Frequent wind gusts from 60 to nearly 70 mph caused considerable damage in southern Illinois. The low pressure center that was the remnant of Hurricane Ike raced northeast at 40 to 50 mph across Missouri and Illinois.
Every event with a place to put it; 16 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 PAH wrote it up.
Frequent wind gusts from 60 to nearly 70 mph caused considerable damage in southern Illinois. The low pressure center that was the remnant of Hurricane Ike raced northeast at 40 to 50 mph across Missouri and Illinois. The center passed between Carbondale and St. Louis on its way toward the northeastern states. The rapid speed of the low pressure system contributed to this high wind event.
Considerable tree damage occurred. Trees were uprooted, and very large limbs were broken. Some trees fell on homes, outbuildings, and vehicles. Fewer than a dozen homes in each county were damaged by falling trees. Others fell on commercial and public buildings. Numerous trees or limbs fell on roads and blocked them. Road closures were mostly south and east of Franklin County. All roads were cleared of debris within 12 hours in most counties. Minor roof damage was reported on some structures, mostly shingles blown off. A few structures lost entire sections of roof, including the old fire station in Rosiclare (Hardin County). The worst roof damage was mainly in the counties bordering the Ohio River. Numerous power outages occurred as utility lines and even some power poles were brought down. About 36 percent of Jackson County (including Carbondale) and 20 percent of Saline County lost power. The most extensive utility damage was along and south of a Carbondale to Harrisburg line. Schools were cancelled due to power outages in isolated areas. Nearly all power was restored within 48 hours. Electrical problems resulted in a major house fire in West Frankfort. A barn under construction was destroyed 8 miles east of Benton. The walls of a 50-year-old storage building in Metropolis collapsed after the roof was blown off. Near Round Knob in Massac County, a barn was destroyed. A lumber shed near Glendale in Pope County collapsed. Chimney tops were blown off buildings in Pinckneyville. Large signs were blown down. The Wabash River bridge between Mt. Vernon, IN and New Haven, IL was closed due to huge tarps blown onto the roadway. The tarps were for protection of workers doing maintenance on the bridge. A peak wind gust of 67 mph was measured at Cairo, and a 61 mph gust was recorded at the Carbondale airport. Carmi measured a gust to 55 mph.
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 Sep 14, 5:35 AM CST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
635 AM CDT SUN SEP 14 2008
.UPDATE...
FOR 12Z TAF ISSUANCE.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
/ISSUED 355 AM CDT SUN SEP 14 2008/
THE ACCELERATING REMNANTS OF IKE WERE IN NRN AR AND RAPIDLY
PROGRESSING NEWD THIS MORNING. ACCORDINGLY...WINDS WERE INCREASING
ESPECIALLY IN THE WRN HALF OF THE REGION AND MAY REACH WIND
ADVISORY CRITERIA SOON IN SRN PARTS OF SERN MO. A TORNADO WATCH
WAS IN EFFECT JUST TO OUR SOUTH BUT SO FAR THE CONVECTIVE LINES
HAVE BEHAVED. IN FACT...NO LIGHTNING HAS BEEN SEEN EVEN DOWN IN
MS. SO FAR THE RAINFALL HAS BEEN MOSTLY ON THE LIGHT SIDE...AND
THE RAIN SHIELD WAS BEGINNING TO SURGE EWD.
ON THE ERN SIDE OF THE CIRCULATION WHERE THE PAH FCST AREA WILL BE
TODAY...CURRENT QPF ESTIMATES ARE THAT ABOUT AN INCH OF RAIN WILL
FALL ROUGHLY WEST OF A LINE FROM POPLAR BLUFF MO TO MT. VERNON
IL...AND SIGNIFICANTLY LESS ELSEWHERE. WITH A THE LOW LEVEL SHEAR
AND SOME SFC HEATING AVAILABLE...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF TSTM
RELATED WIND DAMAGE FOR LATER TODAY...INCLUDING ISOLD TORNADOES...
MAINLY EAST OF THE OHIO AND WABASH RIVERS.
THE REMNANTS OF IKE WILL MERGE WITH A MID LEVEL SHRTWV/SFC COLD
FRONT TODAY AND BE OUT OF THE AREA QUICKLY. NO PCPN IS IN THE FCST
AFTER 00Z MON. THE REST OF THE 7 DAY FCST WILL BE RAIN FREE AND
COOLER AS CYCLONIC MID LEVEL FLOW TRANSITIONS TO NWRLY FLOW...THEN
THE PRESSURE PATTERNS REALLY SLACKEN. THERE WILL PROBABLY BE A
SLIGHT WARMING TREND TO NEAR NORMAL TEMPS TOWARD DAY 7 ESPECIALLY
IN THE AFTERNOONS.
