Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Illinois, April 25, 2011

Name: Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Illinois, April 25, 2011
Start: 2011-04-25T18:38
End: 2011-04-25T23:45
Location: Illinois

April 25, 2011 · NWS PAH · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $250,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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.

A surface low pressure center developed northeastward from south central Oklahoma to southwest Missouri. A gradual increase in the warm sector southerly low level jet occurred as the surface low deepened. Increasing vertical wind shear in the moist and unstable warm sector supported the development of short lines of thunderstorms with embedded lewps and supercell structures.

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 Apr 25, 12:52 PM CST, 5 hours 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 25, 12:52 PM CST, 5 hours 46 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
152 PM CDT MON APR 25 2011

.DISCUSSION...
1 ROUND OF SHOWERS/STORMS PASSING NOW AND ANOTHER ROUND IS JUST
UPSTREAM...POISED TO ENTER LATER THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT AS WE
WARM SECTOR. BETTER CHANCE OF THUNDER WILL COME THEN...AS WE
DESTABILIZE. MAIN THRUST WILL CERTAINLY BE HEAVY RAIN WITH STILL
HIGH PWS AND WALL-TO-WALL PCPN LOOKING UPSTREAM. ANOTHER 2-3" THRU
TONIGHT-EARLY TOMORROW AM CAN BE EXPECTED. THEN AFTER A GENERAL
LULL IN WX TUESDAY...ATMOSPHERE RECHARGES WITH MORE OVERRUNNING
PCPN OVERWHELMING FA TUESDAY NIGHT-WEDNESDAY. MAY SEE ANOTHER 2-3"
SWATH DEVELOP/MOVE OVERHEAD. THIS WILL EXAGGERATE ALREADY ONGOING
FLOODING AND CONTINUE TO THRUST MAJOR-RECORD FLOOD LEVELS HERE.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH HEADLINE RUNNING THRU THE DAY WEDNESDAY
CERTAINLY LOOKS TO STILL BE GOOD THIS PACKAGE WITH NO RESPITE IN
SIGHT SAVE FOR THE TUESDAY RECHARGING LULL. KEEP IN MIND SLGT RISK
CONTINUES AS WELL...INCLUDING POTENTIAL FOR HIGH WINDS/LARGE HAIL
AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.

LARGE CYCLONE FINALLY LIFTS BULK OF MRH/UVM FIELD NORTH AND EAST
BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT-THURSDAY. RESULTANT POST SYSTEM ZONAL-NWLY FLOW
ACTION WILL MEAN DRY WEATHER FOR US THURSDAY-FRIDAY AND INTO FIRST
HALF OF SATURDAY POSSIBLY. ANOTHER FROPA-RELATED CHANCE OF PCPN
THEN COMES IN LATER SAT-SAT NIGHT-EARLY SUNDAY...BUT THIS SYSTEM
SHOULD MOVE ON THRU WEST-TO-EAST AND NOT OFFER NEARLY THE QPF AS
HAS BEEN FELT RECENTLY. MORE RECOVERY SLATED POST SUNDAY SYSTEM
PASSAGE WITH DRY WEATHER FORECAST FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK AS WELL.

&&

.AVIATION...
LOW VFR CIGS WILL OCCASIONALLY DROP TO MVFR WITH EACH ROUND OF
SHOWERS/STORMS...AND MAY FLIRT WITH IFR AT TIMES. MID AFTERNOON
PASSING ROUND OF STORMS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A MID EVENING ROUND
AND THEN ANOTHER LATE NIGHT ROUND. VSBYS MAY DROP TO MVFR OR BLO
DEPENDING UPON PASSAGE OF STORM CENTER. WILL KEEP VCTS IN FORECAST
ONCE WE WARM SECTOR THIS EVENING...SLYS GUSTING TO NEAR 20KTS AT
TIMES. GENERAL LULL IN PCPN WILL BE FELT TOMORROW BEFORE NEXT BIG
ROUND COMES TOMORROW NIGHT-WED.

