Tornado and Hail in Illinois, May 25, 2008

Name: Tornado and Hail in Illinois, May 25, 2008
Start: 2008-05-25T16:45
End: 2008-05-25T19:37
Location: Illinois

May 25, 2008 · NWS PAH · 10 events in 4 counties and zones

Most of the severe weather reports accompanied a supercell thunderstorm that formed along a warm front and tracked southeast across the Murphysboro and Carbondale areas. The supercell contained a rotating wall cloud that was captured on a television webcam in Carbondale for over an hour.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $32,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS PAH wrote it up.

What forecasters said that day

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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 25, 12:30 PM CST, 4 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 25, 12:30 PM CST, 4 hours 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
130 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008

.DISCUSSION...

LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS WEAK WARM FRONT POISED ALONG THE
WESTERN PERIPHERY OF PAH CWA. HIGH PRESSURE REMAINED OVER THE
EASTERN US. A COLD FRONT EXTENDED FROM NORTHWEST MN ARCING WESTWARD
THROUGH THE OK TX PANHANDLES TO THE GUADALUPE MTNS. BOTH FRONTS
EXTENDED FROM A LOW OVER NE ND.

THE 12Z SUN NAM AND GFS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT FOR TONIGHT
WITH WARM FRONT BI SECTING THE AREA WITH QPF IN ITS WAKE. MAINLY
NORTH AND WEST OF THE OHIO RIVER. MONDAY WE WILL BE IN THE WARM
SECTOR...THUS RAISED POPS TO JUST BELOW LIKELY CAT. A COUPLE OF WEAK
TO MODERATE VORT MAX TO MOVE OVER THE AREA. ALTHOUGH SVR PSBL THINK
ANY WOULD BE ISOLATED HAILERS OR WIND. HODOGRAPH SIGNATURES/WIND
PROFILES NOT SUPPORTIVE FOR TORS. WET BULB ZERO ABOVE 12K MSL.
TOTALS LOW 50S...K INDICIES LOW 30S. HOWEVER CAPE IS FORECAST TO 2K
PLUS...THUS CAN NOT RULE OUT SEVERE IF THAT DEGREE OF INSTABILITY IS
REALIZED. AS FRONT APPROACHES MONDAY NIGHT BELIEVE MORE WIDESPREAD
COVERAGE OF QPF. ALREADY HAVE LIKELY OVER MOST OF THE FA AND FEEL
COMFORTABLE WITH THAT FOR NOW BUT MAY INCREASE POPS DEPENDING ON
LATER MODEL RUNS. WITH FROPA TUE WILL PROBABLY INCREASE TO OCNL
WORDING. WITH THE SLOW DEPARTURE OF THE FRONT LINGERED POPS WED.
WENT AHEAD AND REMOVED POPS WED AM AS HIGH BUILDS IN. KEPT IT DRY
WITH HIGH PRESSURE THROUGH FRIDAY. WEAK SIGNALS OF PRECIP FOR THIS
WEEKEND. BRING BACK IN LOW POPS AS WARM FRONT PROGGED TO LIFT OVER
THE AREA. THINK COVERAGE WILL BE POOR BUT DO EXPECT SOME CONVECTION.
THEREFORE KEPT SLGT CHANCE IN FOR NOW.

AS FOR TEMPS FOLLOWED GUIDANCE TRENDS. HOWEVER JUST AS PREVIOUS
FORECASTER DID NOT COOL DOWN AS MUCH WITH TUESDAY FROPA.

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD DOMINATE THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. ISOLATED TO
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AT THE CGI AND PAH
SITES THIS AFTERNOON. BY MID MONDAY MORNING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE AT ALL TAF SITES AS A FRONTAL SYSTEM
APPROACHES THE REGION FROM THE NORTHWEST. SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS
TODAY AT 5 TO 10 MPH WILL SHIFT AROUND TO THE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST AT
10 TO 20 MPH  MONDAY MORNING.

