Clusters of strong to severe thunderstorms evolved into a linear mesoscale convective system that crossed far southern Illinois. These storms preceded a cold front as it tracked east-southeast across Illinois and southeast Missouri.
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 PAH wrote it up.
Clusters of strong to severe thunderstorms evolved into a linear mesoscale convective system that crossed far southern Illinois. These storms preceded a cold front as it tracked east-southeast across Illinois and southeast Missouri. The storms were aided by a weak but amplifying 500 mb shortwave trough that moved east-southeast toward the middle and upper Mississippi Valley. Some of the storms produced large hail and wind damage.
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 Aug 6, 7:51 PM CST, 3 hours 4 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
851 PM CDT SAT AUG 6 2011
.UPDATE...
FOR AVIATION SECTION ONLY.
&&
.SHORT TERM...
UPPER WAVE SEEN MOVING INTO WESTERN MISSOURI EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.
MORNING CONVECTION HAS ALL BUT CLEARED OUR PENNYRILE REGION COUNTIES
IN WEST KY. NICE THERMAL CONTRAST DEVELOPING OVER OUR WESTERN MOST
COUNTIES. 18Z 83 AT KPAH...101 AT KJBR. INSTABILITY AXIS RUNS FROM
CENTRAL INTO SE MISSOURI AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING WAVE...AND CLOUDS
CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER THE OZARK FOOTHILL REGION. THEREFORE FOR
TONIGHT...WILL NOT GET FANCY WITH POPS. WILL RUN A 12 HR POP AND
GO WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. POPS CAN BE ADJUSTED ACCORDINGLY
THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE EVENING. GFS HAS A GOOD HANDLE ON THE
WAVE...AND BELIEVE IT WOULD BE A GOOD MODEL TO FOLLOW FOR TIMING
PURPOSES. NAM IS NOT TOO BAD EITHER.
THE WAVE SHOULD HEAD OFF TO THE EAST EARLY SUNDAY MORNING WITH
DECREASING POPS FROM WEST TO EAST. BY AFTERNOON...ONLY HAVE A VERY
SLIGHT CHANCE OF STORMS. MOST AREAS WILL PROBABLY BE RAIN FREE...BUT
IT IS TOO UNSETTLED TO COMPLETELY REMOVE POPS JUST YET. WE DID LOWER
THE POPS THAT WERE IN THE GRIDS PRIOR.
OFF THE CONVECTIVE SUBJECT...WE MAINTAINED THE EXISTING HEAT
ADVISORY PRODUCT THROUGH 7 PM. HOWEVER...WE ARE GOING TO ISSUE A
HEAT ADVISORY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA...INCLUDING THE KEVV
TRI STATE...FOR SUNDAY. BEYOND SUNDAY...IT IS MORE UNCLEAR IF
ADVISORY THRESHOLDS WILL BE MET. MOST LIKELY AREA WOULD BE OUR
SOUTHERN MOST COUNTIES. BUT MOST HOURLY VALUES ARE ONLY 100 TO 105.
LATER SHIFTS CAN MONITOR.
CHANCE POPS REMAIN IN THE FORECAST MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...WITH
HIGHEST POPS MONDAY NIGHT...AS THE MODELS MOVE A WAVE AND BOUNDARY
ACROSS THE REGION. WILL DEPICT DECREASING POPS FROM WEST TO EAST
THROUGH THE DAY TUESDAY.
GENERALLY FOLLOWED A BLEND OF GFS/NAM MOS THROUGH THE DURATION. WE
BLENDED WITH OPERATIONAL MODEL OUTPUT...ESPECIALLY FOR LOWS NEXT
COUPLE OF MORNINGS AS READINGS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO DROP MUCH AT
NIGHT.
.LONG TERM...
FOR THE PERIOD WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...THE LONG RANGE MODELS
EXHIBIT DECENT AGREEMENT AND RESPECTABLE RUN TO RUN CONTINUITY.