&&

.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KY...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR BALLARD-CALDWELL-
     CALLOWAY-CARLISLE-CHRISTIAN-CRITTENDEN-DAVIESS-FULTON-
     GRAVES-HENDERSON-HICKMAN-HOPKINS-LIVINGSTON-LYON-MARSHALL-
     MCCRACKEN-MCLEAN-MUHLENBERG-TODD-TRIGG-UNION KY-WEBSTER.

MO...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR BOLLINGER-BUTLER-
     CAPE GIRARDEAU-CARTER-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID-PERRY MO-
     RIPLEY-SCOTT-STODDARD-WAYNE MO.

IL...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR ALEXANDER-
     EDWARDS-FRANKLIN-GALLATIN-HAMILTON-HARDIN-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-
     JOHNSON-MASSAC-PERRY IL-POPE-PULASKI-SALINE-UNION IL-WABASH-
     WAYNE IL-WHITE-WILLIAMSON.

IN...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR GIBSON-PIKE-
     POSEY-SPENCER-VANDERBURGH-WARRICK.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 25, 1:46 PM CST, 4 hours 52 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
246 PM CDT MON APR 25 2011

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-
100-107>112-114-260900-
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-
246 PM CDT MON APR 25 2011

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR MAJOR TO CATASTROPHIC FLASH FLOODING
TODAY AND TONIGHT. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE
QUAD STATE REGION. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP THROUGH TONIGHT
COULD PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.

IN ADDITION...A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS COVERS THE
ENTIRE QUAD STATE. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...AND A FEW
TORNADOES WILL ALL BE POSSIBLE IN ADDITION TO VERY HEAVY RAINFALL
DEADLY LIGHTNING. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL
800 PM FOR THE FAR SOUTHEAST PENNYRILE OF WESTERN KENTUCKY. REFER
TO THE WATCH FOR DETAILS.

MOST AREA RIVERS ARE ALREADY EXPERIENCING FLOODING...AND RIVER
FLOODING WILL ONLY WORSEN WITH THE ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL.
REFER TO OUR WEB PAGE AT WEATHER.GOV/PAH TO SEE ALL THE FLOOD
PRODUCTS AND DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THE POTENTIAL FOR MAJOR TO CATASTROPHIC FLASH FLOODING AND RIVER
FLOODING WILL CONTINUE INTO MID WEEK. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH
CONTINUES THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THOUGH IT APPEARS THERE MAY
BE A BREAK FOR MUCH OF THE AREA DURING THE DAY TUESDAY...
WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL AND POSSIBLY MORE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. AN ADDITIONAL
4 TO 7 INCHES OF RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE THROUGH MID WEEK...BRINGING
5 DAY RAINFALL TOTALS SINCE LAST FRIDAY INTO THE 10 TO 15 INCH
RANGE. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE. THIS IS A PARTICULARLY
DANGEROUS SITUATION.

MOST AREA RIVERS ARE ALREADY EXPERIENCING FLOODING...AND RIVER
FLOODING WILL ONLY WORSEN WITH THE ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL. SOME
RIVER CRESTS MAY CHALLENGE HISTORICAL VALUES. FOR MORE
INFORMATION... PLEASE REFER TO OUR RIVER FLOOD PRODUCTS AT OUR WEB
PAGE AT WEATHER.GOV/PAH.

