Scattered thunderstorms moved across central Illinois during the early morning hours of the 11th. A few storms produced damaging winds.
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.
Scattered thunderstorms moved across central Illinois during the early morning hours of the 11th. A few storms produced damaging winds.
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 May 10, 11:45 PM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 1245 AM CDT SUN MAY 11 2008 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 852 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2008 SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING INTO THE AREA AS THE ENTIRE SYSTEM PUSHES EAST TONIGHT. THIS TREND WILL CONTINUE DURING THE NIGHT WITH MOST OF THE PCPN OCCURRING BETWEEN NOW AND 12Z. CURRENT FCST HAS A GOOD HANDLE ON THIS TREND. WIND AND TEMP LOOK FINE AS WELL. THEREFORE NO UPDATE IS REQUIRED AT THIS TIME. AUTEN && .AVIATION... ISSUED 1244 AM CDT SUN MAY 11 2008 THUNDERSTORM LINE WILL MOVE ACROSS ALL TAF SITES OVER NEXT SEVERAL HOURS...WITH CMI LAST TO GET IT AND MAYBE NOT AS STRONG AS THE REST. VIS AND CIG WILL DROP INTO IFR CATEGORY FOR A TIME AS THE STORMS MOVE THROUGH. THEN EXPECT IFR CIGS THROUGH REST OF THE NIGHT AS MORE RAIN WILL BE WRAPPING AROUND THIS SYSTEM AS IT MOVES EAST THROUGH ILLINOIS. WINDS WILL GET VERY GUSTY AFTER THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PASSES SEVERAL HOURS AFTER MIDNIGHT. WINDS WILL STAY GUSTY DURING THE MORNING AND INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS AS WELL. IN THE MORNING CIGS SHOULD RISE INTO LOW MVFR CATEGORY AND THEN LITTLE HIGHER BY AFTERNOON. DO NOT EXPECT VFR CIGS UNTIL AROUND SUNSET. CLEARING SHOULD TAKE PLACE CLOSE TO 06Z BUT HAVE DECIDED TO LEAVE OUT FOR NOW. AUTEN && .PREV DISCUSSION... ISSUED 259 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2008 LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS HAD A COMPLEX AREA OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING OVER THE PLAINS AND UPPER MIDWEST. ALOFT...A VIGOROUS WAVE CONTINUES TO DIG ACROSS THE PLAINS. MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS THIS PACKAGE REVOLVE AROUND PRECIPITATION CHANCES WITH THE APPROACHING SYSTEM...THE ASSOCIATED SEVERE WEATHER THREAT...AND TEMPERATURES/WINDS IN ITS WAKE. SECONDARY FORECAST CONCERNS REVOLVE AROUND THE DETAILS WITH OUR NEXT STORM SYSTEM THAT WILL ARRIVE BY MIDWEEK. 12Z MODELS REMAIN IN RELATIVELY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE FEATURES EXPECTED TO IMPACT FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE SHORT TERM. ANY DIFFERENCES THAT ARISE SHOULD NOT HAVE MUCH OF AN IMPACT ON OUR SENSIBLE WEATHER. GUIDANCE TEMPERATURES REMAIN CLOSE... NOT SURPRISING GIVEN THE MODEL AGREEMENT...BUT ARE STILL TOO WARM ON MAXES TOMORROW AND PROBABLY MINS TOMORROW NIGHT GIVEN STRONG CAA ON BACK SIDE OF STORM. SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY... TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...VERY DYNAMIC STORM SYSTEM...ESPECIALLY FOR MID MAY...WILL APPROACH AND PASS THROUGH REGION DURING THE PERIOD. SHOWERS/STORMS WILL SPREAD INTO THE AREA THIS EVENING ON THE WARM SIDE OF THE SYSTEM...TRANSITIONING TO CHILLY SHOWERS ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE STORM TOMORROW. THE UPPER SYSTEM WILL BE TAKING ON A NEGATIVE TILT AS IT MOVES THROUGH...WITH THE SURFACE CYCLONE CONTINUING TO DEEPEN. STRONG MOISTURE TRANSPORT AHEAD OF THIS STRONG SYSTEM VIRTUALLY GUARANTEES THAT IT WILL RAIN. THE QUESTION IS IF ANY OF THE STORMS TONIGHT WILL BE SEVERE. SHEAR/HELICITY VALUES WILL BE IMPRESSIVE...THOUGH THE EXPECTED STORM TRACK WILL LIMIT INSTABILITY. THIS LIMITATION CERTAINLY WILL NOT BE AIDED BY THE NIGHTTIME ARRIVAL OF THE MAIN STORM THREAT. THE MOST FAVORED LOCATION FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL BE IN OUR SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS COUNTIES...THOUGH A HIGHER SEVERE THREAT WILL EXIST TO THE SOUTH OF THERE. SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE IN THE