Isolated thunderstorms impacted east-central Illinois during the morning of March 18th. Lightning struck a power pole, knocking down power lines across a road in Danville.
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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 impacted east-central Illinois during the morning of March 18th. Lightning struck a power pole, knocking down power lines across a road in Danville.
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 Mar 18, 6:00 AM CST, 1 hour 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 700 AM CDT SUN MAR 18 2012 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 330 AM CDT SUN MAR 18 2012 SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT UNSEASONABLY WARM WEATHER EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS CENTRAL AND SE IL THROUGH WED WITH NEAR RECORD TEMPERATURES LIKELY THROUGH TUE. FORECAST CHALLENGE IS CONVECTION CHANCES THIS WEEK AND HOW FAST IT COOLS OFF DURING THE HALF OF THE WEEK. 00Z MODELS IN FAIR AGREEMENT INTO WED AND WILL USE A BLEND. MODELS STILL DIFFER WITH TRACK AND SPEED OFF STRONG CUTOFF UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVING INTO THE MID MS VALLEY LATE THIS WEEK. MOST MODELS CONTINUE TO PASS UPPER LEVEL LOW SOUTH OF CENTRAL IL LATE THIS WEEK. 572 DM 500 MB WITH ASSOCIATED MCV/MESO VORTEX OVER CENTRAL IL SLOWLY CHUGGING EAST AT 15-20 MPH. BAND OF CONVECTION ON WESTERN/BACK EDGE OF THIS SYSTEM FROM THE QUAD CITIES AND GALESBURG SSE THROUGH SPRINGFIELD TO VANDALIA. PULSE TYPE THUNDERSTORMS AT TIMES BECOME STRONG AND PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS... FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL. SPC HAS 5% RISK OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TODAY OVER EASTERN IL BUT NO SLIGHT RISK YET. INCREASED POPS THIS MORNING ESPECIALLY EARLY THIS MORNING FROM 6-9 AM FOR SHOWERS AND CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS EAST OF A GALESBURG TO SPRINGFIELD LINE. MOST OF THIS CONVECTION SHOULD BE EAST OF IL OVER INDIANA THIS AFTERNOON THOUGH STILL COULD BE ISOLATED CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON ESPECIALLY EAST OF I-57 WITH LINGERING UNSTABLE AIR MASS WITH CAPES OF 1600-2200 J/KG. NEAR RECORD HIGHS NEAR 80F EAST CENTRAL IL AND LOWER 80S ELSEWHERE AS SKIES BECOME PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY THIS AFTERNOON. NEXT SHORT WAVE EJECTING NE TOWARD CENTRAL IL LATER TONIGHT TO BRINGING SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO WEST CENTRAL AND THEN HAVE EXPANDED 20-40% OF CONVECTION FURTHER EAST INTO CENTRAL IL MONDAY. NEAR RECORD HIGHS IN THE LOWER 80S AGAIN ON MONDAY...THOUGH NEAR 80S NW OF THE IL RIVER VALLEY WHERE MORE CLOUDS EXPECTED AND HIGHER RAIN CHANCES. STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE EASTERN STATES TUE MAY ACTUALLY PUSH THE CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BACK FURTHER WEST ON TUE WITH EASTERN IL STAYING DRY. ANOTHER DAY OF NEAR RECORD HIGHS IN THE LOWER 80S EXPECT UPPER 70S FAR WESTERN AREAS WHERE HIGHER CHANCES OF RAIN AND MORE CLOUDS. SPC DAY2 OUTLOOK KEEPS SLIGHT RISK WEST OF IL FOR MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT AND ALSO DAY3 OUTLOOK KEEPS SLIGHT RISK OVER THE LOWER MS VALLEY SOUTH OF LITTLE ROCK INTO LA. LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE NEAR THE CA COAST TO EVOLVE INTO A STRONG CUTOFF LOW THAT MOVES INTO THE MID MS VALLEY LATE THIS WEEK. MODELS HAVE OVERALL TRENDED SLOWER WITH THIS FEATURE WITH STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE EASTERN STATES HOLDING OUT LONGER. SO WARMED UP HIGHS WED A FEW MORE DEGREES AND HAVE POPS RANGING FROM 20% NEAR THE INDIANA BORDER WED TO 60% FROM PEORIA AND SPRINGFIELD WEST BY WED AFTERNOON. GOOD CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WED NIGHT THROUGH THU NIGHT THEN HIGHEST POPS GRADUALLY SHIFT EAST FRI AND FRI NIGHT WITH CUTOFF LOW. COOLING TEMPS DURING 2ND HALF OF THE WEEK BUT STILL REMAINING ABOVE NORMAL FOR LATE MARCH WITH HIGHS NEXT WEEKEND IN THE UPPER 50S AND LOWER 60S AND LOWS STAYING ABOVE FREEZING. HUETTL && .AVIATION... ISSUED 700 AM CDT SUN MAR 18 2012 GENERALLY QUIET/VFR AVIATION WEATHER CONDITIONS EXPECTED ACROSS THE CENTRAL ILLINOIS TERMINALS THROUGH THE 12Z TAF VALID TIME. STILL NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION POTENTIAL TODAY AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE LIFTS ACROSS THE REGION LATER TODAY FROM THE PLAINS. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL GUST OVER 20 KTS BY LATE MORNING...WITH THE GUSTS LINGERING UNTIL SUNSET. SOME MVFR FOG MAY DEVELOP BY LATE TONIGHT...BUT CONFIDENCE/COVERAGE IS TOO LOW TO GO ABOVE A TEMPO MENTION AT THIS TIME. BAK && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 547 AM CDT SUN MAR 18 2012 ILZ027>031-036-037-040-041-047>050-191100- CASS-FULTON-KNOX-MARSHALL-MASON-MENARD-MORGAN-PEORIA-SCHUYLER- SCOTT-STARK-TAZEWELL-WOODFORD- 547 AM CDT SUN MAR 18 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH TONIGHT...BUT MOST LOCATIONS WILL REMAIN DRY. SMALL HAIL AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS...BUT ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A SLOW-MOVING STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING A PROLONGED PERIOD OF THUNDERSTORM CHANCES INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS FROM MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THE GREATEST CHANCE FOR STORMS WILL DEVELOP TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TONIGHT. ILZ038-042>046-051>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-191100- CHAMPAIGN-CHRISTIAN-CLARK-CLAY-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND-DE WITT- DOUGLAS-EDGAR-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-LOGAN-MACON-MCLEAN- MOULTRIE-PIATT-RICHLAND-SANGAMON-SHELBY-VERMILION- 547 AM CDT SUN MAR 18 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH TONIGHT...BUT MOST LOCATIONS WILL REMAIN DRY. SMALL HAIL AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS...BUT ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A SLOW-MOVING STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING A PROLONGED PERIOD OF THUNDERSTORM CHANCES INTO CENTRAL ILLINOIS FROM TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THE GREATEST CHANCE FOR STORMS WILL DEVELOP ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TONIGHT. BAK
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
254 AM CDT SUN MAR 18 2012
ILZ042-048-051-052-180900-
CHRISTIAN-LOGAN-MENARD-SANGAMON-
254 AM CDT SUN MAR 18 2012
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CHRISTIAN...MENARD...SANGAMON AND
SOUTHWESTERN LOGAN COUNTIES UNTIL 400 AM CDT...
AT 250 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM TALLULA TO
MORRISONVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.
NICKEL SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS AROUND 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE
STORMS.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
MORRISONVILLE...
PETERSBURG...
SPRINGFIELD...
ATHENS...
ROCHESTER...
KINCAID...
OTHER LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...FARMINGDALE...GLENARM...CURRAN...
SALISBURY...LINCOLNS NEW SALEM AND JEROME.
PEOPLE NEAR THESE LOCATIONS SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION
CLOSELY. LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS...AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE
APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER THREATEN.
LAT...LON 4008 8999 4007 8948 3951 8905 3948 8902
3943 8903 3936 8954 3952 8954 3952 8967
3994 9000
TIME...MOT...LOC 0755Z 259DEG 13KT 3993 8986 3945 8948
BAKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
643 AM CDT SUN MAR 18 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0345 PM HAIL 6 SSE CLAY CITY 38.61N 88.31W
03/17/2012 E0.75 INCH CLAY IL CO-OP OBSERVER
DELAYED REPORT. TIME ESTIMATED.
&&
25PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
700 AM CDT SUN MAR 18 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 AM HEAVY RAIN JACKSONVILLE 39.73N 90.23W
03/18/2012 M1.17 INCH MORGAN IL CO-OP OBSERVER
&&
25PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
839 AM CDT SUN MAR 18 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0833 AM HEAVY RAIN WOODSON 39.63N 90.22W
03/18/2012 M1.50 INCH MORGAN IL MESONET
SWOP REPORT
&&
25The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 124 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:38 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck a power pole, knocking down power lines across a road in Danville.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, March 2012
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: 367123.