UTILIZED THE ECMWF/ECMWF ENSEMBLE SOLUTIONS WHICH FALLS IN LINE
WITH HPC THINKING.
QUASI ZONAL FLOW WILL BE THE RULE ACROSS THE NATIONS MID SECTION
WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY...THE MODELS AND
SPECIFICALLY THE ECMWF DIG A TROF SOUTHEAST INTO THE GREAT LAKES
REGION. THIS WILL VEER THE UPPER FLOW FROM WEST TO NORTHWEST
WITH TIME OVER OUR AREA. MEANWHILE...AT THE SURFACE...A QUASI
STATIONARY FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS FORECAST TO REMAIN NEAR AND JUST
SOUTH OF THE PAH CWA UNTIL A COLD FRONT...FORECAST BY THE
MODELS...MOVES THROUGH LATE SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT FROM
NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST. AS A RESULT...DAILY CONVECTIVE CHANCES
WILL BE IN THE FORECAST. UNCERTAINTY IS MODERATE...GIVEN IT WILL
BE DIFFICULT TO TIME SUBTLE MID LEVEL FEATURES MOVING ACROSS THE
AREA.
THE GOOD NEWS IS...WE DO NOT SEE HEAT IN THE LONG RANGE PORTION
OF THE FORECAST...GIVEN THE OVERALL FLOW PATTERN AND POSITION OF
THE FRONT. TEMPERATURES AND HUMIDITY LEVELS SHOULD BE MUCH CLOSER TO
NORMAL.
&&
.AVIATION...
DUE TO RADAR TRENDS DURING THE PAST HOUR OR SO...HAVE DECIDED TO
TEMPO KCGI AND KPAH FOR THUNDERSTORMS FROM AROUND 04Z TO AROUND 09Z.
CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY HAS REALLY PICKED UP IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY
OVER SC MO IN THE PAST HOUR...IN ASSOCIATION WITH MID LEVEL TROF
APPROACHING THE AREA. ACTIVITY IS HEADING EAST INTO VERY UNSTABLE
AIR ALONG THE MID MS RIVER. WILL NEED TO MONITOR FOR POSSIBLE
ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS IF TRENDS CONTINUE...ESP FROM KCGI SOUTH.
&&
.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KY...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT SUNDAY FOR BALLARD-CALDWELL-
CALLOWAY-CARLISLE-CHRISTIAN-CRITTENDEN-FULTON-GRAVES-
HICKMAN-HOPKINS-LIVINGSTON-LYON-MARSHALL-MCCRACKEN-
MUHLENBERG-TODD-TRIGG-UNION KY-WEBSTER.
HEAT ADVISORY FROM 10 AM TO 7 PM CDT SUNDAY FOR DAVIESS-
HENDERSON-MCLEAN.
MO...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT SUNDAY FOR BOLLINGER-BUTLER-CAPE
GIRARDEAU-CARTER-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID-PERRY MO-RIPLEY-
SCOTT-STODDARD-WAYNE MO.
IL...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT SUNDAY FOR ALEXANDER-FRANKLIN-
GALLATIN-HARDIN-JACKSON-JOHNSON-MASSAC-PERRY IL-POPE-
PULASKI-SALINE-UNION IL-WILLIAMSON.
HEAT ADVISORY FROM 10 AM TO 7 PM CDT SUNDAY FOR
EDWARDS-HAMILTON- JEFFERSON-WABASH-WAYNE IL-WHITE.
IN...HEAT ADVISORY FROM 10 AM TO 7 PM CDT SUNDAY FOR GIBSON-PIKE-
POSEY-SPENCER-VANDERBURGH-WARRICK.
