Isolated thunderstorms developed in parts of central and eastern Illinois ahead of a strong low pressure area in the upper Midwest, and its associated cold front. One of these thunderstorms produced lightning which caused a fire in Champaign County.
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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.
Isolated thunderstorms developed in parts of central and eastern Illinois ahead of a strong low pressure area in the upper Midwest, and its associated cold front. One of these thunderstorms produced lightning which caused a fire in Champaign County.
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 Oct 1, 1:24 PM CST, 3 hours 21 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 224 PM CDT THU OCT 1 2009 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 224 PM CDT THU OCT 1 2009 COOL AND DAMP WEATHER IN STORE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...BEFORE IMPROVING CONDITIONS BY THE LATTER HALF OF THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. 18Z SURFACE MAP SHOWS LOW PRESSURE OVER WESTERN IOWA...WITH COLD FRONT TRAILING S/SW INTO TEXAS. MEANWHILE...A WARM FRONT EXTENDS E/SE FROM THE LOW INTO EASTERN MISSOURI. ALOFT...WEAK RIDGING REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES/OHIO RIVER VALLEY...WHILE A DEEP UPPER LOW SPINS OVER THE DAKOTAS. SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO BLOSSOM ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND EASTERN MISSOURI THIS AFTERNOON...ALONG A SLOWLY ADVANCING WARM FRONT. THIS ACTIVITY IS BEING AIDED BY A 45-50KT 850MB JET STREAK EXTENDING FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS E/NE INTO MISSOURI. FURTHER WEST...THIN LINE OF CONVECTION IS BEGINNING TO FIRE ALONG THE COLD FRONT ACROSS FAR WESTERN MISSOURI. WARM ADVECTION PRECIP WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND MOVE ACROSS THE KILX CWA EARLY THIS EVENING. INSTABILITY PARAMETERS REMAIN QUITE MODEST...SO EXPECT MAINLY SHOWERS WITH PERHAPS A RUMBLE OR TWO OF THUNDER. MAIN CONVECTIVE EVENT WILL REMAIN CLOSELY TIED TO THE SURFACE FRONT...AS A NARROW CORRIDOR OF HIGH DEWPOINT AIR ADVECTS NORTHWARD IMMEDIATELY ALONG THE BOUNDARY. 60+ SURFACE DEWPOINTS CURRENTLY EXTEND AS FAR NORTH AS THE MISSOURI/IOWA BORDER...RESULTING IN SBCAPES BETWEEN 500 AND 1500J/KG. THIS THIN RIBBON OF INSTABILITY IS FORECAST TO MOVE EASTWARD WITH THE FRONT THIS EVENING...BUT WEAKEN GREATLY AS IT PUSHES EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. LINE OF CONVECTION WILL MARCH EASTWARD ACROSS MISSOURI THIS AFTERNOON...THEN WILL TRACK INTO WEST-CENTRAL ILLINOIS BETWEEN 00Z AND 03Z. STORMS WILL GENERALLY BE ON A DOWNWARD TREND AS THEY CONTINUE TO PUSH EASTWARD ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA LATER THIS EVENING. WHILE SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...PRECIP WILL BE WIDESPREAD AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING FRONT. WILL THEREFORE CARRY CATEGORICAL POPS THIS EVENING. ALL OPERATIONAL MODELS PUSH FRONT TO NEAR THE I-55 CORRIDOR BY 06Z...THEN INTO INDIANA BETWEEN 09Z AND 12Z. WITH IMPRESSIVE DRY SLOT CURRENTLY NOTED ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS...WILL END PRECIP ACROSS THE WESTERN KILX CWA BY MIDNIGHT...WITH LINGERING SHOWERS/STORMS FURTHER EAST. SHOULD ALSO SEE A GOOD DEAL OF CLEARING OVERNIGHT...PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE W/SW. AFTER A PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY START TO THE DAY...CLOUDS WILL QUICKLY BE ON THE INCREASE ON FRIDAY...AS UPPER LOW TRACKS TOWARD NORTHERN ILLINOIS. WITH COLD CORE ALOFT IN SUCH CLOSE PROXIMITY...EXPECT SCATTERED SHOWERS TO DEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY NORTH OF THE I-70 CORRIDOR. WILL CARRY CHANCE POPS ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA...BUT WILL KEEP THE FAR SE COUNTIES DRY. WILL SEE A WIDE RANGE OF HIGH TEMPS ON FRIDAY...WITH MIDDLE 50S ACROSS THE FAR NW...TO THE LOWER 70S FAR SE WHERE SUNSHINE WILL HOLD ON THE LONGEST. WINDS WILL ALSO BE AN ISSUE THROUGH THE DAY...AS SURFACE LOW PRESSURE REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS SOUTHERN MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN. 12Z FORECAST SOUNDINGS AND NUMERIC GUIDANCE ARE SUGGESTING