Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 23, 2011

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 23, 2011
Start: 2011-05-23T11:42
End: 2011-05-23T13:04
Location: Illinois

May 23, 2011 · NWS LSX · 10 events in 5 counties and zones

A strong storm system was approaching the region. Numerous storms developed ahead of the system during the late morning and afternoon hours on May 23rd.

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: 1
Property damage: $15,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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 strong storm system was approaching the region. Numerous storms developed ahead of the system during the late morning and afternoon hours on May 23rd. There were numerous reports of damaging winds and large hail.

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 May 23, 6:00 AM CST, 5 hours 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 23, 6:00 AM CST, 5 hours 42 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED AVIATION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
700 AM CDT MON MAY 23 2011

.DISCUSSION...
/359 AM CDT MON MAY 23 2011/

LAST NIGHT/S ACTIVITY HAS MOVED OUT OF AREA AS OF 08Z.
HOWEVER...MAIN FORECAST ISSUE CONTINUES TO BE THE POTENTIAL FOR
SEVERE WEATHER AND SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

WILL START OFF DRY THIS MORNING AS ATMOSPHERE RECOVERS FROM LAST
NIGHTS ACTIVITY. BUT WITH SYSTEM JUST TO OUR NORTHWEST AND
ANOTHER DECENT SHORTWAVE EXPECTED TO SLIDE ACROSS SOUTHERN MO
TODAY...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO REFIRE...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND
SOUTH OF I-70.  TEMPS TO RISE INTO THE LOW 80S AND DEWPTS IN THE
60S...SO WILL SEE CAPES IN EXCESS OF 1500 J/KG...DECENT MID LEVEL
LAPSE RATES AND PESKY SHORTWAVE...WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF SEVERE
WEATHER POSSIBLE BY THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS. THE
MAIN THREATS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

BY TONIGHT...FRONTAL BOUNDARY ASSOCIATED WITH SYSTEM TO SLIDE INTO
FORECAST AREA AND EVENTUALLY STALL OUT OVERHEAD. THIS EAST-WEST
ORIENTED BOUNDARY WILL BE THE FOCUSING MECHANISM FOR SEVERAL MORE ROUNDS
OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER
EACH DAY AS WELL AS THE THREAT FOR HEAVY RAINFALL. TONIGHT ONGOING
ACTIVITY WILL CONGEAL INTO A COMPLEX THAT WILL SLIDE ALONG FRONTAL
BOUNDARY...WITH BEST CHANCES OF HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE OZARKS. FOR
NOW WILL JUST UPDATE ESF PRODUCT...STILL NOT CONFIDENT ABOUT
ISSUING A FLASH FLOOD WATCH AT THIS TIME.

WILL START THE CYCLE ALL OVER AGAIN ON TUESDAY AS ATMOSPHERE
RECOVERS FROM PREVIOUS NIGHT/S ACTIVITY...WITH ANOTHER ROUND
FIRING UP BY THE AFTERNOON HOURS AND CONTINUES OVERNIGHT.

BY WEDNESDAY...MAIN SYSTEM FINALLY PICKS UP SPEED AND BEGINS TO MOVE
THROUGH WITH LAST ROUND OF SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITY FOR WEDNESDAY AND
WEDNESDAY NIGHT. HOWEVER...WILL STILL SEE SOME LINGERING STORMS ON
THURSDAY ON BACKSIDE OF SYSTEM...BEFORE TAPERING OFF BY THURSDAY
EVENING.

THROUGH THE PERIOD...WILL SEE HIGH TEMPS SLOWLY LOWER EACH DAY WITH
HIGHS IN THE MID 60S TO LOW 70S BY THURSDAY.

BEYOND THAT NO MAJOR CHANGES TO THE EXTENDED.

