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THIS AFTERNOON WITH SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH AND GUSTS OF 35 TO 45 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ON SATURDAY...BUT THE HIGHEST RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD BE TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE AREA. THE NEXT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FROM SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AS A FRONT STALLS JUST NORTH OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. AT THIS TIME THE THREAT FOR ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER APPEARS LOW...HOWEVER PEOPLE SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS IN THE EVENT THAT SEVERE WEATHER BECOMES MORE LIKELY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. ILZ038-042-043-047>053-071100- CASS-CHRISTIAN-DE WITT-LOGAN-MACON-MCLEAN-MENARD-MORGAN-SANGAMON- SCOTT- 221 PM CDT FRI JUN 6 2008 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON. SEVERE WEATHER WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS ACTIVITY FROM I-55 EAST...WITH THE MAIN THREATS BEING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. ISOLATED TORNADO WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. IT WILL BE WINDY THIS AFTERNOON WITH SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH AND GUSTS OF 35 TO 45 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ON SATURDAY...BUT THE HIGHEST RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD BE TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE AREA. THE NEXT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FROM SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AS A FRONT STALLS JUST NORTH OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. AT THIS TIME THE THREAT FOR ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER APPEARS LOW...HOWEVER PEOPLE SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS IN THE EVENT THAT SEVERE WEATHER BECOMES MORE LIKELY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED UNTIL 7 PM. ILZ044>046-054>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-071100- CHAMPAIGN-CLARK-CLAY-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND-DOUGLAS-EDGAR- EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-MOULTRIE-PIATT-RICHLAND-SHELBY- VERMILION- 221 PM CDT FRI JUN 6 2008 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AND MOVE INTO EASTERN ILLINOIS DURING THIS AFTERNOON AND THROUGH EARLY EVENING. SOME SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM I-55 EAST...WITH THE PRIMARY SEVERE THREATS BEING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. IT WILL BE WINDY THIS AFTERNOON WITH SOUTH WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH AND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH. THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATE TONIGHT INTO THE EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WITH THIS ACTIVITY WILL BE LOW...HOWEVER HEAVY RAINFALL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING WILL BE COMMON WITH THE STRONGER STORMS. RIVER FLOODING IS EXPECTED ALONG THE SANGAMON RIVER DOWNSTREAM FROM MONTICELLO...AND ALSO ALONG THE WABASH RIVER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ON SATURDAY...BUT THE HIGHEST RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD BE TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE AREA. THE NEXT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY AS A FRONT STALLS JUST NORTH OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. AT THIS TIME THE THREAT FOR ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER APPEARS LOW...HOWEVER PEOPLE SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS IN THE EVENT THAT SEVERE WEATHER BECOMES MORE LIKELY. RIVER LEVELS ALONG THE SANGAMON RIVER ARE EXPECTED TO SLOWLY FALL. HOWEVER...RIVER FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE FURTHER SOUTH ALONG THE EMBARRAS AND WABASH RIVERS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED UNTIL 7 PM. KH
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:49 UTC.
11 thunderstorm wind, 7 flash flood, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down from Herrick, to Stewardson, to Trowbridge.
A semi trailer was blown over on Route 33.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. In addition, a semi trailer was blown over on Interstate 57.
The tornado formed in an open field 2.5 miles west southwest of Lerna, and was moving to the east northeast around 45 MPH. The tornado damaged a barn and blew down several trees southwest of Lerna. As the tornado moved through Lerna, it caused roof, window and siding damage to 9 homes, and roof damage to a school. Numerous trees were also blown down in Lerna. The tornado continued across open fields and forested areas before it dissipated 2.5 miles east northeast of Lerna. The tornado was rated EF1 with highest estimated winds of 95 MPH.
Widespread tree and power line damage occurred in and around Mattoon. In addition, several buildings in town sustained roof damage, a cinder block wall partly collapsed at a tire dealership, and numerous vehicles were damaged at a car dealership by flying debris.
A large tree was blown down.
A mobile home was destroyed.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down.
Numerous trees, tree limbs, and power lines were blown down.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. A semi trailer was blown over north of Kansas.
Several tree limbs and power lines were blown down.
Numerous trees and tree limbs were blown down. One large tree fell onto a house causing minor damage.
Multiple roads flooded out in Effingham. Four people were rescued from stranded vehicles within the city.
Three submerged vehicles on St. Francis Road, with one water rescue being performed.
Several evacuations due to high water in the town of Dieterich. Six to eight houses experienced damage with approximately one foot of water in the basements.
Portions of IL Route 33 closed due to high water. Multiple basements flooded and some bridges washed out around Jasper County.
IL Route 1 was closed just south of West York because a large section of pavement had washed out at Raccoon Creek.
Multiple roads closed due to high water near Casey and Martinsville, including I-70.
Multiple roads closed due to high water flowing over them, including IL Route 121 near Greenup. Two mudslides occurred north of Greenup. A vehicle was found submerged at the Cumberland County Fairgrounds. At least 2 bridges and multiple roads suffered damage from the flooding in Greenup.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 2008Warnings in Illinois, June 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: 114055, 114056, 114057, 114068, 114058, 114059, 114060, 114061, 114067, 114062, 114064, 114065, 120106, 120109, 120112, 120104, 120126, 120131, 120135.