SUSTAINED WINDS IN THE 15 TO 25 MPH RANGE...WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 30 AND 35 MPH AT TIMES. CURRENT UPSTREAM OBS SUPPORT THIS SOLUTION...SO WILL INCLUDE GUSTS IN THE FORECAST FOR FRIDAY. WITH UPPER/SURFACE LOW MAKING ONLY SLOW PROGRESS EASTWARD...CLOUDY AND COOL WEATHER WILL CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY AS WELL. WILL CARRY LOW CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE NORTHERN CWA...AS MODELS INDICATE SCATTERED SHOWERS SKIRTING THE AREA TO THE NORTH. THANKS TO AMPLE CLOUD COVER AND COOL WESTERLY FLOW...HIGH TEMPS WILL STAY IN THE 50S ON SATURDAY. IMPROVING WEATHER WILL BE NOTED ON SUNDAY...AS UPPER/SURFACE RIDGING MOVE INTO THE AREA. SUNSHINE AND LIGHT WINDS WILL ALLOW TEMPS TO RECOVER WELL INTO THE 60S...WITH A FEW LOWER 70S SOUTH OF I-70. LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY MODELS STILL IN A BIT OF DISAGREEMENT IN THE LONG-TERM...ESPECIALLY REGARDING THE TIMING OF THE NEXT INCOMING SYSTEM. MAIN SYNOPTIC PATTERN WILL FEATURE TROUGHING ACROSS THE WESTERN CONUS...WITH WEAK RIDGING ACROSS THE EAST. THIS WILL ALLOW TEMPS TO MODERATE BACK TO NEAR NORMAL NEXT WEEK...BUT IT WILL ALSO ALLOW A POTENTIALLY UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN TO TAKE SHAPE. MOIST SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL LEAD TO RAIN CHANCES AT SOME POINT...WITH THE GFS/ECMWF FAILING TO AGREE ON EXACTLY WHEN. AT THIS POINT...WILL STICK WITH THE HPC/ECMWF SOLUTION...WHICH BRINGS AN UPPER WAVE AND ASSOCIATED FRONT ACROSS THE REGION MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. AS A RESULT...HAVE DROPPED POPS ENTIRELY FOR SUNDAY NIGHT AND HAVE LOWERED POPS ON MONDAY. PRIMARY TIME FRAME FOR RAIN APPEARS TO BE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...BEFORE CONDITIONS DRY OUT BY THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. BARNES && .AVIATION... ISSUED 1202 PM CDT THU OCT 1 2009 AREA OF ISENTROPIC RAINFALL CONTINUES TO MOVE EAST ACROSS TERMINAL SITES. KSPI IS ON TRAILING EDGE AND CONDITIONS LIKELY TO IMPROVE OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO WITH THAT TRANSITION WORKING EAST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. SCATTERED SHOWERS SHOULD PERSIST BEHIND THE RAIN AREA UNTIL A COLD FRONT MOVES INTO ILLINOIS THIS EVENING. MORE SUBSTANTIAL CONVECTION MAY ACCOMPANY THE FRONT AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE TAF SITES...BUT INSTABILITY SHOULD BE QUITE LIMITED. WINDS AT 120-160 DEGREES SHOULD SHIFT TO THE 230-270 DEGREES AFTER THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH. LOW CLOUDS SHOULD LINGER THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING AS UPPER LOW WOBBLES SLOWLY EAST ACROSS NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND WESTERN LAKES. BARKER && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 402 PM CDT THU OCT 1 2009 ILZ027>031-036>038-040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-021200- CASS-CHAMPAIGN-CHRISTIAN-CLARK-CLAY-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND- DE WITT-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-EFFINGHAM-FULTON-JASPER-KNOX-LAWRENCE-LOGAN- MACON-MARSHALL-MASON-MCLEAN-MENARD-MORGAN-MOULTRIE-PEORIA-PIATT- RICHLAND-SANGAMON-SCHUYLER-SCOTT-SHELBY-STARK-TAZEWELL-VERMILION- WOODFORD- 402 PM CDT THU OCT 1 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO REDEVELOP OVER THE REGION THIS EVENING ALONG AND AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT...THAT WILL MOVE THROUGH OVERNIGHT. SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGER STORMS...HOWEVER AT THIS TIME NONE OF THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE ARE THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS NEXT SYSTEM SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. GOETSCH
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:45 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A six unit apartment building on the west side of Champaign was struck by lightning, which caused a fire. Walls in one of the apartments were damaged, as well as a furnace. All of the occupants of the building escaped unharmed.
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, October 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: 197641.