An intense low pressure system in eastern South Dakota brought warm, moist and unstable air into portions of western Illinois during the afternoon of March 24, 2009. A line of thunderstorms in McDonough County briefly became severe producing 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 DVN wrote it up.
An intense low pressure system in eastern South Dakota brought warm, moist and unstable air into portions of western Illinois during the afternoon of March 24, 2009. A line of thunderstorms in McDonough County briefly became severe producing damaging winds. The swath of damage to some structures was confined to the area from east of Macomb to Bardolph to Bushnell. Winds were estimated at 60 to 70 mph at the apex of the bowing segment of the line of 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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 24, 1:30 PM CST, 1 hour earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 230 PM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009 .SYNOPSIS... VERY ACTIVE PATTERN FOR THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO WITH SEVERAL INTENSE CYCLONES AFFECTING THE REGION. INTENSE CYCLONE OVER EASTERN SD WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT INTO NORTHERN MN LATER TONIGHT. BAND OF STEADY RAIN AND SOME THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE DVN CWA WILL END THIS EVENING AS THE COLD FRONT SWEEPS THROUGH. COLDER AIR TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY WITH WRAP-AROUND CLOUDS. ECMWF INDICATES FRIDAY AND SATURDAY TO BE THE NEXT INTENSE CYCLONE IN THE HIT PARADE THAT TRACKS OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND INTO NORTHERN INDIANA PRODUCING ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVIER RAIN. HOWEVER THIS SYSTEM HAS COLDER AIR TO WORK WITH SO THE RAIN MAY EVENTUALLY MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SNOW. YET ANOTHER INTENSE CYCLONE PUSHES OUT OF THE ROCKIES AND INTO THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY EARLY NEXT WEEK LOOKING EERILY SIMILAR TO THE CURRENT STORM SYSTEM. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY... INTENSE CYCLONE IN EASTERN SD WILL CONTINUE TO FILL AND LIFT INTO NORTHERN MN LATER TONIGHT. BAND OF RAIN AND SOME THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE DVN CWA TO END THIS EVENING AS COLD FRONT SWEEPS ACROSS. MAY BE LOCALIZED FLOODING ISSUES IN NW IL INTO THIS EVENING WITH MODERATE RAIN MOVING INTO AREAS THAT HAVE ALREADY PICKED UP OVER 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN SINCE THIS MORNING. WILL MONITOR THIS SITUATION INTO THE EVENING. THE ROCK RIVER WILL BE ON THE RISE. VISIBLE SATELLITE INDICATES DRY SLOT SHOULD PUSH EASTWARD INTO THE DVN CWA EARLY TONIGHT FOR A FEW HOURS BEFORE CLOUDS ROTATE BACK INTO THE REGION. MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES EXPECTED LATER TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY ALONG WITH COLDER TEMPERATURES ON SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS. 850 MB TEMPS ON WEDNESDAY RANGE FROM -2C IN OUR NW CWA TO +2C SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 34. LOCAL TEMP SCHEME SUGGESTS MAX TEMPS WILL RANGE FROM THE MID 40S NORTH TO LOWER 50S SOUTH. ..HAASE.. .LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT TUESDAY... THE LONGER TERM PORTION OF THE FORECAST REMAINS VERY ACTIVE...WITH TWO FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT SYSTEMS ON THE HORIZON. A NEW LOW COMES OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST AT US ON A SOUTHERLY TRACK FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...BRINGING A CHANCE FOR RAIN AND SNOW TO THE AREA. YET ANOTHER SOUTHWEST LOW TYPE SYSTEM COMES OUT OF THE ROCKIES FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK. WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT ARE RELATIVELY QUIET. THERE IS A WEAK LITTLE SHORTWAVE THAT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA THURSDAY. THE MODELS ARE TRYING TO SPIT OUT SOME QPF WITH THIS...BUT MOISTURE APPEARS TO BE LACKING AND THE WAVE IS NOT AS STRONG AS ONE TO THE SOUTHEAST...WHICH SHOULD ROB THE REMAINING MOISTURE AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY AND UP THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY. HAVE KEPT TEMPERATURES COOL AND NEAR NORMALS. FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...THIS UPPER LOW COMES AT US ON A SOUTHERLY TRACK...WHICH HAS BEEN TRENDING A LITTLE MORE SOUTH ON THE LAST FEW RUNS OF THE ECMWF AND THE GFS...BUT WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE IT PULL BACK NORTH A LITTLE IN COMING RUNS. THIS SYSTEM SHOULD BEGIN AS RAIN FRIDAY MORNING...SPREADING OUT OF KANSAS AND NORTHERN MISSOURI TOWARDS OUR AREA THURSDAY NIGHT. THE SURFACE LOW TRACKS FROM OKLAHOMA...ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSOURI NORTHEAST UP INTO INDIANA AND MICHIGAN BY SUNDAY MORNING. THIS IS A VERY GOOD TRACK TO BRING US SOME FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION...AND FOR NOW IT APPEARS THAT THE PERIOD WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION IS SATURDAY. A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN WITH THIS SYSTEM IS THE TEMPERATURES ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF IT...WHICH COULD TURN OUR PRECIPITATION OVER TO SNOW SATURDAY AFTERNOON OR EVENING...AND CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY NIGHT. WE COULD VERY WELL BE LOOKING AT ACCUMULATING SNOWS...WITH MODERATE AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. HOWEVER...IF THIS SYSTEM DOES PULL FARTHER NORTH...THAT WOULD REALLY REDUCE THE SNOW POTENTIAL AND WARM TEMPERATURES. CONDITIONS TO TURN COLD COMPARED TO THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND AND INTO MONDAY. MONDAY AND TUESDAY A NEW UPPER LOW COMES AT US OUT OF THE ROCKIES...WITH SOME SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE MODELS. THE GFS IS FASTER...WEAKER AND FARTHER NORTH WITH THE MAIN DYNAMICS...WHEREAS THE ECMWF IS SLOWER...STRONGER AND LOOKS SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO TODAYS EVENT. HAVE GENERALLY FAVORED THE ECMWF FOR THIS...IT GENERALLY BEING A BETTER MODEL AND THE SYSTEM LOOKS SEASONALLY APPROPRIATE. HPC ALSO SEEMS TO HAVE FAVORED THE ECMWF...AND HAVE USED THEIR GUIDANCE FOR THE MOST PART. ...LE... && .AVIATION... MVFR CIGS WITH RAIN AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ENDING IN EASTERN IA EARLY THIS EVENING. THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY CLEARING SKIES FOR A FEW HOURS BEFORE OCNL MVFR CIGS RETURN FOR TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. SOUTH WINDS 15-30 KNOTS REMAINDER OF THIS AFTERNOON TURNING SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS 10-20 KNOTS TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. ..HAASE.. && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...NONE. IL...NONE. MO...NONE. && HAASE/LE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 450 AM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009 IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007- 009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-251000- BUCHANAN-DELAWARE-DUBUQUE-BENTON-LINN-JONES-JACKSON-IOWA-JOHNSON- CEDAR-CLINTON-MUSCATINE-SCOTT-KEOKUK-WASHINGTON-LOUISA-JEFFERSON- HENRY IA-DES MOINES-VAN BUREN-LEE-JO DAVIESS-STEPHENSON-CARROLL- WHITESIDE-ROCK ISLAND-HENRY IL-BUREAU-PUTNAM-MERCER-HENDERSON- WARREN-HANCOCK-MCDONOUGH-SCOTLAND-CLARK- 450 AM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...NORTHWEST ILLINOIS...WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL IOWA...NORTHEAST IOWA...SOUTHEAST IOWA AND NORTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING RAIN WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS TO THE OUTLOOK AREA TODAY...WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTS BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES LIKELY. A FEW STRONG STORMS MAY BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF WIND GUSTS OVER 50 MPH TODAY AND EARLY THIS EVENING. OTHERWISE...TODAY WILL BE ANOTHER WINDY DAY...WITH SUSTAINED WINDS BETWEEN 20 AND 30 MPH...WITH WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH POSSIBLE. LOCATIONS THAT SEE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL MAY EXPERIENCE MINOR FLOODING IN URBAN AND LOW LYING RURAL AREAS. SOME AREA RIVERS WILL LIKELY SEE SIGNIFICANT RISES DUE TO THIS RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY ANOTHER STRONG STORM SYSTEM MAY IMPACT THE MIDWEST LATE IN THE WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND. LATEST INDICATIONS SUGGEST THAT MORE SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY WHICH COULD LEAD TO RIVER FLOODING. THERE MAY EVEN BE A CHANCE FOR SOME SNOW IN OR NEAR THE OUTLOOK AREA SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. STAY TUNED FOR LATER FORECASTS AND UPDATES CONCERNING THIS POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEM FOR NEXT WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... THE IS A LOW CHANCE FOR SPOTTER ACTIVATION TODAY AND EARLY THIS EVENING. ERVIN/12
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
932 AM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0931 AM HEAVY RAIN 1 W CAMBRIDGE 41.30N 90.20W
03/24/2009 M1.50 INCH HENRY IL TRAINED SPOTTER
MOST OF THIS RAIN FEEL IN THE PAST HOUR. SOME MINOR
STREET FLOODING. LIGHT RAIN STILL FALLING.