WRAP AROUND/CAA PATTERN SUNDAY. THE MODELS HAVE BACKED OFF JUST A BIT ON THE COLD AIR SURGING IN BEHIND THE SYSTEM...BUT THE RAW CONDITIONS WILL STILL MAKE FOR A DISMAL MOTHERS DAY. THE STRENGTH OF THE SURFACE SYSTEM/CAA MAY SUPPORT A WIND ADVISORY FROM THE LATE MORNING-EARLY EVENING HOURS SUNDAY. HOWEVER...LAPSE RATES SHOULD NOT BE AS STEEP AS PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED AND THE SURFACE SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO FILL/PRESSURE GRADIENT SLACKEN SHORTLY AFTER THE SYSTEM MOVES EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA. FOR THIS REASON...AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW SEVERE STORMS TONIGHT...WILL LEAVE ANY ADVISORY ISSUANCE TO THE MIDNIGHT SHIFT. SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...UPPER/SURFACE RIDGING WILL SLOWLY BUILD ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE PERIOD. THIS WILL PROVIDE QUIET CONDITIONS AND SLOWLY MODERATING TEMPERATURES. LONG TERM...TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...LONGER RANGE MODELS/ENSEMBLES STILL NOT DOING THE BEST WITH AGREEMENT AND/OR CONTINUITY WITH OUR NEXT SYSTEM FOR MIDWEEK. THE BEST CONSENSUS... THOUGH THE OVERALL LOOK/FEEL HAS CHANGED SINCE YESTERDAY...BRINGS A CHANCE OF SHOWERS/STORMS ALONG/AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. THE CONSENSUS SOLUTION CONTINUES TO CARVE OUT A TROF OVER THE EASTERN U.S. KEEPING AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND COLDER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES GOING FOR MUCH OF THE REST OF THE WEEK. THE DETAILS WILL STILL NEED TO BE IRONED OUT OVER OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS MODEL AGREEMENT/CONSISTENCY HOPEFULLY IMPROVES. BAK && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 327 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2008 ILZ027>031-036>038-041>046-111100- CHAMPAIGN-DE WITT-FULTON-KNOX-LOGAN-MARSHALL-MASON-MCLEAN-PEORIA- PIATT-STARK-TAZEWELL-VERMILION-WOODFORD- 327 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A STORM SYSTEM WILL TRACK THROUGH CENTRAL ILLINOIS TONIGHT...BRINGING SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA. AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS ANY ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER WILL REMAIN SOUTH OF A LINE FROM RUSHVILLE... TO DECATUR... TO PARIS. NORTH OF THERE...ANY THUNDERSTORMS WILL STILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS ALONG WITH HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE REGION LATE TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING...BRINGING A CHANCE FOR MORE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ040-047>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-111100- CASS-CHRISTIAN-CLARK-CLAY-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND-DOUGLAS-EDGAR- EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-MACON-MENARD-MORGAN-MOULTRIE-RICHLAND- SANGAMON-SCHUYLER-SCOTT-SHELBY- 327 PM CDT SAT MAY 10 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A STORM SYSTEM WILL TRACK THROUGH CENTRAL ILLINOIS TONIGHT...BRINGING THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER FOR TONIGHT FOR AREAS SOUTH OF A LINE FROM RUSHVILLE... TO DECATUR... TO PARIS. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND HEAVY RAINFALL. REMAIN ALERT FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES AND WARNINGS TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE REGION LATE TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING...BRINGING A CHANCE FOR MORE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED BETWEEN 7 PM AND 1 AM TONIGHT. SHIMON
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 55 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:58 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The roof was blown off a 10 unit rental storage building in Edinburg. A few trees were also blown down.
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, May 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: 101949.