A warm front lifted northward into the region during the early morning hours of May 15th, triggering a large complex of thunderstorms across Iowa. These storms tracked eastward into north-central Illinois producing very heavy rain west of the Illinois River during the morning.
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 ILX wrote it up.
A warm front lifted northward into the region during the early morning hours of May 15th, triggering a large complex of thunderstorms across Iowa. These storms tracked eastward into north-central Illinois producing very heavy rain west of the Illinois River during the morning. Additional strong to severe thunderstorms developed further south along the warm front in the afternoon. These storms produced numerous reports of large hail, heavy rainfall, and flash flooding - including a fatality in a vechicle due to high water late in the evening. This was the second heavy rain episode within three days in central Illinois. There were also isolated reports of wind damage in central Illinois.
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 May 15, 5:50 AM CST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 650 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 2009 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 317 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 2009 UPPER LEVEL TROF TRYING TO DIG INTO THE ROCKIES...WITH A SFC LOW DEVELOPING IN THE NRN PLAINS. FRONTAL BOUNDARY ASSOCIATED WITH WEDNESDAYS WEATHER IS STILL STRETCHED FROM KS INTO THE MID ATLANTIC STATES. THIS WILL PLAY A ROLE WITH THE COMING FORECAST. MAIN ISSUES ARE THIS FRONT AND ITS INTERACTION WITH AN APPROACHING WAVE FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS. MODELS ARE ACTUALLY IN PRETTY DECENT AGREEMENT OVERALL. MAJOR DIFFERENCES IN THE MODELS CROP UP IN THE EARLY PARTS OF NEXT WEEK WITH THE ECMWF MAINTAINING A SLOWER PROGRESSION OF AN UPPER WAVE...AND THE GFS BUILDING IN A MASSIVE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE...WITH DRY AND HOT WEATHER FOR THE MIDWEST AND THE SERN CONUS. FOR THE MOST PART...THE FORECAST IS NOT REALLY AFFECTED BY THIS DIFFERENCE...AS THE FORECAST IS DRY EITHER WAY FOR DAYS 3 THRU 5. SHORT TERM...TODAY AND TOMORROW... BOUNDARY TO THE SOUTH STILL PROGGED TO BEGIN DRIFTING NORTH WITH WAA AT THE SFC...HOWEVER... NAM/WRF MAY BE PUSHING IT A LITTLE TOO FAR NORTH AS THE THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX MOVING ACROSS IA AND MO THIS MORNING MAY KEEP THE LOW LEVELS A BIT COOLER. SO...FRONTAL POSITION IS A BIT PROBLEMATIC. HOWEVER...THE UPPER WAVE/LLJ ENHANCED SHOWERS SHOULD CONTINUE INTO THIS MORNING. THE FRONT SHOULD DRIFT NWD...ALLOWING FOR SOME WAA SHOWERS LATER IN THE AFTERNOON. ESSENTIALLY...SEVERAL WEAK INFLUENCES KEEPING POPS IN FOR MUCH OF TODAY. BIG THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE LATER AS THE INSTABILITY MAXIMIZES LATER TODAY...ANCHORING MUCH OF THE CWA IN A WARM SECTOR ENVIRONMENT. COLD FRONT APPROACHES AND SETS OFF ANOTHER ROUND OF PRECIP THAT WILL EVENTUALLY MELD INTO A QUASI LINEAR STRUCTURE YET AGAIN WITH AN AMPLIFIED WIND THREAT IN THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. EXPECT RAIN TO COME TO AN END IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE DAY TOMORROW...WITH COOLER TEMPS BEHIND THIS FRONT. LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... ONCE THE SHOWERS CLEAR THE FA ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON...THE MIDWEST MOVES INTO A DRIER PATTERN...AND SLIGHTLY COOLER THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. 850MB TEMPS IN ECMWF DROP TO 3C TO 6C...BRINGING SLIGHTLY UNSEASONABLE COOLER TEMPS IN UNTIL THE WARM UP KICKS IN AGAIN WITH SUNNY SKIES ON MONDAY. HJS && .AVIATION... ISSUED 650 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 2009...FOR THE 12Z TAFS ONGOING SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF THE MORNING...AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS N ACROSS THE AREA. PIA AND BMI WILL HAVE THE BEST CHANCE AT IFR VIS AND MVFR CIGS THIS MORNING DUE TO STRONGER STORMS. WILL TEMPO A COUPLE HOURS OF THOSE CONDITIONS EARLY THIS MORNING AT BOTH SITES. THE REMAINDER OF C IL WILL SEE MORE SCATTERED CONVECTION...SO WILL BROAD BRUSH THOSE AREAS WITH VFR CONDITIONS. STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE COLD FRONT LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AS IT MOVES EAST. WILL TEMPO 3 HRS OF IFR VIS AND CIGS AT ALL SITES DURING THE EVENING. TIMING STILL A LITTLE IN DOUBT...BUT MORE CONFIDENT ON THE LOW VIS AND CIGS OCCURRING. BY MIDNIGHT...THE COLD FRONT SHOULD BE ESE OF MOST TAF SITES...POSSIBLE NOT DEC/CMI. WENT WITH NW WINDS AND IFR CIGS THE REMAINDER OF THE NIGHT...ONCE THE STORMS DEPART. SHIMON && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING FOR ILZ027>031-036>038. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 540 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 2009 ILZ027>031-036>038-161100- FULTON-KNOX-MARSHALL-MCLEAN-PEORIA-STARK-TAZEWELL-WOODFORD- 540 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 2009 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME MORE NUMEROUS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES EAST ACROSS THE AREA. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY REACH SEVERE LEVELS...WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. AN ISOLATED TORNADO WILL BE POSSIBLE. VERY HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO EXPECTED. RAINFALL AMOUNTS MAY REACH BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. THIS RAIN...FALLING ON ALREADY SATURATED SOILS...WILL AGGRAVATE ONGOING FLOODING PROBLEMS ACROSS THE AREA. THE STORMS WILL SHIFT SOUTH OF THE AREA LATER TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY MANY AREA RIVERS WILL REMAIN AT OR ABOVE FLOOD STAGE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. IN PARTICULAR...THE ILLINOIS...MACKINAW...AND SPOON RIVERS WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED BETWEEN 4 PM AND 10 PM. ILZ040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-161100- CASS-CHAMPAIGN-CHRISTIAN-CLARK-CLAY-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND- DE WITT-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-LOGAN-MACON-MASON- MENARD-MORGAN-MOULTRIE-PIATT-RICHLAND-SANGAMON-SCHUYLER-SCOTT- SHELBY-VERMILION- 540 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME MORE NUMEROUS THIS AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT...AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES EAST ACROSS THE AREA. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY REACH SEVERE LEVELS...WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. AN ISOLATED TORNADO WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL MAY DEVELOP...AND FALL ON ALREADY SATURATED SOILS. ANY ONGOING FLOODING PROBLEMS ACROSS THE AREA WILL LIKELY BE AGGRAVATED. THE STORMS WILL SHIFT SOUTH OF THE AREA BY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY MANY AREA RIVERS WILL REMAIN AT OR ABOVE FLOOD STAGE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. IN PARTICULAR...THE ILLINOIS...SANGAMON...LITTLE WABASH...AND EMBARRAS RIVERS WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED BETWEEN 6 PM AND 1 AM. SHIMON
The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:01 UTC.
27 hail, 20 flash flood, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 flood, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain produced up to 2 feet of water on parts of county road 20 near Avon. Water also covered a rural road near London Mills.
Heavy rain on already saturated ground resulted in flooded roads in much of northern Fulton County. Illinois Routes 116 and 78 near Farmington were closed. Illinois Route 9 was covered with water and impassible in spots from Checkrow to Fiatt.
Heavy rain on an already saturated ground produced extensive flash flooding in southern Knox County, particularly along the Spoon River basin. Part of U.S. Highway 150, about 3 miles southeast of Dahinda, was under water.
Heavy rainfall of 2.00 to 3.00 inches on already saturated ground produced widespread flash flooding in northern Knox County. Many roads were covered with water, and several rural roads were closed to traffic. Numerous streets in the city of Galesburg were also closed due to high water.
Heavy rain of 2.00 to 3.00 inches on already saturated ground produced widespread flash flooding of most roads across Stark County. Many rural roads were closed to traffic due to high water.
Heavy rain of 2.00 to 3.00 inches on already saturated ground produced widespread flash flooding of most roads across western Peoria County. U.S. Route 150 from 2 miles west of Brimfield to 1 mile east of Brimfield was impassible.
Another round of thunderstorms resulted in renewed flash flooding in Knox County. The heavy rain caused many roads, particularly in rural areas, to be impassible.
