Thunderstorms developed along a cold front during the afternoon and evening of October 17th. A few of the storms produced damaging wind gusts in excess of 60 mph, particularly across portions of Sangamon, Logan, and DeWitt counties.
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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.
Thunderstorms developed along a cold front during the afternoon and evening of October 17th. A few of the storms produced damaging wind gusts in excess of 60 mph, particularly across portions of Sangamon, Logan, and DeWitt counties.
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 Oct 17, 1:44 PM CST, 3 hours 56 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 244 PM CDT WED OCT 17 2012 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 244 PM CDT WED OCT 17 2012 SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY STRONG COLD FRONT CURRENTLY EXTENDING FROM WESTERN WISCONSIN INTO NORTHERN MISSOURI WILL SWING EASTWARD THIS EVENING...BRINGING A PERIOD OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO CENTRAL ILLINOIS. SCATTERED CONVECTION HAS ALREADY DEVELOPED IN THE WARM AIR ADVECTION REGIME ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON...HOWEVER THE MAIN EVENT WILL OCCUR WITH FRONTAL PASSAGE THIS EVENING. HIGH-RES MODELS HAVE SLOWED THE EASTWARD PROGRESS OF THE FRONT FROM PREVIOUS RUNS...WITH THE HRRR NOW FEATURING A LINE OF SHOWERS/STORMS ALONG OR JUST EAST OF THE ILLINOIS RIVER BY 00Z. STORMS WILL RAPIDLY PROGRESS EASTWARD...EXITING INTO INDIANA BY AROUND 06Z. GIVEN MEAGER INSTABILITY DUE TO EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER...AM NOT EXPECTING WIDESPREAD SEVERE ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS. GREATEST INSTABILITY AND STRONGEST WIND-SHEAR CONTINUES TO BE FOCUSED FURTHER SOUTH...FROM SOUTHERN ILLINOIS INTO THE OZARKS. GIVEN INCREASING WIND SPEEDS ALOFT WITH APPROACHING JET STREAK...THINK A FEW OF THE STRONGER CELLS COULD PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS BETWEEN 5 PM AND MIDNIGHT. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE A POSSIBILITY WITH THE STORMS...AS PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES CLIMB INTO THE 1 TO 1.50 INCH RANGE. AS A RESULT...AM ANTICIPATING BETWEEN ONE HALF AND ONE INCH OF RAIN AS THE LINE PASSES THROUGH...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS EAST OF I-55. ONCE FRONT PUSHES OFF TO THE EAST...BREEZY AND COOLER WEATHER WILL STREAM INTO THE REGION AFTER MIDNIGHT. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SUGGEST CLEARING SKIES ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA BY DAWN...ALLOWING LOW TEMPS TO DROP INTO THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 40S. AFTER A MOSTLY SUNNY START TO THE DAY...CLOUDS WILL INCREASE FROM THE NW BY LATE THURSDAY MORNING...AS A DEEP UPPER LOW OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS DIGS SOUTHEASTWARD. NAM/GFS BOTH BRING SHOWERS INTO THE NORTHWEST CWA BY AFTERNOON...WITH PRECIP SPREADING ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT. HIGHLY DYNAMIC SYSTEM AND AMPLE LOW/MID-LEVEL MOISTURE WARRANTS LIKELY POPS ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ZONES...WITH ONLY CHANCE POPS ALONG/SOUTH OF I-70 FURTHER AWAY FROM THE BEST FORCING. COOL/SHOWERY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY AS WELL...AS LOW TRACKS INTO THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES. WILL CONTINUE WITH HIGH CHANCE TO LIKELY POPS FOR SHOWERS ACCORDINGLY. DUE TO CLOUD COVER AND BRISK NORTHWESTERLY WINDS...HIGH TEMPS ON FRIDAY WILL REMAIN IN THE 50S. IMPROVING CONDITIONS WILL ARRIVE BY SATURDAY...AS LOW MOVES FURTHER AWAY AND UPPER HEIGHTS BEGIN TO RISE. SUNSHINE AND WEAK RETURN FLOW WILL HELP BOOST HIGHS BACK INTO THE 60S. LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY EXTENDED FORECAST CONTINUES TO TREND WARMER...AS 12Z 17 OCT MODELS ADVERTISE UPPER TROUGH DEVELOPING ACROSS THE WESTERN CONUS AND RIDGE BUILDING DOWNSTREAM OVER THE MIDWEST/OHIO RIVER VALLEY. ECMWF REMAINS THE MOST