&&
.AVIATION...
MVFR CIGS AND VSBYS WILL PREVAIL THIS MORNING. HEAVIER SHOWERS
WITHIN THE CONVECTIVE BANDS MAY BRIEFLY DROP CIGS AND VSBYS TO THE
LOWER END OF THE MVFR RANGE...ESPECIALLY AT KCGI AND KPAH. CIGS WILL
BREAK UP THIS EVENING ACROSS KCGI/KPAH HOWEVER SCT CU WILL LINGER.
KEVV/KOWB SHOULD SEE MVFR CIGS THROUGH OVERNIGHT PERIOD. DID NOT GET
FANCY WITH WINDS...GRADUALLY TURNED THEM TOWARD THE NORTHWEST BEHIND
THE COLD FRONT.
&&
.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KY...WIND ADVISORY FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 4 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON
FOR BALLARD-CALDWELL-CALLOWAY-CARLISLE-CHRISTIAN-CRITTENDEN-
GRAVES-HICKMAN-LIVINGSTON-LYON-MARSHALL-MCCRACKEN-TODD-
TRIGG.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING
FOR DAVIESS-HENDERSON-HOPKINS-MCLEAN-MUHLENBERG-UNION KY-
WEBSTER.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR FULTON.
MO...WIND ADVISORY FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 4 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON
FOR BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-MISSISSIPPI-PERRY MO-SCOTT.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR BUTLER-CARTER-
NEW MADRID-RIPLEY-STODDARD-WAYNE MO.
IL...WIND ADVISORY FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 4 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON
FOR ALEXANDER-JACKSON-JOHNSON-MASSAC-POPE-PULASKI-UNION IL-
WILLIAMSON.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING
FOR EDWARDS-FRANKLIN-GALLATIN-HAMILTON-HARDIN-JEFFERSON-
PERRY IL-SALINE-WABASH-WAYNE IL-WHITE.
IN...WIND ADVISORY FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING
FOR GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-SPENCER-VANDERBURGH-WARRICK.
&&
PUBLIC....DB
AVIATION...MLHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 800 AM CDT SUN SEP 14 2008 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-151100- 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- 500 AM CDT SUN SEP 14 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT VERY STRONG WINDS ARE LIKELY JUST EAST OF THE CENTER OF THE REMNANTS OF IKE THIS MORNING AS IT MOVES RAPIDLY NORTHEAST. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 40 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 60 MPH ARE LIKELY ROUGHLY WEST OF A LINE FROM DEXTER MISSOURI IN STODDARD COUNTY TO FAIRFIELD ILLINOIS IN WAYNE COUNTY. PLEASE REFER TO THE HIGH WIND WARNING FOR DETAILS. REPORTS OF TREE AND STRUCTURE DAMAGE HAVE ALREADY BEEN RECEIVED IN SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI. STRONG WINDS AND ARE EXPECTED TODAY OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA...AS THE REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IKE MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. WINDS MAY GUST TO OVER 45 MPH AT TIMES TODAY WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR THE ENTIRE REGION... SO PLEASE REFER TO THE WIND ADVISORY FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION. THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL IS LIKELY OVER SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND SOUTHWESTERN ILLINOIS...WHERE AN AVERAGE OF AROUND AN INCH IS FORECAST. THIS MAY RESULT IN FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. AS WITH MOST FORMER HURRICANES WHEN THEY LIFT THEIR TROPICAL REMNANTS ACROSS OUR AREA...AN ISOLATED STORM COULD PRODUCE A BRIEF TORNADO OR ISOLATED WIND DAMAGE. THE MOST LIKELY AREA WHERE THIS MAY OCCUR TODAY WILL BE GENERALLY EAST OF THE OHIO AND WABASH RIVERS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE TODAY. REPORTS OF HEAVY RAINFALL... FLOODING...OR HIGH WINDS SHOULD BE RELAYED TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
16 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
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: 125785, 125800, 125803, 125792, 125795, 125798, 125787, 125793, 125794, 125797, 125791, 125799, 125786, 125789, 125801, 125802.