&&

.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KY...NONE.
MO...NONE.
IL...NONE.
IN...NONE.
&&

SHORT TERM...JP
LONG TERM....KH
AVIATION...JP

Hazardous weather outlook, May 25, 3:35 PM CST, 1 hour 10 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
435 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-
100-107>112-114-260500-
JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON-
WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION IL-JOHNSON-POPE-
HARDIN-ALEXANDER-PULASKI-MASSAC-GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-VANDERBURGH-
WARRICK-SPENCER-FULTON-HICKMAN-CARLISLE-BALLARD-MCCRACKEN-GRAVES-
LIVINGSTON-MARSHALL-CALLOWAY-CRITTENDEN-LYON-TRIGG-CALDWELL-
UNION KY-WEBSTER-HOPKINS-CHRISTIAN-HENDERSON-DAVIESS-MCLEAN-
MUHLENBERG-TODD-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-WAYNE MO-CARTER-
RIPLEY-BUTLER-STODDARD-SCOTT-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID-
435 AM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT TONIGHT FOR PERRY
MISSOURI...AND PERRY...JEFFERSON...FRANKLIN...WILLIAMSON...AND
JACKSON COUNTIES IN ILLINOIS... UNTIL 10 PM. THE MAIN THREAT WITH
THE STORMS IN THE AFOREMENTIONED AREA WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS.

OTHERWISE...THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FOR AREAS
NORTH AND WEST OF THE OHIO RIVER OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. ANY STORMS THAT
DEVELOP SHOULD REMAIN BELOW SEVERE LIMITS...HOWEVER A STRONG STORM
WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN CANNOT BE RULED OUT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ON MONDAY.
THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ON MONDAY IN ASSOCIATION WITH AN
APPROACHING COLD FRONT. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS APPEAR TO BE
THE MAIN THREATS AT THIS TIME...DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY
IN THE ATMOSPHERE. HOWEVER...THE DEGREE OF INSTABILITY WILL BE
HIGHLY DEPENDANT ON THE AMOUNT OF CLOUD COVER WE HAVE DURING THE
DAY ON MONDAY.

THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS OUR AREA ON TUESDAY AND TUESDAY
NIGHT...WHICH WILL BRING A GOOD CHANCE FOR MORE THUNDERSTORMS
ACROSS OUR AREA. A FEW OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED FOR THIS EVENING IN AND NEAR THE
WATCH AREA OVER PARTS OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Jefferson

When: May 25, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, 2 mi W of Stratton
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 38.450, -88.757

Thunderstorm Wind, Perry

When: May 25, 4:55 PM CST
Where: Perry County, Willisville
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates: 37.980, -89.580

Numerous tree limbs and a few power lines were blown down.

Hail, Jackson

When: May 25, 5:25 PM CST
Where: Jackson County, 2.81 mi ENE of Campbell Hill
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 37.930, -89.500

Some minor hail damage occurred.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: May 25, 5:25 PM CST
Where: Jackson County, 2.81 mi ENE of Campbell Hill
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates: 37.930, -89.500

Several large trees were blown down across roads. Shingles were damaged or blown off houses.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: May 25, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Jackson County, 0.88 mi SE of Sato
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $7,000
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates: 37.890, -89.420

Trees were down on Route 4.

Tornado, Jackson

When: May 25, 5:35 PM CST to 5:36 PM CST
Where: Jackson County, 5 mi NNW of Murphysboro to 2.45 mi WSW of Finney
Rating: EF0
Path length: 0.21 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates: 37.837, -89.365

A weak tornado briefly touched down in a roadless area. No damage to trees could be located. The tornado touchdown was witnessed by two spotters and a deputy sheriff from about four to five miles away.

Hail, Jackson

When: May 25, 5:57 PM CST
Where: Jackson County, 1 mi S of Vergennes
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.886, -89.330

Hail, Jackson

When: May 25, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Jackson County, Murphysboro
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 37.770, -89.330

Quarter to half-dollar size hail fell in the Murphysboro area.

Hail, Jackson

When: May 25, 7:23 PM CST
Where: Jackson County, 2.19 mi E of Carbondale
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.720, -89.180

Funnel Cloud, Williamson

When: May 25, 7:37 PM CST
Where: Williamson County, Crab Orchard
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 37.730, -88.800

A state trooper reported a funnel cloud over Crab Orchard Lake.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Funnel Cloud: A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Illinois in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Illinois, 2008 Warnings in Illinois, May 2008

Sources

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: 92775, 92780, 92776, 92781, 92782, 92784, 92777, 92778, 92779, 92783.