Scattered thunderstorms developed across central Illinois during the afternoon of May 26th. Lightning from one of the storms struck a fisherman on the Kaskaskia River near the Lake Shelbyville Dam.
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.
Scattered thunderstorms developed across central Illinois during the afternoon of May 26th. Lightning from one of the storms struck a fisherman on the Kaskaskia River near the Lake Shelbyville Dam. The man was later pronounced dead at the Shelby Memorial Hospital in Shelbyville.
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 May 26, 2:20 PM CST, 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 320 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2013 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 252 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2013 PROLONGED RAINY PERIOD CONTINUES FOR CENTRAL ILLINOIS. THIS MORNING SHOWERS LINED UP AND REMAINED OVER ONE AREA STRETCHING FROM JUST SOUTH OF GALESBURG SOUTHEAST TO SHELBYVILLE. AREAS ALONG THIS AXIS RECD BTWN 2.5 AND 3.5 INCHES OF RAIN...WITH MANY OTHER LOCATIONS BTWN 1 AND 1.5. WITH MORE RAIN ON THE WAY...CONCERN INCREASES FOR FLASH FLOODING THREAT. MANY DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS IN THE SHORT TERM FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION OF STORMS. WITH THE CONVECTIVE RISK AS THE EVENING GOES ON...WILL GO AHEAD AND ISSUE A FF WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS THROUGH TOMORROW. BEYOND THE SHORT TERM...FORECAST INTO THE LONG TERM IS STILL A CONFLICT OF SYNOPTIC WAVE PATTERNS AT DAY 6/7. FORECAST OUT THAT FAR A BLEND...WITH CONSIDERATION GIVEN TO UNCERTAINTY. SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH TOMORROW... PLENTY OF PRECIP IN THE CWA THIS MORNING SLOWLY BROKE INTO PIECES THIS AFTERNOON...THOUGH THE CONVECTIVE ELEMENT IS RETURNING WITH TS IN THE SW. RAP/RUC AND 4KM WRF SHOWING SOME MAJOR DIFFERENCES WITH THE EVOLUTION GOING INTO THE EVENING...THOUGH BOTH PRODUCING SOME RATHER EXTENSIVE QPF. WITH STREAK OF HEAVY PRECIP ALREADY FROM THIS MORNINGS STORMS FROM SOUTH OF GALESBURG TO SHELBYVILLE...AND ANOTHER 1 TO 2 INCHES POSSIBLE...AND A CONVECTIVE ELEMENT TO THE STORMS THIS EVENING POTENTIALLY BUMPING UP THOSE TOTALS LOCALLY...ISSUING A FF WATCH FOR AFFECTED COUNTIES. WOULD BE LESS CONCERNED DUE TO THE OVERALL DURATION OF THE EVENT...BUT 6HR FFG IN THE 2-2.5 INCH RANGE...AND THE CONVECTIVE ELEMENT ON A HOLIDAY WEEKEND TIP THE SCALE. LONGEVITY OF PRECIP TOMORROW EVENING VERY MUCH A FUNCTION OF LOCATION OF THE PASSING WARM FRONT...AND HAVE TERMINATED THE WATCH AT THIS POINT AT 00Z TOMORROW EVENING. HOWEVER...DEPENDING ON LOCATION OF THE BOUNDARY AND INTENSITY OF PRECIP...THIS MAY PROVE TO BE TOO CONSERVATIVE. IN ADDITION TO THAT...SOUTHERLY COMPONENT TO THE WIND BRINGING WARMER TEMPS IN THE REGION...WITH WARM AIR MOVING IN AT MIDLEVELS AS THE EAST SIDE OF THE UPPER RIDGE ERODES SOMEWHAT. WARM FRONT FORWARD PROGRESSION INTO THE REGION MAY BE TEMPERED QUITE A BIT BY RAIN COOLED AIR AS THE RAIN/CONVECTION GOES ON ALL DAY. VERY SIMILAR TO TODAY...AND HIGHS WILL BE REACHED AT VARYING POINTS THROUGHOUT THE DAY DEPENDING ON WHERE THE STORMS/CLOUDS ARE. IN SHORT...FORECAST IS PROBLEMATIC IN AN HOURLY SENSE TO SAY THE LEAST. THOUGH WARMER THAN TODAY...KEEPING THE TEMPS A BIT BELOW GUIDANCE...AND THE GEMNH HAS ACTUALLY PROVIDED A VERY POSSIBLE SOLUTION CONSIDERING THE GRADIENT FROM NE TO SW. LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... DEPENDING ON THE INTERACTION BTWN COLD POOLS AND THE SFC BOUNDARY...LOCATION OF THE SFC WARM FRONT A BIT OF A QUESTION MARK ON TUESDAY MORNING. POPS REMAIN PREDOMINANTLY IN THE NORTH...INVOF THE BOUNDARY. FORECAST ACTUALLY DRY FROM TUES NIGHT THROUGH WED NIGHT. WESTERN TROF DIGS IN...AMPLIFYING THE WAVE PATTERN OVER THE CONUS AND LEAVING THE UPPER MIDWEST IN SWRLY FLOW...AND MUCH OF IL IN WEAK FLOW...IF ANY...UNDER THE BUILDING RIDGE. VERY WARM MIDLEVELS