Another round of thunderstorms with 1.00 to 2.00 inches of rain resulted in renewed flash flooding in Fulton County. The heavy rain caused many roads, particularly in rural areas, to be impassible.
Another round of thunderstorms with 1.00 to 1.50 inches of rain resulted in renewed flash flooding in Stark County. The heavy rain caused many roads, particularly in rural areas, to be impassible.
Another round of thunderstorms with 1.00 to 1.50 inches of rain resulted in renewed flash flooding in western Peoria County. The heavy rain caused many roads, particularly in rural areas, to be impassible.
Heavy rain of 2.00 to 4.00 inches in two to three hours resulted in widespread flash flooding in northern Schuyler County. The heavy rain caused nearly every road in rural areas to be impassible. A large portion of Illinois Route 101 was closed to traffic.
Nickel-sized hail was accompanied by 50 to 55 mph winds and heavy rain.
Strong winds damaged the roof and trusses of a machine shed.
Heavy rain on an already saturated ground produced significant flash flooding in southern Logan County. Illinois Route 121 between Mt. Pulaski and Latham was impassible due to high water. An apartment complex in Latham was evacuated due to rapidly rising water.
Power poles were blown down on the east side of Williamsville.
Heavy rainfall of 1.00 to 2.00 inches within an hour, on already saturated ground, produced flash flooding in southern McLean County. Many rural roads were flooded. Numerous streets in the town of LeRoy were under water.
Large hail damaged siding, gutters, roofs, and windows to numerous homes in the Long Grove subdivision west of Monticello. Hail up to 2.75 inches in diameter was also reported on the east side of Monticello, where several cars were damaged.
Lightning struck a power pole on the east side of Monticello. The lightning strike caused damage to electrical systems and appliances in several homes. There were no injuries.
Large tree limbs were blown down in Athens.
Heavy rain of 1.50 to 2.50 inches fell within two hours across parts of southern Dewitt County. This produced extensive flash flooding, particularly on rural roads.
Heavy rain of 1.50 to 2.50 inches fell within two hours across parts of northern Macon County. This produced extensive flash flooding, particularly on rural roads.
Heavy rain of 1.50 to 2.50 inches fell within two hours across central parts of Champaign County. This produced extensive flash flooding. Numerous streets in the cities of Champaign and Urbana were flooded and impassible. Several vehicles were stranded in the flood waters, particularly in or near viaducts. There were no injuries.
Heavy rain of 1.00 to 1.50 inches fell within one hour, on already saturated ground, across central Piatt County. This produced extensive flash flooding, particularly on rural roads and on streets in the city of Monticello.
Heavy rain of 1.00 to 2.00 inches fell within two hours, on already saturated ground, across northwest Christian County. This produced extensive flash flooding, particularly on rural roads.
Periods of heavy rain on saturated soil resulted in extensive flooding in northern Fulton county, particularly in the vicinity of the upper Spoon River basin. Nearly every road was under water and impassible. A 46 year old woman died when she drove her car around a barricade and was swept into the Spoon River just north of the Fulton/Knox County line. She drowned in Fulton County around Midnight and was found in the Spoon River near London Mills.
Periods of heavy rain on saturated soil resulted in extensive flooding in southern Knox county, particularly in the vicinity of the upper Spoon River basin. Nearly every road was under water and impassible. A 46 year old woman drove her car around a barricade and was swept into the Spoon River just north of the Fulton/Knox County line, about 7 miles southwest of Maquon. She drowned in Fulton County around Midnight and was found in the Spoon River near London Mills.
Heavy rain of 1.50 to 2.00 inches fell within two hours, on already saturated ground, across northern Vermilion County. This produced extensive flash flooding, particularly on rural roads. Multiple streets were flooded in the city of Danville, and Illinois Route 9 near Hoopeston was impassible.
Heavy rain of 1.00 to 2.00 inches fell within two hours, on already saturated ground, across parts of southern Moultrie County. This produced extensive flash flooding, particularly on rural roads and streets in the town of Sullivan.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood, Fulton | 2009-05-16 | 46 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
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, May 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: 174282, 174289, 174293, 174304, 174307, 174310, 174313, 174314, 170802, 170803, 170794, 174315, 174317, 174320, 170804, 170805, 170806, 170807, 170801, 170808, 170809, 170795, 171083, 170812, 170799, 174331, 170820, 170824, 170825, 174325, 170814, 171087, 171360, 170815, 170816, 170817, 170822, 171357, 170821, 170797, and more.