&&
MIKEZPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
1119 AM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1118 AM HEAVY RAIN FREEPORT 42.29N 89.63W
03/24/2009 M1.25 INCH STEPHENSON IL TRAINED SPOTTER
RAIN AMOUNT SINCE 6 AM.
&&
JH2PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
1152 AM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1152 AM HEAVY RAIN 4 NE FREEPORT 42.33N 89.58W
03/24/2009 M2.25 INCH STEPHENSON IL TRAINED SPOTTER
RAIN AMOUNT SINCE 6 AM.
&&
JH2SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 120 PM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009 IAZ054-065>068-078-088-089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007-009-015>018- 024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-242030- JACKSON-CEDAR-CLINTON-MUSCATINE-SCOTT-LOUISA-HENRY IA-DES MOINES- VAN BUREN-LEE-JO DAVIESS-STEPHENSON-CARROLL-WHITESIDE-ROCK ISLAND- HENRY IL-BUREAU-PUTNAM-MERCER-HENDERSON-WARREN-HANCOCK-MCDONOUGH- SCOTLAND-CLARK- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MAQUOKETA...TIPTON...CLINTON... MUSCATINE...BETTENDORF...DAVENPORT...WAPELLO...MOUNT PLEASANT... BURLINGTON...KEOSAUQUA....FORT MADISON...GALENA...FREEPORT... MOUNT CARROLL...STERLING...ROCK FALLS...MOLINE...ROCK ISLAND... KEWANEE...PRINCETON...HENNEPIN...ALEDO...OQUAWKA...MONMOUTH... CARTHAGE...MACOMB...MEMPHIS...KAHOKA 120 PM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009 STEADY RAIN ALONG WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR FOR MUCH OF THE AFTERNOON HOURS. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY PRODUCE BRIEF WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH ALONG WITH HEAVY RAINFALL OF OVER AN INCH AN HOUR. URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING MAY DEVELOP IN AREAS THAT HAVE PERSISTENT THUNDERSTORMS. DUE TO THE STRONG WIND GUSTS DRIVERS OF VANS...CAMPERS...TRAILERS AND OTHER HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES SHOULD BE EXTRA CAUTIOUS. HAASE
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
123 PM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0121 PM HEAVY RAIN 1 ENE GERMAN VALLEY 42.22N 89.47W
03/24/2009 E1.21 INCH STEPHENSON IL TRAINED SPOTTER
0645 AM THIS MORNING TO 100 PM THIS AFTERNOON.
&&
LESPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 306 PM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009 ILZ001-002-007-009-015>018-024>026-034-035-242215- JO DAVIESS-STEPHENSON-CARROLL-WHITESIDE-ROCK ISLAND-HENRY IL- BUREAU-PUTNAM-MERCER-HENDERSON-WARREN-HANCOCK-MCDONOUGH- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...GALENA...FREEPORT...MOUNT CARROLL... STERLING...ROCK FALLS...MOLINE...ROCK ISLAND...KEWANEE... PRINCETON...HENNEPIN...ALEDO...OQUAWKA...MONMOUTH...CARTHAGE... MACOMB 306 PM CDT TUE MAR 24 2009 ...RAIN AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS IN WESTERN ILLINOIS... STEADY RAIN AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST IN WESTERN AND NORTHWEST ILLINOIS LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY PRODUCE WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ALONG WITH BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS. HAASE
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 112 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:28 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Law enforcement reported about 6 power poles snapped off southeast of Macomb. Winds were estimated over 60 mph.
A trained spotter reported a barn blown over with pieces of tin spread about the area, southwest of Bardolph. One piece of tin was wrapped around a tree.
A trained spotter reported a barn damaged southeast of Bardolph.
Swath of wind damage about 6 miles east of Macomb near Bardolph extending to Bushnell. Power poles blown down, windows blown out of a house, and roof torn off a building. Winds were estimated around 70 mph. Doppler radar indicated time of occurrence about 240 pm CST at Bardolph and 245 pm CST at Bushnell.
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: 155883, 155884, 155885, 155886.