A disturbance moving across the region caused a warm front to lift northward across northwest Illinois during the late afternoon and evening. Thunderstorms moving eastward from Iowa produced strong gusty winds that resulted in damage to trees in far northwest Illinois.
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 DVN wrote it up.
A disturbance moving across the region caused a warm front to lift northward across northwest Illinois during the late afternoon and evening. Thunderstorms moving eastward from Iowa produced strong gusty winds that resulted in damage to trees in far northwest Illinois. Farther to the south across Mercer and Henry Counties, a thunderstorm produced a series of 4 tornadoes causing damage to crops, trees, and an outbuilding. Heavy rain also fell along and north of Interstate 80 where 2 to 4 inches was reported.
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 Quad Cities, IA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 12, 5:54 PM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 654 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2014 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 335 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2014 SURFACE COLD FRONT LINKED TO DEEPENING UPPER LOW OVER CENTRAL CANADA EXTENDED FROM WESTERN MN SOUTHWEST THROUGH N CENTRAL A TO SE NEB. A PASSING MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE EMBEDDED IN THE CYCLONIC FLOW AROUND THE UPPER LOW OVER CANADA WAS TRIGGERING WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WI...MN AND NORTHERN IA. FURTHER SOUTH...A MESOSCALE BOUNDARY...ENHANCED BY OVERNIGHT RAINFALL AND DIFFERENTIAL HEATING DUE TO LINGERING CLOUD COVER TODAY...WAS ROUGHLY SOUTH OF THE I-80 CORRIDOR. TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE MID AND UPPER 80S WITH DEWPOINTS WELL INTO THE MID 70S SOUTH OF THIS BOUNDARY...WITH SLIGHTLY COOLER AND MARGINALLY LESS HUMID AIR TO THE NORTH. DESPITE SURFACE CAPES AND MUCAPES SOARING WELL INTO THE RANGE OF 3500 TO 4000 J/KG SOUTH OF THIS AXIS...CONVECTION HAS YET TO FIRE OVER THE FORECAST AREA. THIS MAY BE DUE TO A CAP OF WARM AIR AROUND 850 MB ON THE 18Z SOUNDING...AND LACK OF A SIGNIFICANT MID LEVEL TRIGGER AFFECTING THE AREA SO FAR. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 335 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2014 CHALLENGES CENTER ON THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL TONIGHT AND THREAT OF BOTH SEVERE WEATHER AND HEAVY RAINFALL. THE AFOREMENTIONED CAP OF WARM AIR IS PROGGED TO WEAKEN THIS EVENING AS THE TAIL END OF THE IMPULSE OVER MN AND WI...CURRENTLY REACHING BACK INTO NW IA ADVANCES SOUTHEAST TOWARD 00Z. THIS SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO TRIGGER THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE ADVANCING COLD FRONT AND ALSO ALONG THE CURRENT MESOSCALE BOUNDARIES IN EASTERN IA INTO NW IL. ENHANCED LOW LEVEL HELICITY ALONG THESE BOUNDARIES...COMBINED WITH THE EXISTING HIGH CAPE AND INCREASING DEEP LAYER SHEAR...MAY LEAD TO SUPERCELLS AT THE ONSET...WHICH WILL HAVE A THREAT OF DAMAGING WIND AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. THIS IS ROUGHLY DEPICTED BY HIGH RES CONVECTIVE MODELS...WHICH DEMONSTRATE A TRANSITION FROM ISOLATED SUPERCELLS AROUND 6 TO 7 PM...INTO A MORE LINEAR MODE THIS EVENING WITH STORMS ALONG THE ADVANCING COLD FRONT...WHICH WOULD EXIT TO THE SOUTHEAST BY 1 AM. PW VALUES OF AROUND 150 PERCENT OF NORMAL WILL LEAD TO A THREAT OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WITH ANY STORMS. WITH THE LARGELY PROGRESSIVE NATURE OF STORMS THIS EVENING...IMPACTS FROM HEAVY RAINFALL RATES WILL BE MAINLY CONFINED AREAS THAT SAW HEAVY RAINFALL EARLIER THIS MORNING. BASED ON SPOTTER REPORTS AND RADAR ESTIMATES...WIDESPREAD 1 TO 2 INCHES AND LOCALLY 2.5 INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN THE IOWA CITY AND CEDAR RAPIDS CORRIDOR...OR ACROSS SOUTHERN BENTON...NORTHERN IOWA...SOUTHERN LINN...MUCH OF JOHNSON...INTO WESTERN CEDAR COUNTIES. THESE AREAS WILL BE WATCHED CLOSELY FOR A THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING...BUT BASED ON ANTICIPATED STORM MODE