Hail, Madison
- When
- April 23, 4:10 PM CST
- Where
- Madison County, Glen Carbon
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 38.750, -89.980
Flash Flooding and Hail in Illinois, April 23 to 26, 2011
A stationary front remained anchored over northern Arkansas to the Ohio Valley for several days. There were some isolated large hail reports as well as several rounds of very heavy rainfall which caused flash flooding through the 26th of April.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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 LSX wrote it up.
A stationary front remained anchored over northern Arkansas to the Ohio Valley for several days. There were some isolated large hail reports as well as several rounds of very heavy rainfall which caused flash flooding through the 26th of April.
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 St. Louis, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 23, 12:04 PM CST, 4 hours 6 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 23, 12:04 PM CST, 4 hours 6 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED AVIATION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
104 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011
.DISCUSSION...
/213 AM CDT SAT APR 23 2011/
THE FRONT THAT BROUGHT A HISTORIC SEVERE WEATHER EPISODE TO THE
GREATER ST. LOUIS METROPOLITAN AREA LAST EVENING HAS STALLED ACROSS
SOUTHERN MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS. THIS FRONT WILL NOW SERVE AS THE
RUNNING BOARD FOR WAVES OF WEAK LOW PRESSURE AND SEVERAL ROUNDS OF
THUNDERSTORMS/HEAVY RAINFALL THIS WEEKEND.
THE GROUND IS SATURATED AND RIVER FLOODING IS FORECAST TO OCCUR
ALONG MOST OF THE AREA RIVERS. FLASH FLOODING IS ALMOST CERTAIN WHERE
TRAINING CONVECTION PERSISTS. HAVE EXTENDED THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH
THROUGH TONIGHT...BUT I COULD MAKE AN ARGUMENT TO EXTEND IT THROUGH
MONDAY GIVEN THE HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL SETUP.
A STRONGER AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL FINALLY BRING THE FRONT NORTH
ON MONDAY...BUT THIS WILL ALSO LEAD TO ANOTHER RISK OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS THE TRAILING COLD
FRONT SLAMS INTO THE MOIST AND UNSTABLE WARM SECTOR.
...TORNADO DAMAGE SURVEY INFORMATION...
THERE WILL BE FOUR SURVEY TEAMS SENT OUT TOMORROW TO DETERMINE
THE INTENSITY OF THE TORNADOES THAT OCCURRED FROM NEAR WARRENTON
TO GRANITE CITY WITH THE NORTHERN MOST SUPERCELL.
CVKING
&&
.AVIATION...
/1243 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011/
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME PRODUCING IFR VSBYS...WILL
CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. FURTHER
NORTH...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THIS AFTERNOON WITH LIGHT AND
VARIABLE WINDS ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA ALONG THE I-70
CORRIDOR...AND WEST-NORTHWEST FLOW ACROSS NORTHEAST MO AND WEST
CENTRAL IL. WILL SEE ANOTHER WAVE OF PRECIP DEVELOP OVER SOUTHERN
MISSOURI LATE THIS AFTERNOON EARLY THIS EVENING AND PUSH NORTH
INTO THE BI-STATE REGION. RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME PRODUCING
IFR VSBYS IN HEAVY RAIN...WILL CONTINUE UNTIL EARLY
MORNING...GENERALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE I-70 CORRIDOR. A BRIEF
BREAK IN THE RAIN WILL OCCUR AROUND SUNRISE BEFORE ANOTHER WAVE
OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVES INTO THE AREA BY MID-MORNING TO
EARLY AFTERNOON.
SPECIFICS FOR KSTL...
VFR CONDITIONS AND LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS WILL PREVAIL AT
LAMBERT THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. THE NEXT SHOT FOR PRECIP WILL BE
EARLY THIS EVENING AS THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF WAVES OF RAIN AND
THUNDERSTORMS MOVES OVER THE TERMINAL. THINK THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE
WE'LL SEE IFR VSBYS IN HEAVY RAIN FOR PERIODS THIS EVENING. RAIN
SHOULD TAPER OFF OVERNIGHT. COULD SEE IFR CIGS DEVELOP LATE
TONIGHT...THOUGH CONFIDENCE IS LOW IN IFR CIGS AS FORECAST
SOUNDINGS DO NOT SUPPORT THIS. NEXT ROUND OF PRECIP SHOULD START
TO CREEP TOWARD THE TERMINAL DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON...TIMING
IS STILL UNCERTAIN.