&&
AVIATION...MEFFERTHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 820 PM CDT SAT AUG 6 2011 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-071000- 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- 820 PM CDT SAT AUG 6 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS COULD POSSIBLY DEVELOP FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THOUGH ORGANIZED SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT ANTICIPATED...AND MANY LOCATIONS WILL STAY DRY FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT...A FEW ISOLATED SHORT LIVED STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS CANNOT BE RULED OUT. THE PRIMARY HAZARD WILL BE WITH STRONG WIND GUSTS AND DIME TO QUARTER SIZED HAIL. ALSO...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL BE LIKELY WITH ANY STRONG STORMS THAT DEVELOP. BEWARE OF DEADLY LIGHTNING IN A ND CLOSE TO ANY THUNDERSTORMS. A HEAT ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...AND MOST OF WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. PLEASE REFER TO THE ACTUAL HEAT ADVISORY PRODUCT FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A HEAT ADVISORY WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE FOUR STATE AREA SUNDAY. HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL LIKELY TOP OUT IN THE 105 TO 110 RANGE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. PLEASE REFER TO THE ACTUAL HEAT ADVISORY PRODUCT FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS. THERE WILL ALSO BE A CHANCE OF ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS OUTLOOKED MUCH OF THE AREA FOR A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THOUGH COVERAGE IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE LARGE...ANY ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS THAT DO MANAGE TO FIRE COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND DIME TO QUARTER SIZED HAIL...AS WELL AS TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS OF RAIN AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING. ONCE AGAIN...MOST LOCATIONS WILL BE RAIN FREE MUCH OF THE TIME. HOWEVER...BOATERS AND OTHER OUTDOOR RECREATIONISTS THIS WEEKEND SHOULD BE AWARE THAT ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CAN FIRE UP VERY RAPIDLY. PLEASE HAVE A PLAN TO TAKE APPROPRIATE COVER IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION CANNOT BE RULED OUT SUNDAY AND MONDAY. MEFFERT
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 1100 PM CDT SAT AUG 6 2011 MOZ100-107>110-070445- BUTLER MO-CARTER MO-RIPLEY MO-STODDARD MO-WAYNE MO- 1100 PM CDT SAT AUG 6 2011 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN WAYNE...WESTERN STODDARD...NORTHEASTERN RIPLEY...SOUTHEASTERN CARTER AND NORTHERN BUTLER COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI UNTIL 1145 PM CDT... AT 1055 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY STRONG WINDS UP TO 50 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR BRUSH ARBOR...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE IMPACTED INCLUDE WILLIAMSVILLE...HENDRICKSON... WAPPAPELLO LAKE AREA...SHOOK...ROMBAUER AND WAPPAPELLO. FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM AND MAY CAUSE POWER OUTAGES. THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN IN EXCESS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES AN HOUR AS WELL...WHICH MAY RESULT IN STANDING WATER ON AREA ROADS. WATER LEVELS IN SMALL CREEKS...STREAMS AND IN DITCHES MAY RISE QUICKLY...ESPECIALLY IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. SMITH
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1130 PM CDT SAT AUG 06 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1050 PM TSTM WND DMG 2 S ELLSINORE 36.90N 90.75W
08/06/2011 CARTER MO TRAINED SPOTTER
COUPLE OF SMALL TREES DOWN 2 MILES SOUTH OF ELLSINORE.
&&
RJPPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1139 PM CDT SAT AUG 06 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1128 PM HAIL 1 E GIPSY 37.15N 90.16W
08/06/2011 E1.25 INCH BOLLINGER MO TRAINED SPOTTER
UP TO HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL REPORTED ON HWY TT NEAR
GIPSY.
&&
GREGMThe Paducah radar (KPAH), 96 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:54 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A roof was blown off a house, and a garage was destroyed. A camper was blown over. Debris was blown onto a main street.
A couple of trees were felled in a cemetery. Tree limbs were knocked down around the city. A tree fell on a power line, knocking out power for several hours in the city.
An awning was ripper off a camper near Mermet. A wind gust to 57 mph was measured near Round Knob.
Dime-size hail occurred at U.S. Highway 45 and Illinois Route 169.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, August 2011
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: 331867, 340278, 331875, 331880.