AND THE PROGRESSIVE NATURE OF THE SYSTEM...THE CONFIDENCE OF THIS THREAT IS NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO WARRANT A FLASH FLOOD WATCH AT THIS TIME. OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY...THE COLD FRONT SINKS SOUTH TO SOUTHERN IL AND CENTRAL MO BY MIDDAY WITH A SECONDARY REINFORCING COLD FRONT INDICATED REACHING INTO EASTERN IA AND NORTHERN IL BY BY AFTERNOON. THIS MAY TRIGGER AT LEAST ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. WITH THE REAL PUSH OF COOLER AND DRIER AIR NOT ARRIVING UNTIL AFTER THIS BOUNDARY...WILL HAVE ANOTHER DAY WITH HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 80S...BUT LESS OPPRESSIVE DEWPOINTS IN THE 60S. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 335 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2014 FORECAST FOCUS ON DEEP VORTEX BRINGING UNSEASONABLY COOL AIR EARLY THIS WEEK THEN SLOWLY MODERATING TEMPERATURES. MUCH OF THE WEEK ALSO LOOKS DRY AS LARGE HIGH PRESSURE DOMINATES. RECORD LOWS ARE POSSIBLE EARLY TUESDAY. MONDAY...DEEP VORTEX ORIGINATING OUT OF THE ARCTIC WILL PLUNGE DUE SOUTH INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE CWA BRINGING WITH IT A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. AT THIS POINT IN THE GAME THE HEAVIEST QPF APPEARS TO REMAIN SOUTH OF THE DVN CWA. BEHIND THE FRONT NORTHWEST WINDS WILL GUST TO 25 MPH USHERING UNSEASONABLY COOL AIR INTO THE CWA. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL RANGE FROM AROUND 70 NW TO THE UPPER 70S SE. MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...THIS WILL BE WHEN THE COOL AIRMASS WILL BE FELT THE MOST WITH THE UPPER LOW OVER THE GREAT LAKES. RECORD LOWS ARE IN JEOPARDY EARLY TUESDAY. 850 MB TEMPERATURES DROP TO +5 TO +6C AND WITH THE COLD POCKET ALOFT AND STEEP LAPSE RATES THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF INSTABILITY SHOWERS...ESPECIALLY TUESDAY AFTERNOON IN OUR NORTHEAST CWA. MINIMUM TEMPERATURES MONDAY NIGHT SHOULD PLUMMET INTO THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S. HIGHS ON TUESDAY WILL ONLY BE IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S. THESE READINGS ARE TYPICALLY WHAT YOU WOULD SEE IN EARLY OCTOBER. WHAT IS TRULY REMARKABLE IS THE FACT THAT THIS MAJOR COOL DOWN IS OCCURRING DURING WHAT IS NORMALLY THE HOTTEST TIME OF THE YEAR! WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...DEEP TROUGH WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT TO THE EAST BUT SPRAWLING HIGH PRESSURE WILL BRING DELIGHTFUL MID JULY WEATHER TO THE MIDWEST. CLEAR NIGHTS AND SUNNY DAYS WILL ALLOW FOR AFTERNOON HIGHS IN THE 70S WITH LOWS IN THE 50S. FRIDAY INTO NEXT WEEKEND...UPPER FLOW BECOMES MORE ZONAL WITH INCREASING TEMPERATURES AND HUMIDITY. HIGHS WILL PUSH TO AROUND 80 ON FRIDAY AND IN THE LOWER 80S ON SATURDAY...BUT THIS IS STILL A BIT BELOW NORMAL. THE NEXT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS APPEAR TO ARRIVE MAINLY LATE IN THE WEEKEND. HAASE && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 645 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2014 SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FOUND ACROSS THE AREA INTO THE OVERNIGHT AS A FRONT AND WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PASS. MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH ANY STORMS. OVERNIGHT WILL LIKELY SEE SOME STRATUS AND FOG WITH ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE... WITH MVFR TO LOCALLY IFR CONDITIONS. EXPECT CONDITIONS TO IMPROVE TO VFR ALL SITES ON SUNDAY. SECONDARY FRONT APPROACHING IN THE AFTERNOON MAY SPARK SOME SHOWERS AND ISOLD STORMS... BUT CONFIDENCE TOO LOW FOR INCLUSION ATTIM. && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...NONE. IL...NONE. MO...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...SHEETS SHORT TERM...SHEETS LONG TERM...HAASE AVIATION...05
