A decaying storm complex moved east along a warm front during the morning hours of the 31st. This storm complex produced isolated reports of severe wind and hail.
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 decaying storm complex moved east along a warm front during the morning hours of the 31st. This storm complex produced isolated reports of severe wind and hail.
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 Mar 31, 5:19 AM CST, 2 hours 37 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 619 AM CDT MON MAR 31 2008 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 241 AM CDT MON MAR 31 2008 MAIN CONCERN WITH THIS FORECAST PACKAGE WILL BE THE THREAT FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING...AS A STRONG COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. 06Z SURFACE CHART SHOWS LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE...WITH WARM FRONT EXTENDING NORTHEASTWARD INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS. BROAD LOW-LEVEL JET IS AIDING IN WIDELY SCATTERED CONVECTION ACROSS THE KILX CWA EARLY THIS MORNING...WITH A MORE CONCENTRATED AREA OF STORMS OCCURRING ACROSS NORTHERN OKLAHOMA WHERE JET IS STRONGEST. ALOFT...LONG-WAVE TROUGH IS DIGGING ACROSS THE WESTERN CONUS...WHILE RIDGING PREVAILS ACROSS THE EAST. W/SW UPPER FLOW DOMINATES ACROSS THE MIDWEST...WITH SEVERAL EMBEDDED SHORT-WAVES. ONE WAVE IS CURRENTLY TRACKING ACROSS OKLAHOMA...WHILE A SECOND FEATURE IS NOTED FURTHER UPSTREAM ACROSS COLORADO/NEW MEXICO. SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SURFACE LOW WILL TRACK NORTHEASTWARD TODAY...HELPING PUSH WARM FRONT INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS. BEST FOCUS FOR PRECIP WILL SHIFT NORTHWARD AS WELL...WITH ONLY SCATTERED SHOWERS/STORMS OCCURRING IN THE WARM SECTOR. HAVE THEREFORE LOWERED POPS INTO THE CHANCE CATEGORY FOR MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS MORNING...EXCEPT IN THE ILLINOIS RIVER VALLEY WHERE BETTER RAIN CHANCES WILL EXIST IN CLOSER PROXIMITY TO THE SLOWLY RETREATING FRONTAL BOUNDARY. WINDY AND WARM CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS FOR THE BALANCE OF THE DAY. NUMERIC GUIDANCE ONCE AGAIN EXHIBITS A FAIRLY LARGE SPREAD IN HIGHS...WITH THE MAV BEING 4 TO 8 DEGREES COOLER THAN THE MET. GIVEN THE STRONG WAA PATTERN AND CURRENT TEMPS ALREADY IN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 50S ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA...WILL TREND CLOSER TO THE WARMER MET NUMBERS...RESULTING IN AFTERNOON HIGHS WELL INTO THE 60S. AS PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS...WINDS WILL INCREASE INTO THE 15 TO 25 MPH RANGE...WITH FORECAST SOUNDINGS SUGGESTING GUSTS AS HIGH AS 35 MPH AT TIMES. MODELS ALL IN EXCELLENT AGREEMENT WITH THE TRACK AND TIMING OF THE APPROACHING LOW AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT LATER TODAY. LOW WILL REACH NORTHWEST ILLINOIS BY 00Z TUE...WITH FRONT JUST WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. DUE TO ABUNDANT CLOUD COVER...THE ATMOSPHERE AHEAD OF THE BOUNDARY WILL ONLY BE MARGINALLY UNSTABLE TODAY. HOWEVER LOW-LEVEL SHEAR VALUES BECOME RATHER IMPRESSIVE...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NW CWA CLOSER TO THE SURFACE LOW. WITH AMPLE MOISTURE IN PLACE...STRONG SURFACE BOUNDARY PROVIDING LIFT...AND UPPER JET ENHANCING LIFT...THE STAGE WILL BE SET FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON. THINK STORMS WILL INITIATE ACROSS MISSOURI AFTER 18Z...THEN WILL BEGIN CROSSING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER INTO THE WESTERN CWA AFTER 21Z. WILL THEREFORE INCREASE POPS TO LIKELY OR CATEGORICAL ALONG AND WEST OF I-55 LATE THIS AFTERNOON. INITIAL STORM MODE WILL LIKELY BE CELLULAR...SUPPORTING A LARGE HAIL THREAT...HOWEVER MODE WILL QUICKLY TRANSITION TO LINEAR...RESULTING IN MAINLY A DAMAGING WIND THREAT. PLENTY OF WIND ENERGY WILL BE AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY OFF THE SURFACE...WITH FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOWING WINDS OF 45 TO 50KT DEVELOPING AT AROUND THE 2000FT LEVEL AFTER 21Z. ONCE SQUALL LINE DEVELOPS...IT WILL QUICKLY PUSH EASTWARD ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS DURING THE EVENING...MOVING EAST OF I-55 BY MIDNIGHT...THEN INTO INDIANA OVERNIGHT. WILL THEREFORE CARRY CATEGORICAL POPS ACROSS THE BOARD THIS EVENING...DIMINISHING TO JUST CHANCE POPS ALONG AND WEST OF I-55 AFTER MIDNIGHT. MUCH COOLER AND DRIER AIR WILL FILTER INTO THE REGION ON TUESDAY...WITH 850MB TEMPS PROGGED TO DROP INTO THE 0 TO -6C RANGE BY AFTERNOON. RESULTING HIGH TEMPS WILL BE CONSIDERABLY COOLER THAN TODAY...WITH READINGS MAINLY IN THE UPPER 40S AND LOWER 50S. WILL ALSO BE A BREEZY DAY...THANKS TO A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT WHICH SHOULD PRODUCE WINDS IN THE 10 TO 20 MPH RANGE...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SKIES WILL CLEAR OUT AND WINDS WILL DIMINISH TUESDAY NIGHT...ALLOWING OVERNIGHT LOWS TO DIP INTO THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 20S. LONG TERM...THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AFTER A QUIET DAY ON WEDNESDAY...NEXT IN A SERIES OF STORM SYSTEMS BEGINS TO APPROACH THE REGION WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. MODELS ARE IN RATHER POOR AGREEMENT CONCERNING THIS FEATURE...WITH THE OVERALL TREND POINTING TO A SLOWER AND MORE SOUTHERN SOLUTION. 00Z 31 MAR GFS SPREADS PRECIP INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT...THEN CONTINUES IT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT BEFORE THE SYSTEM EXITS THE REGION. MEANWHILE...THE 00Z ECMWF KEEPS THINGS DRY WEDNESDAY NIGHT...BUT THEN FEATURES A MORE PROLONGED RAIN EVENT FROM THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. WITH SUCH A LARGE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE MODELS...HAVE ONLY MADE MINOR CHANGES TO THE GOING FORECAST AT THIS TIME. WILL CONTINUE WITH THE LOW CHANCE POPS WEDNESDAY NIGHT...BUT HAVE INCREASED POPS TO LIKELY ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ZONES FOR THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. AFTER THAT...WILL MAINTAIN DRY FORECAST THROUGH SUNDAY...WITH NEXT SYSTEM LIKELY NOT ARRIVING UNTIL EARLY NEXT WEEK. BARNES && .AVIATION... ISSUED 619 AM CDT MON MAR 31 2008 SURFACE LOW IS LOCATED OVER SOUTHERN KANSAS AT 11Z WITH A SHARPENING WARM FRONT EXTENDING NORTHEAST THROUGH NORTHERN MISSOURI INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS JUST NORTH OF PEORIA. ALL CENTRAL ILLINOIS TERMINALS ARE WITHIN THE WARM SECTOR...SO EXPECT A GRADUAL INCREASE IN BOTH CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES. WIDESPREAD CLOUDS BELOW 1K FT THIS MORNING SHOULD RISE TO VFR HEIGHTS BY 18Z. EXPECT A SIMILAR IMPROVING TREND IN VISIBILITIES. SPI/PIA ARE ALREADY 6 MILES OR BETTER...AND EXPECT DEC/CMI/BMI TO FOLLOW THIS MORNING. TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT AHEAD OF THE PLAINS SYSTEM WILL RESULT IN SOUTH WINDS SUSTAINED 18-22 KT AND GUSTS TO 35 KT. MOIST AND INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL FLOW NORTH INTO ILLINOIS TODAY... WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON. THE KANSAS LOW WILL MOVE NORTHEAST THROUGH IOWA INTO MICHIGAN THROUGH 12Z TUE... WITH ITS ATTENDING COLD FRONT SWEEPING THROUGH PIA/SPI/BMI BY 06Z AND THROUGH DEC/CMI SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT...WITH SQUALL LINE DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE FRONT. SOME POTENTIAL FOR WIND GUSTS ABOVE 50 KT AND HAIL WITH THE SQUALL LINE. AFTER THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH...EXPECT CLEARING TO OVERSPREAD THE TAF SITES BEFORE WRAP-AROUND STRATOCU SWEEPS BACK IN AFTER 12Z TUE. 04 && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 600 AM CDT MON MAR 31 2008 ILZ027>031-037-038-042>046-048-051>057-061-062-066-067-011100- CHAMPAIGN-CHRISTIAN-COLES-CUMBERLAND-DE