BYRD

&&

.AVIATION...
/700 AM CDT MON MAY 23 2011/

WE MAY SEE A FEW ISOLD TO WIDELY SCT TSRA MOVE DOWN THE I-70
CORRIDOR LATER THIS MORNING...BUT SHOULD SEE COVERAGE INCREASE
DRAMATICALLY HEADING INTO THE AFTERNOON AS ALL OF THE PIECES TO
THE PUZZLE COME TOGETHER OVER THIS AREA...WITH SFC FRONT SETTLING
IN...HEATING OF THE DAY...AND UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES ROLLING
THRU. DECIDED ON LEAVING TEMPO GROUPS OUT FOR NOW AS LEFTOVER
REMNANTS OF THE LO LEVEL JET STORMS STAGGER INTO THE THE AREA WILL
BE HARD TO PRECISELY PIN DOWN AND NOT SURE TO WHAT EXTENT
COVERAGE WILL BE OVER THE I-70 CORRIDOR AND IF IT WILL BE ENOUGH
TO JUSTIFY TEMPO GROUPS AND WHEN. WILL MONITOR THIS CLOSELY AND
LIKELY HIT THE TEMPO GROUPS WHEN WE GET CLOSER TO LATE MORNING
MIDDAY AND HOPEFULLY GET A BETTER HANDLE ON TIMING. KUIN SHOULD
LARGELY MISS OUT ON THE PCPN CHCS.

SPECIFICS FOR KSTL...WILL FOREGO TEMPO GROUPS FOR NOW UNTIL WE GET
A MORE FIRM TIMING FOR PCPN FOR THE AIRPORT. OTHERWISE COULD
LOOSELY JUSTIFY ABOUT 12 HOURS WORTH FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING WHEN WE FEEL THE BEST COVERAGE WILL BE. OTHERWISE...LOOK
FOR LLWS TO CONVERT INTO GUSTY SW SFC WNDS LATER THIS MORNING.

TES

&&

.LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MO...NONE.
IL...NONE.
&&

WFO LSX

Hazardous weather outlook, May 23, 3:22 AM CST, 8 hours 20 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
422 AM CDT MON MAY 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>075-084-085-099-241200-
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-
422 AM CDT MON MAY 23 2011

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN AND
CENTRAL MISSOURI AS WELL AS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON
AND EVENING HOURS. SOME STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE. THE
STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING
WINDS...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LIKELY OVER THE AREA THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERAL ROUNDS OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
DURING THIS PERIOD. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO PRODUCE
WIDESPREAD RAINFALL WHICH MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES ACROSS THE
REGION.  THIS MAY CAUSE RISES ON AREA STREAMS...CREEKS AND AREA
RIVERS.

THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE REGION WEDNESDAY
NIGHT AND THURSDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

BYRD

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 23, 11:31 AM CST, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1231 PM CDT MON MAY 23 2011

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

1229 PM     TSTM WND GST     WINFIELD                39.00N  90.74W
05/23/2011  M55 MPH          LINCOLN            MO   AMATEUR RADIO

            AT THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAYS 79 AND 47.

&&

FUCHS

Local storm report, May 23, 11:34 AM CST, 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1234 PM CDT MON MAY 23 2011

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

1231 PM     TSTM WND GST     1 SSW HAZELWOOD         38.76N  90.37W
05/23/2011  M62 MPH          ST. LOUIS          MO   ASOS

            FROM THE TOWER.

&&

FUCHS

Local storm report, May 23, 11:37 AM CST, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1237 PM CDT MON MAY 23 2011

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

1232 PM     HAIL             VALLEY PARK             38.55N  90.48W
05/23/2011  M1.00 INCH       ST. LOUIS          MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

            1 MILE WEST OF INTERSECTION OF BIG BEND AND 141.

&&

BRITT

Local storm report, May 23, 11:38 AM CST, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1238 PM CDT MON MAY 23 2011

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

1237 PM     TSTM WND GST     4 NNE ORCHARD FARMS     38.93N  90.42W
05/23/2011  M56 MPH          ST. CHARLES        MO   ASOS

