Strong Wind in Illinois, March 8, 2009

Name: Strong Wind in Illinois, March 8, 2009
Start: 2009-03-08T09:00
End: 2009-03-08T13:00
Location: Illinois

March 8, 2009 · NWS PAH · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

Strong west to southwest winds in the wake of a cold front gusted to around 45 mph. The strong winds were west of a line from the Wabash Valley to Harrisburg to Golconda.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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: $12,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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.

Strong west to southwest winds in the wake of a cold front gusted to around 45 mph. The strong winds were west of a line from the Wabash Valley to Harrisburg to Golconda.

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 Mar 8, 6:58 AM CST, 2 hours 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 8, 6:58 AM CST, 2 hours 2 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
758 AM CDT SUN MAR 8 2009

.UPDATE...
UPDATED FOR THE 12Z TAF ISSUANCE.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
BIGGEST CHALLENGES WITH THIS PACKAGE WILL BE WITH SEVERE STORM
RISK TODAY...THEN WITH A RETURNING WARM FRONT / ASSOCIATED PRECIP
AND TEMPS / LATER MONDAY INTO TUE.

MODELS ARE STILL IN DECENT AGREEMENT WITH THE PLACEMENT AND TIMING
OF THE NEXT FRONTAL PASSAGE TODAY. MODELS ARE STILL NOT VERY
AGGRESSIVE WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTS DURING THE DAY...BUT THINK THERE
WILL BE ENOUGH OVERALL MOISTURE AND LARGE SCALE FORCING IN THE MID
LEVELS TO PRODUCE A LEAST A BROKEN LINE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE SFC BOUNDARY...ESP AS WE GET INTO THE
AFTERNOON. SPC CONTINUES TO OUTLOOK THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA WITH
A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS TODAY...AND IS MAINLY CONCERNED
WITH BOWING SEGMENTS/SUPERCELLS THAT COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS
..HAIL...AND EVEN ISOLATED TORNADOES. CONTINUED WITH LIKELY POPS
ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE CWA IVOF STATIONARY FRONT...BUT
REDUCED POPS TO HIGH CHC ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA WITH
MODELS CONSISTENTLY PLAYING DOWN POPS.

A BRIEF LULL IN THE ACTION CAN BE EXPECTED SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY
MORNING. BOTH GFS/NAM/ECMWF SHOW ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER
THE CENTRAL PLAINS LIFTING A WARM FRONT NORTH ACROSS OUR
AREA...SPREADING POPS ACROSS THE QUAD STATE MONDAY AFTERNOON INTO
MONDAY NIGHT.

AFTER 12Z TUE...THE PAH FCST AREA WILL BE IN A WARM SECTOR
AGAIN...WITH A WARM FRONT IN NRN PARTS OF THE REGION OR PERHAPS
ALREADY NORTH OF THE REGION. IT SHOULD BE BREEZY ONCE AGAIN ON TUE
AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. AS A
SIGNIFICANT MID LEVEL TROF APPROACHES AND BEGINS TO TAKE ON A
NEGATIVE TILT... SHWRS/TSTMS SHOULD BE COMMON DURING THE DAY AND
WELL INTO THE EVE...ESPECIALLY IN THE NE CLOSER TO THE DEEPENING
SFC LOW. THE LOW IS EXPECTED TO ZIP ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST. SVR
WX DOES SEEM POSSIBLE WITH THIS SYSTEM IN OUR AREA DUE TO THE MID
LEVEL DYNAMICS AND SPEED OF THE COLD FRONT. HOWEVER...THERE ARE
SOME UNCERTAINTIES AMONG THE MED RANGE MODELS AS TO THE EXACT
EVOLUTION AND TIMING OF THE SYSTEM. MADE NO CHANGES BEYOND TUESDAY
NIGHT.

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE MID MORNING HOURS AT ALL
SITES. BY MID MORNING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE NEARING
THE AREA IN A SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ORIENTATION...PRE FRONTAL.
THIS WILL BRINGS CIGS DOWN SOME BUT MVFR CIGS WILL LIKELY BE
ASSOCIATED WITH PRECIP. VSBY WILL REMAIN VFR THROUGH VALID TIME
AT ALL SITES. WINDS WILL PICK UP IN EARNEST BY MID MORNING WITH
GUSTS NEAR 30 KNOTS. AFTER SUNSET SKIES WILL CLEAR AS WINDS SHIFT
TO THE NORTHWEST AND DECREASE OVERNIGHT.

&&

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

DRS/JAP

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 8, 3:15 AM CST, 5 hours 45 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
415 AM CDT SUN MAR 8 2009

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-
100-107>112-114-091000-
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-
415 AM CDT SUN MAR 8 2009

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THE CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE FROM WEST TO EAST
ACROSS THE QUAD STATE REGION TODAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF A
FEW STORMS BECOMING SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING
HOURS WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL BEING THE MAIN THREATS.
HOWEVER...AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. THUNDERSTORMS MAY
LINGER ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PENNYRILE REGION THROUGH THE LATE EVENING
HOURS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL INCREASE FROM WEST TO EAST ON MONDAY.
ANOTHER ROUND OF POSSIBLY SEVERE WEATHER WILL CROSS THE REGION
TUESDAY OR TUESDAY NIGHT WITH THE PASSAGE OF A FRONTAL SYSTEM.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TODAY AND AGAIN TUESDAY NIGHT.

JAP

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Jackson

When: March 8, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 37.785, -89.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Jefferson

When: March 8, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 38.301, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Johnson

When: March 8, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Johnson forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 37.460, -88.881 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Massac

When: March 8, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Massac forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 37.219, -88.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Perry

When: March 8, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Perry forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 38.084, -89.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Pulaski

When: March 8, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Pulaski forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 37.223, -89.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Union

When: March 8, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Union forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 37.471, -89.255 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Wayne

When: March 8, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Wayne forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 38.430, -88.426 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Williamson

When: March 8, 9:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Williamson forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 37.730, -88.930 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Alexander

When: March 8, 11:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Alexander forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 37.192, -89.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Franklin

When: March 8, 11:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 37.992, -88.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Hamilton

When: March 8, 11:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Hamilton forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 38.082, -88.539 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Illinois in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, March 2009

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: 158665, 158666, 158667, 158668, 158669, 158670, 158671, 158672, 158673, 158662, 158663, 158664.