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 402 AM CDT SAT JUL 12 2014 IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007- 009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-130915- BUCHANAN-DELAWARE-DUBUQUE-BENTON-LINN-JONES-JACKSON-IOWA-JOHNSON- CEDAR-CLINTON-MUSCATINE-SCOTT-KEOKUK-WASHINGTON-LOUISA-JEFFERSON- HENRY IA-DES MOINES-VAN BUREN-LEE-JO DAVIESS-STEPHENSON-CARROLL- WHITESIDE-ROCK ISLAND-HENRY IL-BUREAU-PUTNAM-MERCER-HENDERSON- WARREN-HANCOCK-MCDONOUGH-SCOTLAND-CLARK- 402 AM CDT SAT JUL 12 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...NORTHWEST ILLINOIS...WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL IOWA...NORTHEAST IOWA...SOUTHEAST IOWA AND NORTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SEEN ACROSS THE AREA TODAY AND TONIGHT. SOME STORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. THE PRIMARY THREATS ARE DAMAGING WIND AND LARGE HAIL. HOWEVER...AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT. THE MOST LIKELY TIME FOR SEVERE STORMS WOULD BE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
622 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0621 PM HEAVY RAIN 1 W NORTH LIBERTY 41.74N 91.63W
07/12/2014 M1.10 INCH JOHNSON IA TRAINED SPOTTER
RAINFALL IN PAST HOUR
&&
TERRYSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
639 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0520 PM TSTM WND GST DEWITT 41.82N 90.55W
07/12/2014 M56 MPH CLINTON IA DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
56 MPH GUST RECORDED AT HIGHWAY 61 RWIS SITE.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
745 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0730 PM FLASH FLOOD NORTH LIBERTY 41.74N 91.61W
07/12/2014 JOHNSON IA LAW ENFORCEMENT
WATER COVERING DUBUQUE STREET SOUTH OF NORTH LIBERTY.
&&
HAASEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
800 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0624 PM HAIL 1 N IOWA CITY MUNICIPAL 41.65N 91.55W
07/12/2014 E0.88 INCH JOHNSON IA TRAINED SPOTTER
0612 PM HEAVY RAIN CAMANCHE 41.79N 90.28W
07/12/2014 M0.78 INCH CLINTON IA CO-OP OBSERVER
RAINFALL IN 30 MINUTE PERIOD FROM 530-6 PM
0800 PM HEAVY RAIN 1 ESE PEOSTA 42.44N 90.84W
07/12/2014 M1.05 INCH DUBUQUE IA TRAINED SPOTTER
RAINFALL IN 20 MINUTES
&&
TERRYSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
808 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 PM HEAVY RAIN 1 NE NORTH LIBERTY 41.75N 91.60W
07/12/2014 M2.56 INCH JOHNSON IA COCORAHS
RAINFALL IN PAST 3 HOURS. STORM SEWERS UNABLE TO KEEP UP
WITH RAINFALL AND WATERH IS BACKING UP INTO YARDS AND
STREETS
&&
TERRYSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
843 PM CDT SAT JUL 12 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0835 PM HEAVY RAIN 2 NE MUSCATINE 41.44N 91.04W
07/12/2014 M1.65 INCH MUSCATINE IA CO-OP OBSERVER
RAINFALL IN A 15 MINUTE PERIOD
0840 PM HEAVY RAIN TIPTON 41.77N 91.13W
07/12/2014 E2.50 INCH CEDAR IA PUBLIC
RELAYED BY BROADCAST MEDIA
&&
TERRYSThe Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:43 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees and power lines were downed by gusty winds. One tree damaged 4 vehicles when it fell, and another tree fell on the roof of theater offices.
Emergency Manager also reported winds sustained at 45 mph.
A trained spotter estimated thunderstorm winds gusting to 60 mph.
This EF-0 tornado with peak winds of 75 mph produced damage primarily to corn crops.
This tornado was rated EF-1 with a peak wind of 105 mph. Along its 3.6 mile path, this tornado crossed the roadway in several locations causing damage to crops, power poles and lines as well as to trees. Some branches were 1 to 3 inches in diameter and some tree trunks snapped off.
The public that a large tree was uprooted.
This tornado was rated EF-1 with peak winds of 100 mph. Along its 2.78 mile path length, this tornado produced mainly crop and tree damage with numerous 1 to 3 inch tree limbs down as well as several large tree trunks snapped off. An outbuilding was also destroyed.
This tornado was rated EF-1 with peak winds of 105 mph. Its path length was less than a mile. Several large trees were blown over along both sides of the road with other trees snapped off and some crop damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Illinois, 2014Warnings in Illinois, July 2014
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: 533068, 533060, 533063, 533090, 533105, 533062, 533109, 533112.