CARNEY
&&
.LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MO...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING FOR CRAWFORD MO-
FRANKLIN MO-GASCONADE MO-IRON MO-JEFFERSON MO-MADISON MO-
OSAGE MO-REYNOLDS MO-ST. CHARLES MO-ST. FRANCOIS MO-ST.
LOUIS CITY MO-ST. LOUIS MO-STE. GENEVIEVE MO-WARREN MO-
WASHINGTON MO.
IL...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING FOR BOND IL-CLINTON IL-
FAYETTE IL-MADISON IL-MARION IL-MONROE IL-RANDOLPH IL-ST.
CLAIR IL-WASHINGTON IL.
&&
WFO LSXHazardous weather outlook, Apr 23, 3:57 PM CST, 13 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO 457 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011 ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ018-019-026-027- 034>036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084-085-099-241115- GREENE IL-MACOUPIN IL-MONTGOMERY IL-BOND IL-FAYETTE IL-CLINTON IL- MARION IL-WASHINGTON IL-RANDOLPH IL-ADAMS IL-BROWN IL-PIKE IL- CALHOUN IL-JERSEY IL-MADISON IL-ST. CLAIR IL-MONROE IL-KNOX MO- LEWIS MO-SHELBY MO-MARION MO-MONROE MO-RALLS MO-PIKE MO-BOONE MO- AUDRAIN MO-MONITEAU MO-COLE MO-OSAGE MO-CALLAWAY MO-MONTGOMERY MO- LINCOLN MO-GASCONADE MO-WARREN MO-ST. CHARLES MO-FRANKLIN MO- ST. LOUIS MO-ST. LOUIS CITY MO-JEFFERSON MO-CRAWFORD MO- WASHINGTON MO-ST. FRANCOIS MO-STE. GENEVIEVE MO-IRON MO- MADISON MO-REYNOLDS MO- 457 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN AND CENTRAL MISSOURI AS WELL AS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS TONIGHT. THESE HEAVY RAINS WILL MAKE FLASH FLOODING LIKELY...ESPECIALLY IN LOW LYING AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS. WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE ON SUNDAY OVER SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS...MAKING FLASH FLOODING A SIGNIFICANT THREAT. THESE STORMS WILL ALSO POSE A THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER. THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE OVER NORTHEAST MISSOURI AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. SEVERAL WAVES OF THUNDERSTORM ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY NIGHT... MONDAY...AND MONDAY NIGHT. A FEW OF THESE STORMS COULD BE SEVERE...AND HEAVY RAIN WILL REMAIN A POSSIBILITY. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO RELAY ALL FLOODING REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST. LOUIS. TRUETT
In the hours before
Local storm report, Apr 23, 11:59 AM CST, 4 hours 11 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1259 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0905 PM TORNADO ST. ROSE 38.68N 89.55W
04/22/2011 CLINTON IL TRAINED SPOTTER
TREE...SHED...AND HOME DAMAGE SCATTERED FOR SEVERAL
MILES THROUGH THE ST ROSE AREA. TIME ESTIMATED FROM
RADAR.
