A cold front interacting with an unseasonably warm and humid airmass triggered strong to severe thunderstorms across central Illinois during the evening of January 29th. Scattered wind damage occurred, with the most concentrated area of damage centered over eastern Coles County near Ashmore.
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 ILX wrote it up.
A cold front interacting with an unseasonably warm and humid airmass triggered strong to severe thunderstorms across central Illinois during the evening of January 29th. Scattered wind damage occurred, with the most concentrated area of damage centered over eastern Coles County near Ashmore.
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 Jan 29, 9:06 PM CST, 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 906 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2013 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 905 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2013 INITIAL WIND SHIFT HAS PUSHED THROUGH ABOUT 3/4 OF THE CWA... CURRENTLY EXTENDING FROM ABOUT EFFINGHAM TO DANVILLE. TEMPERATURES STILL IN THE 60-65 RANGE AHEAD OF THIS AREA...WITH SOME GRADIENT WIND GUSTS OF 35-40 MPH. THE MAIN COLD FRONT WAS LOCATED JUST EAST OF THE IOWA BORDER...WHERE TEMPERATURES FALL INTO THE 30S. HAVE HAD SOME WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE RIDING ALONG THE FRONT...WHICH HAS SLOWED DOWN ITS PASSAGE SOMEWHAT...BUT LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE STILL INDICATES IT SHOULD START MOVING THROUGH THE WESTERN CWA LATE TONIGHT. MAIN CONCERN REMAINS WITH THE RAIN TONIGHT AND THE FLOOD WATCH. EVENING UPPER AIR SOUNDING FROM LINCOLN HAD PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES OF 1.43 INCHES...WHICH LOCAL RESEARCH INDICATES IS A RECORD FOR JANUARY IN THIS AREA. SO FAR...HAVE SEEN LITTLE OR NO RAIN IN THE FAR SOUTHEAST CWA...BUT THAT SHOULD BE INCREASING SHORTLY AS A NARROW CONVECTIVE LINE FROM SALEM SOUTHWEST INTO MISSOURI MOVES QUICKLY EASTWARD. RAP MODEL SHOWS THE SAME HIGH PWAT VALUES AFFECTING SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS...SO SOME HEAVY RAIN THERE IS STILL LIKELY. THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CWA HAS SEEN AMOUNTS OVER AN INCH COMMON WEST OF A BLOOMINGTON TO JACKSONVILLE LINE...WITH SOME 1.5 TO 2 INCH TOTALS TOWARD THE ILLINOIS RIVER VALLEY. HAVE KEPT THE FLOOD WATCH IN PLACE FOR NOW OVER THE ENTIRE AREA...BUT HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE NORTHWEST CWA...AS REGIONAL RADAR MOSAICS SHOW THE HEAVIEST AXIS OF RAIN FURTHER TO THE EAST. WILL WATCH THIS FOR A COUPLE MORE HOURS BEFORE DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT TO TRIM DOWN THE WATCH AREA. UPDATED ZONES/GRIDS HAVE BEEN SENT. GEELHART && .AVIATION... ISSUED 545 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2013 NARROW LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO KBMI/KDEC OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR SO...AND REACH KCMI AROUND 0230Z. HAVE SEEN SOME GUSTS OF 30-40 KNOTS WITH THE LINE...WITH WINDS TRENDING TO THE NORTHWEST IN THE LARGER RAIN SHIELD THAT EXTENDS FURTHER WEST. CEILINGS HAVE RISEN INTO THE VFR RANGE IN A NARROW AREA BEHIND THE LINE TO NEAR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER...BUT ARE EXPECTED TO DROP BACK DOWN TO IFR LEVELS LATER THIS EVENING. A PERIOD OF MORE SHOWERY PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 12Z WORKING ITS WAY WEST TO EAST. HOWEVER...ANOTHER AREA OF PRECIPITATION WILL SET UP OVER MISSOURI/IOWA LATE IN THE NIGHT AND LIFT NORTHEAST. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOWING RAIN SWITCHING TO SNOW WEDNESDAY...WITH SOME POTENTIAL FOR SLEET FOR AN HOUR OR TWO AROUND KSPI/KDEC. NORTHWEST WINDS EXPECTED TO RAMP UP WEDNESDAY MORNING AND GUST FROM 25-30 KNOTS OR SO FROM LATE MORNING THROUGH MUCH OF THE AFTERNOON. GEELHART && .PREV DISCUSSION... ISSUED 320 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2013 MAIN CONCERN THIS FORECAST PACKAGE CONTINUES TO INVOLVE THE POTENTIAL HEAVY RAIN/FLOOD WATCH EVENT FOR TONIGHT...WHEN RAIN WILL CHANGE OVER TO SNOW...AND FALLING TEMPS IN THE SHORT TERM. ALL MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH OVERALL UPPER LEVEL PATTERN THROUGH THE SHORT TERM...AND WITH THE SFC FEATURES AND MOVEMENTS THROUGH FRIDAY. EXTENDED MODELS HAVE TRENDED INTO BETTER AGREEMENT IN THE EXTENDED WITH SFC FEATURES AS WELL. THEREFORE CONFIDENCE IS ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THIS FORECAST PACKAGE. SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY A SFC LOW IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST ALONG A FRONTAL SYSTEM STRETCHING FROM WI...THROUGH NORTHWESTERN IL...THROUGH MO AND INTO OK. THIS LOW WILL MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS THIS EVENING AND INTO SOUTHERN MICH JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SFC SYSTEM WILL REMAIN BACK IN THE CENTRAL US AND NOT MOVE INTO AND THROUGH THE CWA UNTIL TOMORROW EVENING. THE TROUGH MOVES THROUGH...BUT THEN BROADENS AS ANOTHER SMALLER AND LESS INTENSE SFC LOW MOVES OUT OF THE PLAINS AND THROUGH SOUTHERN IL THURSDAY. THIS WILL PUSH THROUGH QUICKLY AND THEN COLD HIGH PRSS MOVES BACK INTO THE AREA FOR THUR NIGHT AND FRIDAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL ARE FORECAST TO CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS THE CWA TONIGHT. STORMS WILL BE MOVING VERY QUICKLY TO THE NORTHEAST THIS EVENING AND COULD BE SEVERE AT TIMES WITH DAMAGING WINDS. TORNADO WATCHES ARE ONGOING TO THE SOUTHWEST OF THE AREA...AND OUR CWA MAY HAVE TO BE INCLUDED LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THIS EVENING IF THE STORMS SOUTHWEST OF THE AREA MAINTAIN THEIR STRENGTH AS THEY MOVE NORTHEAST. TOMORROW...THE PCPN WILL BEGIN TO CHANGE TO ALL SNOW AS MUCH COLDER AIR ADVECTS INTO THE AREA. MODELS ARE FORECASTING AN AREA OF DEFORMATION SNOW TO SETUP WEST OF THE TRACK OF THE SFC LOW TOMORROW WITH THE HIGHEST ACCUMULATING SNOW STAYING NORTHWEST OF THE IL RIVER. LOOKING FOR ABOUT AN INCH ALONG A RUSHVILLE TO BLOOMINGTON LINE WITH UP TO AROUND 1.5 INCHES AROUND GALESBURG. AMOUNTS OF A HALF AN INCH OR LESS WILL BE ALONG I-72. AS THIS SYSTEM PULLS EAST AND NORTHEAST...A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE EXTREME NORTHEAST OF THE CWA WED NIGHT. WITH THE TROUGH BROADENING...A SFC LOW WILL MOVE OUT OF THE PLAINS AND THROUGH SOUTHERN IL THURSDAY. THIS WILL BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF MORE SNOW TO THE WHOLE CWA...MAINLY THUR AFTERNOON. BEYOND THIS...COLD ARCTIC HIGH PRSS WILL DROP INTO THE REGION WITH DRY AND VERY COLD WEATHER FOR THUR NIGHT AND FRIDAY. LOWS TONIGHT WILL BE CLOSE TO MIDNIGHT AND HIGHS TOMORROW WILL PROBABLY BE JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. TEMPS WILL THEN GRADUALLY FALL TOMORROW THROUGH TOMORROW NIGHT. THEN COLDER AIR WILL ADVECT INTO THE REGION FOR THUR NIGHT AND FRIDAY...WITH TEMPS AROUND ZERO IN THE NORTHWEST TO IN THE LOWER TEENS IN THE SOUTHEAST...FOR THUR NIGHT. FRI TEMPS WILL BE WELL BELOW NORMAL FOR FRIDAY AS WELL...NOT REACHING ABOVE FREEZING ANYWHERE IN THE CWA. LONG TERM...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MODELS HAVE ANOTHER SFC LOW DROPPING ACROSS NORTHERN IL FRIDAY NIGHT...SPREADING SOME LIGHT SNOW ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN HALF OF THE CWA. THIS CLIPPER SYSTEM WILL BE QUICK SO ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE VERY LIGHT. BEYOND THIS...ANOTHER WEAK SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA WITH LIGHT PCPN MON AND MONDAY NIGHT. FOR NOW WILL KEEP ONLY SLIGHT CHC OF POPS IN THE FORECAST...WHICH WILL NOT BE MENTIONED IN THE WORDED FORECAST. OTHER THAN THESE TWO SYSTEMS...REMAINDER OF THE LONG TERM PERIODS WILL BE DRY. TEMPS WILL START COLD BUT THEN WARM QUICKLY FOR THE WEEKEND AND INTO THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. WARMEST DAY LOOKS TO BE MONDAY WITH TEMPS 5+ DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. AUTEN && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 6 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR ILZ027>031-036>038- 040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 317 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2013 ILZ027>031-036>038-040>043-047>053-301200- CASS-CHRISTIAN-DE WITT-FULTON-KNOX-LOGAN-MACON-MARSHALL-MASON- MCLEAN-MENARD-MORGAN-PEORIA-SANGAMON-SCHUYLER-SCOTT-STARK- TAZEWELL-WOODFORD- 317 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2013 ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LIKELY TONIGHT AS A STRONG COLD FRONT APPROACHES. THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE LOCALLY SEVERE...WITH A FEW STORMS PRODUCING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. IN ADDITION...HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE LIKELY...WITH 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAINFALL BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. A FEW LOCATIONS MAY SEE OVER TWO AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN. THIS WILL PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT RISES IN AREA RIVERS...STREAMS AND CREEKS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY MUCH COLDER WEATHER WILL MOVE IN TO THE AREA WEDNESDAY MORNING WHICH WILL CHANGE THE RAIN OVER TO SNOW. ACCUMULATIONS OF AROUND AN INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG AND NORTH OF A RUSHVILLE TO BLOOMINGTON LINE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED AT LEAST THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING...ESPECIALLY EAST OF THE ILLINOIS RIVER. ILZ044>046-054>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-301200- CHAMPAIGN-CLARK-CLAY-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND-DOUGLAS-EDGAR- EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-MOULTRIE-PIATT-RICHLAND-SHELBY- VERMILION- 317 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2013 ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL SPREAD SLOWLY FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING. THE STORMS THIS EVENING AND DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE LOCALLY SEVERE...WITH A FEW STORMS PRODUCING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. IN ADDITION...HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE LIKELY...WITH 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAINFALL BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. A FEW LOCATIONS MAY SEE OVER TWO AND A HALF INCHES OF RAIN. THIS WILL PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT RISES IN AREA RIVERS...STREAMS AND CREEKS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...MAINLY BETWEEN 8 PM AND 200 AM CST. SMITH
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
716 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0600 PM HEAVY RAIN PEORIA INTERNATIONAL AI 40.67N 89.68W
01/29/2013 M1.28 INCH PEORIA IL ASOS
MOSTLY SINCE 2 PM.
0600 PM HEAVY RAIN EAST PEORIA 40.67N 89.55W
01/29/2013 M1.19 INCH TAZEWELL IL MESONET
HADS REPORT
0700 PM HEAVY RAIN PEKIN 40.57N 89.63W
01/29/2013 M1.04 INCH TAZEWELL IL MESONET
MOSTLY SINCE 3 PM. SWOP REPORT
&&
GEELHARTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
840 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0830 PM HEAVY RAIN EUREKA 40.72N 89.28W
01/29/2013 M1.57 INCH WOODFORD IL MESONET
MEASURED 1.57 INCHES OF RAIN SO FAR TODAY THROUGH 830 PM.
STILL RAINING THIS EVENING.
&&
KHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
850 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0845 PM HEAVY RAIN 7 NW PEORIA 40.82N 89.70W
01/29/2013 M1.50 INCH PEORIA IL NWS EMPLOYEE
MEASURED 1.50 INCHES OF RAIN SO FAR TODAY THROUGH 845 PM
AND STILL RAINING THIS EVENING.
&&
KHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
851 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0845 PM HEAVY RAIN WATAGA 41.03N 90.28W
01/29/2013 M1.00 INCH KNOX IL MESONET
MEASURED 1 INCH OF RAIN SO FAR TODAY THROUGH 845 PM AND
STILL RAINING THIS EVENING.
&&
KHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
902 PM CST TUE JAN 29 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0900 PM HEAVY RAIN 3 E BLOOMINGTON 40.48N 88.92W
01/29/2013 M1.31 INCH MCLEAN IL AWOS
THE BLOOMINGTON AIRPORT MEASURED 1.31 INCHES OF RAIN SO
FAR TODAY THROUGH 9 PM AND STILL RAINING.
&&
KHThe Evansville,IN radar (KVWX), 127 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:14 UTC.
8 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A large overhead door was blown out at the ADM plant. A tree was blown down onto a house, doing damage to its roof. In addition, numerous tree branches were knocked down around town.
Numerous power lines were blown down in Mason.
A semi trailer was blown over on I-57 at mile marker 165 northeast of Effingham.
Strong thunderstorm winds snapped 64 power poles along Illinois Route 16 near Ashmore. 30 poles were snapped west of Ashmore and 34 east of town. The John Deere Implement Company suffered roof damage to three of its buildings on the southwest side of Ashmore. In addition, three empty grain bins and several outbuildings were damaged north of town.
Six power poles were blown down west of Bible Grove.
Three power poles were blown down northeast of Iola.
Four power poles were blown down north of Olney. In addition, several small tree branches were knocked down around town.
A tree was blown down across U.S. 50 near the Indiana border.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, January 2013
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: 430678, 430694, 430689, 430666, 430714, 430715, 430717, 430701.