A tight gradient between high pressure along the East Coast and low pressure developing over the Northern Plains created very strong winds across central Illinois on March 24th. Sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts as high as 50 to 60 mph were reported.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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 ILX wrote it up.
A tight gradient between high pressure along the East Coast and low pressure developing over the Northern Plains created very strong winds across central Illinois on March 24th. Sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts as high as 50 to 60 mph were reported. Minor damage occurred across the area as a result of the high 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 Mar 24, 11:40 AM CST, 1 hour 4 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 1240 PM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 1045 AM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009 FORECAST LOOKS ON TRACK TODAY AND ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE HOURLY GRIDS. INCREASED POPS TO 100% AND INCREASE QPF TO 1 TO 1.4 INCHES NW OF THE IL RIVER TODAY. JUST 30 TO 40% CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN IL TODAY WITH THEIR BEST CHANCE OF CONVECTION OCCURING TONIGHT. CONTINUED THE WIND ADVISORY EAST OF THE IL RIVER THROUGH 10 PM THIS EVENING FOR SSE WINDS 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH POSSIBLE. UNSEASONABLY MILD HIGHS OF 70 TO 75F FROM I-55 EAST AND MID TO UPPER 60S OVER THE IL RIVER VALLEY. 16Z/10 AM SURFACE MAP SHOWS 993 MB LOW PRESSURE WEAKENING A BIT OVER EASTERN SD WITH ITS COLD FRONT EXTENING NEARING I-35 IN CENTRAL IA INTO NW MO AND SE OK. MEANWHILE 1043 MB CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE OVER NE QUEBEC AND RIDGING SOUTHWARD INTO THE MID ATLANIC STATES. VERY TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER IL BETWEEN THESE TWO WEATHER SYSTEMS GIVING STRONG SSE WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH. TEMPS RANGED FROM THE UPPER 50S FROM THE IL RIVER NW WHERE THERE HAS BEEN SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THIS MORNING...TO THE MID 60S IN SE IL SOUTH OF I-70. DEWPOINTS RANGED FROM THE LOWER 40SW IN EASTERN IL TO 50 TO 55F IN WESTERN IL NEAR THE MS RIVER VALLEY. MODELS WEAKEN LOW PRESSURE TO 999 MB OVER SW MN BY SUNSET WHILE COLD FRONT MOVES EAST INTO WESTERN IL. LOW PRESSURE MOVES IN NE MN BY 06Z/1 PM WHILE MOVING COLD FRONT EAST ACROSS IL THIS EVENING. WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO OCCUR ALONG AND AHEAD OF THIS COLD FRONT. BEST CHANCE OF CONVECTION IS OVER THE IL RIVER VALLEY TODAY AND INTO EASTERN IL THIS EVENING. SPC HAS SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS LATER TODAY INTO THIS EVENING SW OF A SPRINGFIELD TO FLORA LINE. HAVE 5 TO 10% OF LARGE HAIL...5 TO 15% DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND 2% TORNADOES. HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S OVER THE IL RIVER VALLEY AND 70 TO 75F ALONG AND EAST OF I-55 WHERE SOME PEEKS OF SUNSHINE. HUETTL && .AVIATION... ISSUED 1240 PM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009 994 MB LOW PRESSURE OVER SE SD WITH ITS COLD FRONT OVER CENTRAL IA INTO WESTERN MO WILL MOVE INTO NE MN BY 06Z/1 AM AND SWING THE COLD FRONT EAST ACROSS IL THIS EVENING. THE COLD FRONT SHOULD REACH PIA AND SPI AROUND 02Z AND CMI BY 05Z. STRONG GRADIENT SOUTH WINDS 20 TO 30 KTS WITH GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 KTS INTO MID EVENING OVER CENTRAL IL AHEAD OF THE FRONT. ALSO HAVE NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THAT HAVE ALREADY AFFECT PIA TO SPREAD EAST OF THE IL RIVER DURING MID/LATE AFTERNOON AND INTO CMI BY SUNSET. CONVECTION WILL BRING IFR VISIBILITIES WITH HEAVY RAIN AND MVFR CEILINGS. CONVECTION SHOULD DIMINISH FROM WEST TO EAST BEHIND THE COLD FRONT WITH CLOUDS SCATTERING OUT BETWEEN 03Z-06Z FROM WEST TO EAST. WINDS TURN SW AND DIMINISH TO 10 TO 15 KTS WITH GUSTS NEAR 20KTS LATER THIS EVENING. VERTICALLY STACKED LOW PRESSURE MOVES TO ALONG THE MN/CANADIAN BORDER BY 18Z/1 PM WED WHILE WEAK HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES INTO THE OZARKS AND MUCH WEAK PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER CENTRAL IL THAN PAST TWO DAYS. BROKEN MVFR CEILINGS TO AFFECT PIA AND BMI DURING MID/LATE WED MORNING CLOSER TO LOW PRESSURE WHILE JUST SCATTERED CLOUDS FURTHER SOUTH ALONG I-72. HUETTL && .PREV DISCUSSION... ISSUED 153 AM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009 PLENTY OF CHALLENGES WITH THIS FORECAST PACKAGE...MAINLY FOCUSING ON APPROACHING POWERFUL STORM SYSTEM TODAY AND TONIGHT. ADDITIONAL CONCERNS ARISE LATER IN THE WEEK...WHEN YET ANOTHER STRONG SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE SOUTHWEST. LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS 989MB LOW CENTERED OVER SOUTH DAKOTA...WITH WARM FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDING E/SE INTO NORTH-CENTRAL ILLINOIS. MEANWHILE...STRONG COLD FRONT STRETCHES SOUTHWARD FROM THE LOW INTO THE TEXAS PANHANDLE. ALOFT...DEEP UPPER LOW IS CENTERED OVER THE DAKOTAS...WHILE NORTHERN STREAM SHORT-WAVE COMES ONSHORE IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY STRONG TO SEVERE CONVECTION CURRENTLY ONGOING IMMEDIATELY AHEAD OF THE DRY LINE/COLD FRONT ACROSS NORTHWEST MISSOURI INTO EASTERN KANSAS WILL TRACK N/NE AND REMAIN WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER EARLY THIS MORNING. ISOLATED SHOWERS/STORMS MAY OCCUR ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF THE KILX CWA...HOWEVER MOST OF THE PRECIP WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL CLOSER TO MIDDAY AS COLD FRONT BEGINS TO APPROACH FROM THE WEST. FORECAST SOUNDINGS CONTINUE TO INDICATE DRY AIR BELOW 800MB THROUGH AT LEAST EARLY AFTERNOON...THANKS IN LARGE PART TO AN EASTERLY COMPONENT TO THE LOW-LEVEL FLOW. ONCE FLOW VEERS TO SOUTHERLY...PROFILES MOISTEN MORE THOROUGHLY AND PRECIP CHANCES WILL INCREASE MARKEDLY...BUT THIS WILL NOT OCCUR UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON ALONG AND WEST OF I-55 AND EARLY EVENING FURTHER EAST ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA. COLD FRONT IS PROGGED TO REACH THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BY 00Z...WITH SQUALL LINE DEVELOPING AHEAD OF IT ACROSS WEST-CENTRAL ILLINOIS BY AROUND 21Z. LINE OF STORMS WILL PUSH EASTWARD ACROSS THE KILX CWA DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND SHOULD EXIT INTO INDIANA SHORTLY BEFORE MIDNIGHT. LOW CAPE/HIGH SHEAR ENVIRONMENT WILL BE IN PLACE ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS...SO SEVERE POTENTIAL WILL PRIMARILY REVOLVE AROUND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. WITH TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT AND STRONG WAA...SUSTAINED WINDS OUTSIDE OF STORMS WILL CLIMB INTO THE 20 TO 30 MPH RANGE...WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 45 MPH AT TIMES. EVEN STRONGER WINDS WILL BE NOTED JUST OFF THE SURFACE...WITH A 55 TO 65 MPH 925MB JET IN PLACE TODAY. ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE ABLE TO TAP INTO THIS WIND ENERGY ALOFT...THUS PRODUCING AN ENHANCED THREAT FOR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS REACHING THE SURFACE. WITH EXPECTED STRONG GRADIENT WINDS...WILL CONTINUE CURRENT WIND ADVISORY ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS TODAY. IN ADDITION...WILL EXPAND ADVISORY FURTHER S/SE TO INCLUDE ALL LOCATIONS ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-70 AS WELL...WITH ONLY AREAS LEFT OUT OF ADVISORY WEST OF THE ILLINOIS RIVER...WHERE WEAKER GRADIENT WILL BE PRESENT AHEAD OF APPROACHING FRONT. COLD FRONT WILL QUICKLY SWEEP THROUGH THE REGION THIS EVENING...PUSHING INTO INDIANA BY AROUND MIDNIGHT. IMPRESSIVE DRY SLOT NOTED ON CURRENT WATER VAPOR IMAGERY WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA BEHIND DEPARTING FRONT...LEADING TO A QUICK CLEARING TREND. WRAP-AROUND CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER/SURFACE LOW LIFTING ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST WILL ROTATE S/SE ACROSS THE NORTHERN CWA LATE TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY...CREATING PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS FROM PEORIA AND BLOOMINGTON NORTHWARD. ELSEWHERE...MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES CAN BE EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY. MUCH COOLER TEMPS WILL ALSO BE ON TAP...WITH HIGHS ONLY IN THE 50S. BIG CHANGES NOTED WITH THE 00Z 24 MARCH RUN OF BOTH THE NAM-WRF AND GFS...AS BOTH MODELS SPIN UP A SURFACE LOW ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY ON THURSDAY AS WEAKENING UPPER WAVE RIPPLES ALONG TO THE SOUTH. CANADIAN AND ECMWF ALSO SHOW A WEAK SURFACE FEATURE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS WAVE...BUT KEEP IT FURTHER SOUTH. DO NOT TRUST THIS SUDDEN CHANGE IN THE MODELS...SO WILL STICK TO THE MORE SOUTHERN CANADIAN/ECMWF AT THIS TIME. WILL INTRODUCE MORE CLOUDS INTO THE FORECAST FOR THURSDAY...PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE E/SE CWA...BUT WILL KEEP POPS AT SLIGHT CHANCE OR BELOW UNTIL BETTER MODEL AGREEMENT OCCURS. LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY NEXT SIGNIFICANT SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO APPROACH FROM THE SOUTHWEST BY THE END OF THE WEEK. DEEP UPPER LOW IS PROGGED TO LIFT FROM THE DESERT SOUTHWEST INTO THE MIDWEST BY FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. MEDIUM RANGE MODELS COMING INTO BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THIS FEATURE...WITH BOTH ECMWF AND GFS TRACKING UPPER SYSTEM RIGHT OVER CENTRAL ILLINOIS ON SATURDAY. WITH SURFACE LOW ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY ON FRIDAY...A CLOUDY AND COOL DAY WILL BE NOTED ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS...WITH RAIN SHOWERS ARRIVING BY FRIDAY NIGHT. SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED ON SATURDAY...AS COLD CORE SYSTEM MOVES OVERHEAD. AFTER THAT...CHILLY CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY AS THE PRECIP GRADUALLY COMES TO AN END. && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR ILZ031-037-038- 041>057-061>063-066>068-071>073. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 1056 AM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009 ILZ027>030-036-040-251200- FULTON-KNOX-MARSHALL-PEORIA-SCHUYLER-STARK- 1056 AM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LIKELY THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING AS A COLD FRONT MOVES INTO ILLINOIS. A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF A GALESBURG TO PEORIA LINE. IN ADDITION TO THE WIND THREAT WITH ANY STORMS THAT ORGANIZE TODAY...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 1.5 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE. STRONG GRADIENT WINDS OUT OF THE SOUTH WILL GUST AS HIGH AS 40 MPH AT TIMES TODAY INTO EARLY THIS EVENING WITH WINDS DIMINISHING AFTER MIDNIGHT. FOR INTERESTS ALONG THE ILLINOIS RIVER...FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FROM HENRY TO BEARDSTOWN THROUGH AT LEAST THE END OF THIS WEEK. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE WILL BE ANOTHER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AS AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE APPROACHES FROM THE SOUTHWEST. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF A GALESBURG TO PEORIA LINE. THE TIME FRAME FOR ANY ACTIVATION APPEARS TO BE FROM 2 PM TO 8 PM. ILZ031-037-038-041>055-061-251200- CASS-CHAMPAIGN-CHRISTIAN-DE WITT-DOUGLAS-LOGAN-MACON-MASON-MCLEAN- MENARD-MORGAN-MOULTRIE-PIATT-SANGAMON-SCOTT-SHELBY-TAZEWELL- VERMILION-WOODFORD- 1056 AM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LIKELY INTO MID EVENING AS A COLD FRONT MOVES INTO ILLINOIS. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SOUTHWEST OF SPRINGFIELD LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 1.5 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE BY THE TIME THE PRECIPITATION MOVES OUT OF THE AREA LATER THIS EVENING. IN ADDITION TO THE THREAT FOR HIGH WINDS WITH ANY ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORMS TODAY...SOUTH WINDS WILL GUST AS HIGH AS 45 MPH AT TIMES AS LOW PRESSURE DEEPENS TO OUR NORTHWEST. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE WILL BE ANOTHER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ON SATURDAY AS LOW PRESSURE APPROACHES FROM THE SOUTHWEST. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. PRESENT INDICATIONS SUGGEST THE PRIMARY TIME FRAME WOULD BE FROM 3 PM TO 9 PM. ILZ056-057-062-063-066>068-071>073-251200- CLARK-CLAY-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND-EDGAR-EFFINGHAM-JASPER- LAWRENCE-RICHLAND- 1056 AM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT STRONG SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS NEAR 45 MPH WILL OCCUR OVER SOUTHEAST IL THROUGH MID EVENING. CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND ESPECIALLY THIS EVENING AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LOCALIZED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS ALONG WITH BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL. FOR INTERESTS ALONG THE WABASH RIVER...MINOR FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS FROM HUTSONVILLE SOUTH TO VINCENNES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE WILL BE ANOTHER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ON SATURDAY AS LOW PRESSURE APPROACHES THE AREA FROM THE SOUTHWEST. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. KH
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Five power poles were snapped near County Highway 24 and Rush Road one mile west of the Macon/Piatt County line. In addition, a 60 mph wind gust was measured at the Macon County ESDA building in Decatur.
Part of the fascia was blown off a home in Abingdon.
Power lines were blown down across Douglas and East Woodford Streets in Roanoke.
A large section of a tree was blown down. In addition, minor roof and shingle damage occurred due to high winds in Spaulding.
Numerous power lines were blown down across Morgan County, resulting in about 1000 Ameren customers without power in the towns of Murrayville, Franklin, and Alexander.
A large tree was uprooted in London Mills.
Two 8-inch diameter trees were blown down.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, March 2009
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: 157503, 157505, 157504, 157508, 157509, 157507, 157506.