&&
TRUETTLocal storm report, Apr 23, 2:14 PM CST, 1 hour 56 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
314 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0905 PM TORNADO 5 N ST. ROSE 38.76N 89.55W
04/22/2011 BOND IL TRAINED SPOTTER
TREES SNAPPED AND UPROOTED...BARNS AND SILOS
DEMOLISHED...ALONG THE NORTH AND SOUTH SIDES OF ST. ROSE
ROAD FOR SEVERAL MILES. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR
&&
JPSpecial weather statement, Apr 23, 3:44 PM CST, 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO 444 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011 ILZ100>102-MOZ061-063>065-232315- JEFFERSON MO-MADISON IL-MONROE IL-ST. CHARLES MO-ST. CLAIR IL-ST. LOUIS MO-ST. LOUIS CITY MO- 444 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR ST. CHARLES...ST. LOUIS...ST. LOUIS CITY...NORTHERN JEFFERSON...MADISON...ST. CLAIR AND NORTHERN MONROE COUNTIES UNTIL 615 PM CDT... AT 436 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING MULTIPLE STORMS FORMING OVER THE ST. LOUIS METRO AREA. PEOPLE INVOLVED IN DAMAGE CLEANUP AND OTHER OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES ARE ADVISED TO BE AWARE OF THESE STORMS AND BE READY TO SEEK SHELTER IF LIGHTNING IS OBSERVED OR THUNDER IS HEARD. LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES MOST DEADLY KILLERS. IF YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO A STORM TO HEAR THUNDER YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER IS POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. PEA SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED NEAR CAHOKIA ILLINOIS RECENTLY. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING. TORRENTIAL RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND UNDERPASSES...IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED ROADWAY. CARNEY
Special weather statement, Apr 23, 3:47 PM CST, 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO 447 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011 MOZ065-072-073-232230- CRAWFORD MO-JEFFERSON MO-WASHINGTON MO- 447 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN JEFFERSON...CENTRAL CRAWFORD AND NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTIES UNTIL 530 PM CDT... AT 444 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR CUBA...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE... ANTHONIES MILL... DE SOTO... HILLSBORO... LEASBURG... RICHWOODS... OLD MINES... OLYMPIAN VILLAGE... FLETCHER... VICTORIA... HEMATITE... MAPAVILLE... IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING. TORRENTIAL RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND UNDERPASSES...IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED ROADWAY. CARNEY
Local storm report, Apr 23, 4:09 PM CST, 1 minute before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
509 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0509 PM HAIL COLLINSVILLE 38.68N 90.00W
04/23/2011 E0.25 INCH MADISON IL TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
TRUETTThe radar
The St Louis radar (KLSX), 61 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:10 UTC.
Event by event
3 flash flood, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Marion
- When
- April 23, 10:27 PM CST
- Where
- Marion County, 8 mi E of Centralia
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 38.530, -88.982
Flash Flood, Randolph
- When
- April 24, 9:00 AM CST to April 26, 3:50 AM CST
- Where
- Randolph County, 0.97 mi SW of Danley to 0.92 mi N of Rockwood
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Reported by
- Newspaper
- Coordinates
- 38.072, -90.135
Between 5 and 8 inches of rain fell over several days causing flash flooding. Numerous roads were flooded including Illinois Route 3 south of Chester to the Jackson County line. Several water rescues had to be performed after people drove their cars through flooded roadways.
Flash Flood, Marion
- When
- April 25, 7:00 PM CST to April 26, 3:50 AM CST
- Where
- Marion County, 1.14 mi NE of Hickory Hill to 2.72 mi NNE of Omega Forbes Arpt
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
- Coordinates
- 38.492, -88.716
Between 3 and 7 inches of rain fell over several days causing flash flooding. Numerous roads were flooded including Illinois Route 161 near Centralia. Also, several vehicles stalled out in Centralia due to being driven into flooded areas. In Salem, a large amount of water was released from Salem Reservoir into Town Creek due to the heavy rains. This caused Town Creek to overflow its banks downstream. There was a voluntary evacuation of a mobile home park that is close to Town Creek due to the rising waters.
Flash Flood, Fayette
- When
- April 25, 11:00 PM CST to April 26, 2:00 AM CST
- Where
- Fayette County, St Elmo to 2.33 mi NE of Farina
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
- Coordinates
- 39.030, -88.850
Between 3 and 6 inches of rain fell over several causing flash flooding. Numerous roads were flooded.
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, April 23 to 24, 2011
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Illinois, April 23 to 24, 2011
- Flooding in Arkansas, April 23 to 30, 2011
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, April 23, 2011
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Missouri, April 23 to 24, 2011
- Tornado and Hail in Arkansas, April 23, 2011
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, April 23, 2011
- Hail in Missouri, April 23, 2011
- Damaging Winds in West Virginia, April 23, 2011
- Flood and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, April 23, 2011
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, April 23, 2011
- Flash Flooding in Indiana, April 23, 2011
More
Every storm in Illinois in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, April 2011
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: 318734, 318738, 320204, 320177, 320179.