THE WIND LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY COULD BECOME A HAZARD AS
THE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SWEEPS ACROSS THE AREA. GUSTS INTO
THE 30 TO 40 MPH RANGE MAY BE COMMON AS THE SYSTEM DEEPENS UPON
ITS PUSH ACROSS AND OUT OF THE REGION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION FOR THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS REQUESTED...AND
SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED LATER TONIGHT TOO. CONTINUED REPORTS OF
FLOODING AND HEAVY RAINFALL ARE ENCOURAGED AS WELL.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 25, 5:44 PM CST, 54 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
644 PM CDT MON APR 25 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0625 PM     TSTM WND GST     2 S MARBLE HILL         37.27N 89.98W
04/25/2011  M60 MPH          BOLLINGER          MO   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ALSO A REPORT OF A POSSIBLE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN AT HWY 34
            AND HWY DD

&&

RLS

Local storm report, Apr 25, 5:57 PM CST, 41 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
657 PM CDT MON APR 25 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0650 PM     TSTM WND DMG     PATTON                  37.44N 90.04W
04/25/2011                   BOLLINGER          MO   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ROOF OFF OF HOUSE BETWEEN PATTON AND SEDGEWICKVILLE.
            TREES DOWN WEST OF MARBETH.

&&

JIMP

Local storm report, Apr 25, 6:01 PM CST, 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
701 PM CDT MON APR 25 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0650 PM     TSTM WND DMG     PATTON                  37.44N 90.04W
04/25/2011                   BOLLINGER          MO   EMERGENCY MNGR

            ROOF OFF OF HOUSE BETWEEN PATTON AND SEDGEWICKVILLE.
            TREES DOWN WEST OF MARBLE HILL.

&&

JIMP

Local storm report, Apr 25, 6:13 PM CST, 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
713 PM CDT MON APR 25 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0700 PM     FLASH FLOOD      1 N DELTA               37.21N 89.74W
04/25/2011                   CAPE GIRARDEAU     MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

            ALONG HIGHWAY 244 ROAD BECOMING INNUNDATED WITH WATER
            OVER ROAD. DITCHES FULL WITH SOME OVERFLOWING.

&&

JIMP

Local storm report, Apr 25, 6:28 PM CST, 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
728 PM CDT MON APR 25 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0725 PM     FLASH FLOOD      JACKSON                 37.38N 89.65W
04/25/2011                   CAPE GIRARDEAU     MO   BROADCAST MEDIA

            STREETS FLOODING IN TOWN

&&

RST

Local storm report, Apr 25, 6:38 PM CST, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
738 PM CDT MON APR 25 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0655 PM     TSTM WND DMG     SEDGEWICKVILLE          37.52N 89.91W
04/25/2011                   BOLLINGER          MO   BROADCAST MEDIA

            ON HIGHWAY EE MOBILE HOME SPLIT IN HALF. WOMAN INSIDE BUT
            RESCUE TEAM HAVING DIFFICULTY REACHING HER DUE TO FLOODED
            ROADWAYS.

&&

JIMP

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 102 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:39 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: April 25, 6:38 PM CST
Where: Jackson County, 0.88 mi NW of Elkville
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 37.910, -89.240

Flash Flood, Union

When: April 25, 9:55 PM CST to 11:30 PM CST
Where: Union County, 3.52 mi ENE of Wolf Lake to 1.44 mi ESE of Cobden
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $250,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 37.517, -89.370

Three small bridges were washed out. The bridges were on secondary roads off Highway 127, Highway 146, and Highway 51. Numerous roads were underwater or impassable across the county, including Illinois Route 146 near Ware. Several families were evacuated from their houses. Flash flooding of Clear Creek closed a local road. The Jonesboro community center was damaged by water.

Flash Flood, Perry

When: April 25, 10:44 PM CST to 11:40 PM CST
Where: Perry County, 1.09 mi W of Pinckneyville to 0.37 mi NW of Pyatts
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.080, -89.400

A bridge was underwater west of Pinckneyville, and traffic was re-routed.

Flash Flood, Franklin

When: April 25, 10:50 PM CST to 11:45 PM CST
Where: Franklin County, 1.35 mi SE of Urbain to 0.73 mi NW of Deering City
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 37.957, -89.011

Flash flooding was reported in West Frankfort.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
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

Every storm in Illinois in 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 290338, 296367, 296368, 296369.