A cold front settled southward into central Illinois during the evening of 9/12, triggering scattered thunderstorms. Locally heavy rainfall occurred, mainly north of I-72.
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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.
A cold front settled southward into central Illinois during the evening of 9/12, triggering scattered thunderstorms. Locally heavy rainfall occurred, mainly north of I-72. In addition, isolated wind damage was reported with a few 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 Sep 12, 7:27 PM CST, 2 hours 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 827 PM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 822 PM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008 LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS INDICATING A STATIONARY FRONT ACRS ERN IOWA SWWD THRU NERN KS. A SECOND WEAK SFC TROF/WARM FRONT STRETCHED FROM WEST TO EAST ALONG THE I-70 CORRIDOR EARLY THIS EVENING. THIS BOUNDARY WAS THE FOCUS FOR SOME ISOLD THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING A FEW OF WHICH HAD SOME DECENT MID LEVEL ROTATION. WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING...THE STORMS OVER EXTREME SOUTHERN/SERN IL HAVE SETTLED DOWN...WITH THE MAIN SUPPORT FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FURTHER NORTHWEST TWDS THE STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY. THAT WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR OVERNIGHT RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS INTO SAT MRNG. THE CURRENT ZONES HAVE THIS WELL HANDLED WITH THE HIGHEST POPS ACRS THE NW...AND PROGRESSIVELY LOWER POPS OVER THE SE. WL MAKE SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE PRECIP WORDING ACRS THE SE...OTHERWISE THE RMDR OF THE ZONE FORECAST IS IN GOOD SHAPE. SHOULD HAVE THE UPDATE OUT BY 845 PM. SMITH && .AVIATION... ISSUED 554 PM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008 LARGE AREA OF RAIN WITH IFR/MVFR CIGS AND VSBYS WAS LIFTING NORTH OF THE TAF SITES EARLY THIS EVENING. A WARM FRONT OVR SRN IL IS EXPECTED TO PUSH NORTH ACRS THE AREA OVERNIGHT BRINGING SCATTERED SHOWERS TO MAINLY THE NRN PORTION OF THE AREA...ALTHOUGH WL CONT WITH THE VCSH ACRS THE SOUTH OVERNIGHT. WITH THE TROPICAL AIR MASS FIRMLY IN PLACE...IT LOOKS AS THOUGH AREAS THAT HAVE SEEN THEIR CIGS LIFT MAY HAVE LOWER CIGS AND VSBYS DEVELOP LATER TNT UNTIL THE BNDRY SHIFTS NORTH OF THE AREA. ONCE THE BNDRY LIFTS INTO NRN IL SAT MRNG...WL HAVE TO DEAL WITH SOME MVFR CIGS BUT DATA SUGGESTS WE MAY SEE A BREAK DEVELOP IN THE CLOUD DECK BY LATE MRNG OR EARLY AFTN. HOWEVER...A COLD FRONT...CURRENTLY OUT OVR IOWA AND NW WISCONSIN WILL EDGE INTO OUR AREA DURING THE AFTN HOURS BRINGING THE THREAT FOR A LEAST SCATTERED CONVECTION. SFC WNDS TNT WL BE MAINLY OUT OF THE SE BUT BEGIN TO VEER MORE INTO THE SOUTH TWDS MRNG AS THE FRONT LIFTS NORTH OF THE AREA. WIND SPEEDS TNT WL BE LESS THAN 10 KTS...BUT BEGIN TO INCREASE TO BETWEEN 10 AND 20 KNOTS SATURDAY WITH A FEW GUSTS POSSIBLE DURING THE LT MRNG AND EARLY AFTN HOURS...ESP IF WE CAN GET SOME BREAKS IN THE CLOUD COVER. SMITH && .PREV DISCUSSION... ISSUED 300 PM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008 SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY... DEEP TROPICAL SOUTHWESTERLY UPPER FLOW CONTINUES FROM WEST TEXAS INTO THE CORN BELT THIS AFTERNOON. RAIN HAS BEEN COMMON ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF ILLINOIS ALONG AND NORTH OF A WARM FRONT THAT EXTENDS FROM COLUMBIA MISSOURI TO INDIANAPOLIS. AS THE UPPER FLOW BACKS TONIGHT AND SATURDAY...MOST OF THE STEADY RAIN SHOULD SHIFT NORTHWARD WITH THE WARM FRONT. HOWEVER...AIRMASS WILL REMAIN VERY MOIST AND UNCAPPED FURTHER SOUTH...WHICH WILL PROMOTE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN ILLINOIS THIS EVENING. SOME INSTABILITY MAY COMBINE WITH ADEQUATE LOW LEVEL SHEAR TO CAUSE ISOLATED STORMS TO PRODUCE PERHAPS SOME STRONG WINDS UNTIL THE SUN GOES DOWN. FURTHERN NORTH...THE HEAVIEST QPF WITH THE INITIAL UPPER SHORTWAVE NOW COMING INTO EASTERN KANSAS WILL BE ACROSS IOWA... NORTHERN ILLINOIS...AND SOUTHERN WISCONSIN. AS THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW TRACKS INTO SOUTHERN WISCONSIN SATURDAY AFTERNOON...IT WILL PUSH A COLD FRONT INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS WHICH WILL BECOME STATIONARY SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. THE NHC TRACK FOR HURRICANE IKE TAKES ITS REMAINS TO NORTHWESTERN ARKANSAS BY 12Z SUNDAY AND FROM THERE IT WILL ACCELERATE NORTHEASTWARD ALONG THE FRONT ACROSS CENTRAL OR SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. THEREFORE RAIN WILL BECOME HEAVY BEGINING EARLY SATURDAY EVENING WELL AHEAD OF IKE AND CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY. EXCESSIVE RAINFALL AMOUNTS APPEAR LIKELY...WITH THE HIGHEST PROBABILITY OF FLOODING ALONG AND SOUTH OF A JACKSONVILLE TO BLOOMINGTON LINE. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR STORM TOTAL RAINFALL IN EXCESS OF 5 INCHES NEAR THE INTERSTATE 55 CORRIDOR BEFORE THE SYSTEM EXITS THE REGION SUNDAY NIGHT. THE GROUND IN THESE AREAS WILL BE SATURATED FROM RAINFALL FROM THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...SO BOTH RIVER FLOODING AND FLASH FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE. WITH THIS IN MIND...WILL ISSUE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH THAT WILL BEGIN 4PM SAT AND EXTEND UNTIL 7 PM SUNDAY. THE GFS MODEL HAS BEEN A SLOW OUTLIER WITH THE SPEED OF IKE THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY...BUT ITS TIMING HAS PRETTY MUCH CAUGHT UP WITH THE ECMWF AND OTHER DYNAMIC MODELS. THIS SUGGESTS AN END TO THE PRECIPITATION SUNDAY EVENING. WILL HANG ONTO SLIGHT CHANCE AND CHANCE POPS THROUGH MONDAY MORNING IN CASE IKE SPRINGS ANY SURPRISES TIMING-WISE. LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... DRY WEATHER EXPECTED FOR THE MIDDLE THROUGH END OF NEXT WEEK. UPPER RIDGE WILL BUILD INTO THE WESTERN STATES PLACING THE MIDWEST WITHIN DRY NORTHWESTERLY FLOW. ONE WAVE WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA IN THE THURSDAY/FRIDAY TIME FRAME...BUT A PERSISTENT SURFACE RIDGE FROM THE NORTHEAST STATES INTO THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES WILL IMPEDE ITS SOUTHWARD PROGRESS THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING FOR ILZ038-042>057-061>063-066>068-071>073. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 336 PM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008 ILZ027>031-036-037-040-041-131100- FULTON-KNOX-MARSHALL-MASON-PEORIA-SCHUYLER-STARK-TAZEWELL- WOODFORD- 336 PM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL LINGER ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS TODAY...AND THEN DRIFT NORTH TONIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE...THOUGH NO SEVERE WEATHER IS ANTICIPATED. ANY BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL MAY CAUSE SOME ISOLATED FLASH FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE NEXT FOCUS FOR STEADY RAINS WILL COME SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND INTO SUNDAY...AS MOISTURE FROM HURRICANE IKE FLOW INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND INTERACTS WITH A FRONTAL BOUNDARY. AS A RESULT...PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE OVER THE AREA THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. INSTABILITY AND DEEP LAYER SHEAR VALUES MAY BE ENOUGH TO SUPPORT SOME ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS TOMORROW NIGHT. MAIN THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS IN ADDITION TO FLOODING. HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES FROM THE STORMS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH LOCALIZED AREAS MAYBE RECEIVING 6 INCHES OF RAIN. FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY FROM HEAVY RAINS SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ038-042>048-053>057-063-131100- CASS-CHAMPAIGN-CLARK-COLES-DE WITT-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-LOGAN-MACON- MCLEAN-MENARD-MOULTRIE-PIATT-VERMILION- 336 PM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL LINGER ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS TODAY...AND THEN DRIFT NORTH TONIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE...THOUGH NO SEVERE WEATHER IS ANTICIPATED. ANY BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL MAY CAUSE SOME ISOLATED FLASH FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE NEXT FOCUS FOR STEADY RAINS WILL COME SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND INTO SUNDAY...AS MOISTURE FROM HURRICANE IKE FLOW INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND INTERACTS WITH A FRONTAL BOUNDARY. AS A RESULT...PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE OVER THE AREA THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. INSTABILITY AND DEEP LAYER SHEAR VALUES MAY BE ENOUGH TO SUPPORT SOME ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS TOMORROW NIGHT. MAIN THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS IN ADDITION TO FLOODING. HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES FROM THE STORMS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH LOCALIZED AREAS MAYBE RECEIVING 6 INCHES OF RAIN. FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY FROM HEAVY RAINS SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ049>052-061-062-066>068-071>073-131100- CHRISTIAN-CLAY-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE- MORGAN-RICHLAND-SANGAMON-SCOTT-SHELBY- 336 PM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A DEVELOPING FRONTAL SYSTEM IS STILL PROVIDING A FOCUS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING. THIS ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE...AND THOUGH THE MAJORITY OF THE RAINFALL IS EXPECTED NORTH OF INTERSTATE 72...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SOME SEVERE WEATHER IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS WHERE THE AIR HAS BECOME MORE UNSTABLE IN THE AFTERNOON HOURS. VERY ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS ARE THE MAIN THREAT WITH ANY SEVERE STORMS THAT MAY DEVELOP. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE NEXT FOCUS FOR STEADY RAINS WILL COME SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND INTO SUNDAY...AS MOISTURE FROM HURRICANE IKE FLOW INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND INTERACTS WITH A FRONTAL BOUNDARY. AS A RESULT...PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE OVER THE AREA THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. INSTABILITY AND DEEP LAYER SHEAR VALUES MAY BE ENOUGH TO SUPPORT SOME ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS TOMORROW NIGHT. MAIN THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS IN ADDITION TO FLOODING. HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES FROM THE STORMS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH LOCALIZED AREAS MAYBE RECEIVING 6 INCHES OF RAIN. FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY FROM HEAVY RAINS SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE LATER THIS EVENING. HJS
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:37 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was blown down onto a house in Peoria.
Numerous streets in Peoria had water flowing over them due to heavy rainfall. In addition, many basements were flooded across the city.
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, September 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: 134999, 136051.