WITT-DOUGLAS-EDGAR- EFFINGHAM-JASPER-KNOX-LOGAN-MACON-MARSHALL-MCLEAN-MENARD-MOULTRIE- PEORIA-PIATT-SANGAMON-SHELBY-STARK-TAZEWELL-VERMILION-WOODFORD- 600 AM CDT MON MAR 31 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A CHANCE FOR SOME SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS. A HIGHER RISK FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FROM EARLY THIS EVENING INTO THE NIGHTTIME HOURS WITH A COLD FRONT THAT WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE AREA. SQUALL LINE DEVELOPMENT WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE FRONT...WITH THE STRONGER STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL END AS THE COLD FRONT EXITS ILLINOIS IN THE 11 PM TO 3 AM TIME FRAME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY MORE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY NIGHT AS ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM CROSSES THE MIDWEST. SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS SYSTEM TOO...SO KEEP ABREAST OF LATER FORECASTS AS THE SITUATION BECOMES BETTER DEFINED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY FROM LATE AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. ILZ036-040-041-047-049-050-011100- CASS-FULTON-MASON-MORGAN-SCHUYLER-SCOTT- 600 AM CDT MON MAR 31 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A CHANCE FOR SOME SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS. A HIGHER RISK FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FROM EARLY THIS EVENING INTO THE NIGHTTIME HOURS WITH A COLD FRONT THAT WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE AREA. SQUALL LINE DEVELOPMENT WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE FRONT...WITH THE STRONGER STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL END AS THE COLD FRONT EXITS THE ILLINOIS RIVER VALLEY BEFORE MIDNIGHT. THE ILLINOIS RIVER WILL REMAIN IN FLOOD AT HAVANA AND POINTS DOWNSTREAM THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY MORE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY NIGHT AS ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM CROSSES THE MIDWEST. SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS SYSTEM TOO...SO KEEP ABREAST OF LATER FORECASTS AS THE SITUATION BECOMES BETTER DEFINED. THE ILLINOIS RIVER WILL REMAIN ABOVE FLOOD STAGE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. ILZ063-068-071>073-011100- CLARK-CLAY-CRAWFORD-LAWRENCE-RICHLAND- 600 AM CDT MON MAR 31 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A CHANCE FOR SOME SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. A HIGHER RISK FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE TONIGHT WITH A COLD FRONT THAT WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE AREA. SQUALL LINE DEVELOPMENT WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE FRONT...WITH THE STRONGER STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL END AS THE COLD FRONT EXITS ILLINOIS IN THE MIDNIGHT TO 3 AM TIME FRAME. RIVER STAGES ALONG PORTIONS OF THE WABASH...EMBARRAS...AND LITTLE WABASH RIVERS WILL REMAIN ABOVE FLOOD STAGE THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY MORE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY NIGHT AS ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM CROSSES THE MIDWEST. SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS SYSTEM TOO...SO KEEP ABREAST OF LATER FORECASTS AS THE SITUATION BECOMES BETTER DEFINED. RIVER STAGES ALONG PORTIONS OF THE WABASH...EMBARRAS...AND LITTLE WABASH RIVERS WILL REMAIN ABOVE FLOOD STAGE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY TONIGHT.
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:54 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds damaged the roof of the Beardstown Fire Department.
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, March 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: 88050, 88049.