AND THE GUIDANCE STARTING TO REFLECT THE SITUATION A LITTLE BETTER. RETURNING POPS ON THURS NIGHT/FRI SHOWING MORE OF A DELAY THAN THE 00Z RUN...AS IT HAS THE PAST FEW CYCLES. A BIT MORE CONFIDENCE FOR THUR NIGHT...AND FRIDAY SPECIFICALLY...WITH A COLD FRONT PASSAGE FRI NIGHT. STILL A DEBATE AS THE GFS AND ECMWF QUITE DIFFERENT IN HANDLING THE LARGE SCALE WAVE IN RELATION TO THE SFC SYSTEM. HJS && .AVIATION... ISSUED 1248 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2013 CONVECTION CONTINUES TO WEAKEN AS IT PUSHES THROUGH EASTERN ILLINOIS...AND SHOULD SEE MOST OF IT OUT OF THE TAF SITES BY 20Z. HAVE THEN GONE WITH DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH JUST AFTER SUNSET. HAVE BEEN SEEING SOME BRIEF IFR CONDITIONS DROPPING SOUTHEAST FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO AROUND KSPI. HRRR MODEL SHOWS SOME EROSION OF THIS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS...BUT HAVE INCLUDED TEMPO IFR CEILINGS FOR THE FIRST FEW HOURS OF THE FORECAST. AS WITH THE LAST COUPLE NIGHTS...THE CHALLENGE WILL BE WITH CONVECTIVE REDEVELOPMENT THIS EVENING AS LOW LEVEL JET KICKS BACK IN. HAVE LEANED TOWARD THE RAP MODEL AS IT SEEMED TO DO FAIRLY WELL WITH THE MORNING ACTIVITY...AND HIT KPIA/KBMI THE HARDEST WITH TSRA AND MVFR CONDITIONS...WITH THE 04-08Z TIME FRAME MOST FAVORED. KSPI MAY ALSO BE IMPACTED BUT IS ON THE EDGE...SO DID NOT GO WITH TOO LOW OF CONDITIONS YET. KDEC/KCMI ALSO ON THE FENCE AND ONLY MENTIONED VCTS/VCSH FOR NOW. GEELHART && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 324 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2013 ILZ027-036-040-041-047-271100- CASS-FULTON-KNOX-MASON-SCHUYLER- 324 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2013 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME MORE NUMEROUS DURING THE EVENING... WITH WIDESPREAD STORMS OVERNIGHT. WHILE SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...SOME OF THE STORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN. MUCH OF THE AREA HAS ALREADY RECEIVED HEAVIER RAIN THIS WEEKEND...AND THIS ADDITIONAL RAIN MAY RESULT IN SOME FLOODING OF ROADS. MINOR FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE SPOON RIVER OVERNIGHT...WITH RIVER LEVELS ALSO RISING AGAIN ALONG THE ILLINOIS RIVER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ON MEMORIAL DAY...AND HEAVY RAIN WILL AGAIN BE A CONCERN. WHILE WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...SOME OF THE STORMS MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS AND SOME HAIL. THE THREAT OF STORMS WILL DIMINISH MONDAY NIGHT...AND MOST STORMS SHOULD BE NORTH OF THE AREA ON TUESDAY. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...WITH THE BEST CHANCES ON FRIDAY NIGHT. FLOODING ON THE SPOON RIVER SHOULD SUBSIDE ON TUESDAY...BUT WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE ILLINOIS RIVER INTO NEXT WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. HOWEVER... REPORTS OF RAINFALL AMOUNTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED. ILZ028>031-037-038-271100- MARSHALL-MCLEAN-PEORIA-STARK-TAZEWELL-WOODFORD- 324 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS EVENING...AND BECOME MORE NUMEROUS OVERNIGHT. WHILE SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED... SOME OF THE STORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ON MEMORIAL DAY...AND HEAVY RAIN WILL AGAIN BE A CONCERN. WHILE WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...SOME OF THE STORMS MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS AND SOME HAIL. THE THREAT OF STORMS WILL DIMINISH MONDAY NIGHT...AND MOST STORMS SHOULD BE NORTH OF THE AREA ON TUESDAY. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...WITH THE BEST CHANCES ON FRIDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. HOWEVER... REPORTS OF RAINFALL AMOUNTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED. ILZ049-050-271100- MORGAN-SCOTT- 324 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME NUMEROUS DURING THE EVENING... CONTINUING OVERNIGHT. THESE ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ON MEMORIAL DAY. WHILE WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...SOME OF THE STORMS MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS AND SOME HAIL. THE THREAT OF STORMS WILL DIMINISH MONDAY NIGHT. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. RIVER LEVELS WILL BEGIN TO RISE AGAIN ALONG THE ILLINOIS RIVER EARLY THIS WEEK. MINOR FLOODING WILL CONTINUE NEAR VALLEY CITY...AND MAY DEVELOP TOWARD MID WEEK AROUND MEREDOSIA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ042-048-051>053-061-271100- CHRISTIAN-LOGAN-MACON-MENARD-SANGAMON-SHELBY- 324 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2013 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME MORE NUMEROUS DURING THE EVENING... WITH WIDESPREAD STORMS OVERNIGHT. WHILE SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...SOME OF THE STORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN HAS ALREADY OCCURRED THIS WEEKEND...AND THIS ADDITIONAL RAIN MAY RESULT IN SOME FLOODING OF ROADS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ON MEMORIAL DAY. WHILE WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED...SOME OF THE STORMS MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS AND SOME HAIL. THE THREAT OF STORMS WILL DIMINISH MONDAY NIGHT. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. HOWEVER... REPORTS OF RAINFALL AMOUNTS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. ILZ043>046-054>057-271100- CHAMPAIGN-COLES-DE WITT-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-MOULTRIE-PIATT-VERMILION- 324 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT... WITH THE HIGHEST CHANCES NORTH OF A DECATUR TO PARIS LINE. THESE ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY AGAIN ON MONDAY. WHILE THESE ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE...SOME OF THE STORMS MAY CONTAIN GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATE IN THE WEEK...MAINLY FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ062-063-066>068-071>073-271100- CLARK-CLAY-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-RICHLAND- 324 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT...BUT THESE SHOULD NOT BE SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SCATTERED OVER THE AREA ON MEMORIAL DAY... BUT SHOULD DIMINISH DURING THE EVENING. THESE ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE IN THE WEEK...MAINLY FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. GEELHART
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
111 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1200 PM HEAVY RAIN CANTON 40.56N 90.04W
05/26/2013 M1.94 INCH FULTON IL MESONET
BETWEEN 10 AM SATURDAY AND NOON SUNDAY. SWOP REPORT
&&
GEELHARTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
119 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0115 PM HEAVY RAIN SHELBYVILLE 39.41N 88.80W
05/26/2013 M2.95 INCH SHELBY IL MESONET
TOTAL LAST 24 HOURS. SWOP REPORT
&&
GEELHARTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
346 PM CDT SUN MAY 26 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0345 PM HEAVY RAIN 1 N ABINGDON 40.82N 90.40W
05/26/2013 M1.61 INCH KNOX IL MESONET
TOTAL SINCE SATURDAY MORNING. SWOP REPORT
&&
GEELHARTThe Lincoln radar (KILX), 95 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:51 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A 29 year-old fisherman was struck by lightning on the Kaskaskia River near the Lake Shelbyville Dam at around 3:50 PM CDT on Sunday, May 26th. The man later died at Shelby Memorial Hospital in Shelbyville.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning, Shelby | 2013-05-26 | 29 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
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, May 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: 452886.