            PEAK GUST 49 KNOTS AT KSET

&&

KANOFSKY

Local storm report, May 23, 11:40 AM CST, 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1240 PM CDT MON MAY 23 2011

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

1233 PM     TSTM WND GST     4 NNE ORCHARD FARMS     38.93N  90.42W
05/23/2011  M56 MPH          ST. CHARLES        MO   ASOS

&&

MILLER

Local storm report, May 23, 11:42 AM CST, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1242 PM CDT MON MAY 23 2011

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

1235 PM     TSTM WND DMG     GREENDALE               38.69N  90.31W
05/23/2011                   ST. LOUIS          MO   AMATEUR RADIO

            30 INCH TREE BLOCKING ROAD AT HILLSDALE AND NORMANDY
            ROAD.

&&

FUCHS

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 53 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:40 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When: May 23, 11:42 AM CST to 11:48 AM CST
Where: Madison County, 1.65 mi WNW of Wood River to 0.81 mi SSE of (Aln)stl Rgnl Arpt A
Measured: 73 kt (84 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 38.859, -90.109

The 86 mph wind gust caused some damage to the St. Louis Regional Airport's administration building. The winds partially caved in the building's 80 foot long, 25 foot high door. It will cost about $15,000 to repair the door, if that is possible, and between $100,000 and $125,000 to replace, if necessary. In Wood River, numerous trees, power poles and power lines were blown down. A few of the trees landed on the roofs of houses. Some of the houses sustained minor to moderate roof damage because of this. Also, a dugout on the softball field at East Alton-Wood River High School had its roof blown off. No injuries were reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When: May 23, 11:48 AM CST
Where: Madison County, 1.09 mi NE of Madison to 1.26 mi SSW of Granite City
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.693, -90.138

Thunderstorm winds caused minor damage to a chimney. Also, part of the roof of a building was blown off near the intersection of 23rd Street and Washington Avenue. Several large trees were blown down around town.

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Clair

When: May 23, 11:50 AM CST
Where: St. Clair County, 0.77 mi NE of Swansea to 0.95 mi ENE of Swansea
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 38.539, -90.021

Thunderstorm winds blew down a couple of trees. One tree landed on West Main Street and the other on Summit Avenue.

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When: May 23, 11:55 AM CST to 12:02 PM CST
Where: Madison County, 1.09 mi WNW of Glen Carbon to 0.64 mi W of Troy
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.757, -89.998

Thunderstorm winds blew down a twelve inch diameter tree on Clay Street in Troy. Also, numerous large tree limbs were blown down in Glen Carbon and Edwardsville.

Thunderstorm Wind, Macoupin

When: May 23, 12:10 PM CST
Where: Macoupin County, 1.99 mi SE of Staunton
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 39.004, -89.750

Thunderstorm winds blew over a semi on the north bound lanes of I-55 just south of the Staunton exit. The driver lost control when the truck was hit by the winds and ended up in a ditch about 50 feet from the road. The driver sustained minor injuries.

Hail, Marion

When: May 23, 12:13 PM CST
Where: Marion County, Sandoval
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.620, -89.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When: May 23, 12:15 PM CST
Where: Marion County, 0.31 mi SSW of Sandoval
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.616, -89.122

Thunderstorm winds blew down several large tree limbs.

Hail, Marion

When: May 23, 12:30 PM CST
Where: Marion County, 2.04 mi SSE of Salem
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 38.601, -88.940

Thunderstorm Wind, Fayette

When: May 23, 12:40 PM CST
Where: Fayette County, 1.17 mi ENE of Bingham
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 39.125, -89.199

Thunderstorm winds blew down a large tree. The tree fell onto the roof of a church causing minor damage to one corner of the roof. The tree also knocked down a power line.

Hail, Marion

When: May 23, 1:04 PM CST
Where: Marion County, Centralia
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 38.530, -89.130

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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, May 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: 321810, 321814, 323428, 321816, 323442, 321817, 321819, 321818, 323399, 321820.