AMPLIFIED MODEL...KEEPING UPPER HEIGHTS QUITE HIGH ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THE GFS...WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN LESS AMPLIFIED WITH THE TROUGH/RIDGE PATTERN...IS NOW BEGINNING TO LOOK MORE LIKE THE ECMWF. THE MAIN QUESTION IN THE EXTENDED WILL BE WHERE THE PREVAILING BAROCLINIC ZONE SETS UP BETWEEN A COOLER AIRMASS TO THE NORTHWEST AND WARMER AIR TO THE SOUTHEAST. RECENT FORECASTS HAVE TRENDED TOWARD THE ECMWF...WHICH KEEPS THE FRONT STALLED ACROSS NORTHERN SECTIONS OF IOWA/ILLINOIS EARLY NEXT WEEK. LATEST RUN OF THE ECMWF SHOWS GOOD CONSISTENCY FROM PREVIOUS SOLUTION...WHILE GFS IS BEGINNING TO TREND NORTHWARD WITH THE FRONT AS WELL. AS A RESULT...HAVE WARMED TEMPS MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY TO FEATURE DAILY HIGHS IN THE 70S. HAVE ALSO TRIMMED POPS...WITH ONLY LOW CHANCE POPS MENTIONED ACROSS THE NORTHWEST CWA MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. IF ECMWF PANS OUT...POPS MAY EVENTUALLY NEED TO BE REMOVED ALTOGETHER AND TEMPS MAY NEED TO BE ADJUSTED UPWARD EVEN FURTHER. BARNES && .AVIATION... ISSUED 1225 PM CDT WED OCT 17 2012 TRICKY TAF SET TODAY...AS A COLD FRONT MOVES IN FROM THE WEST...AND CONDITIONS DETERIORATE. CURRENT RADAR DEPICTS SOME SPOTTY SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AROUND THE AREA. EXPECTING THIS TO BE THE CASE FOR EARLY AFTERNOON...THEN INCREASE IN COVERAGE AS COLD FRONT GETS CLOSER LATER THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING. FELT THIS WOULD BEST BE HANDLED WITH VCSH INITIALLY...AND THEN PREDOMINANT SHRA WITH VCTS WHEN TIMING LOOKS BEST. MODELS SOUNDINGS START TO DRY OUT AROUND 04Z AT PIA...AND 06Z AT CMI ONCE FRONT MOVES THROUGH. CIGS WILL BE AN ISSUE AS WELL. AREA OF 2KFT CIGS STARTING TO EXPAND INTO THE TAF SITES. HAVE KEPT MVFR CIGS AT ALL SITES INTO THE EVENING. IN PERIODS OF HEAVIER RAINFALL...VSBYS MAY DROP AS WELL. WILL NEED TO MONITOR CONVECTIVE TRENDS AND CIGS...AND UPDATE IF NECESSARY. TIGHTENED PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL ALLOW FOR SOUTH WINDS SUSTAINED AROUND 15 KTS...WITH GUSTS POSSIBLE AROUND 25 KTS TODAY. ONCE FRONT PASSES WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE WEST. ECT && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 314 PM CDT WED OCT 17 2012 ILZ027>031-036>038-040>048-053>057-062-063-067-068-072-073-181100- CASS-CHAMPAIGN-CLARK-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND-DE WITT-DOUGLAS- EDGAR-FULTON-JASPER-KNOX-LAWRENCE-LOGAN-MACON-MARSHALL-MASON- MCLEAN-MENARD-MOULTRIE-PEORIA-PIATT-RICHLAND-SCHUYLER-STARK- TAZEWELL-VERMILION-WOODFORD- 314 PM CDT WED OCT 17 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWING THROUGH THE AREA TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING AHEAD OF THE FRONT.. SOME OF THE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE STRONG...WITH GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ049>052-061-066-071-181100- CHRISTIAN-CLAY-EFFINGHAM-MORGAN-SANGAMON-SCOTT-SHELBY- 314 PM CDT WED OCT 17 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWING THROUGH THE AREA TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING AHEAD OF THE FRONT. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE...WITH DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED BETWEEN 4 PM AND 10 PM. ECT
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 29 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:39 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees were blown down or snapped off about 10 feet above the ground. Five homes sustained minor damage to their roof shingles and siding. A fence was blown down as well.
A roof was partially blown off an old wooden barn.
Several 5 to 8-inch diameter evergreen trees were snapped off at ground level and thrown into a field.
A power pole was snapped, causing a power outage on the south side of Clinton.
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, October 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: 416029, 416030, 416031, 416027.