An upper-level disturbance associated with previous convection over the Plains triggered showers and thunderstorms across central Illinois during the afternoon and evening of July 26th. Some of the storms along the leading edge of a stratiform rain area intensified and produced gusty winds of around 60 mph.
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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.
An upper-level disturbance associated with previous convection over the Plains triggered showers and thunderstorms across central Illinois during the afternoon and evening of July 26th. Some of the storms along the leading edge of a stratiform rain area intensified and produced gusty winds of around 60 mph. Scattered wind damage was reported along and east of a Clinton to Olney line.
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 Jul 26, 12:57 PM CST, 2 hours 56 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lincoln IL 157 PM CDT Sat Jul 26 2014 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 150 PM CDT Sat Jul 26 2014 ILX Local objective analysis as of 18z indicating the cap holding strong across our northern forecast area where the frontal boundary has slipped south of early this afternoon. Further south, we have seen the cap weaken with Mixed Layer Cins down to around 100 along the I70 corridor with Mixed Layer Capes were up to 3800 j/kg over far west central IL where temps have climbed into the upper 80s with dew points in the mid to upper 70s. 18z sounding from ILX and DVN showing some moisture around 2500-3000 feet with a dry layer from 850 to 500 mb and the cap holding strong at both locations. SHORT TERM...Tonight through Tuesday Storm coverage tonight the main forecast issue as all models weaken the cap significantly this evening as the main upper level energy starts to push into the region accompanied by cooling temperatures aloft. HRRR and WRF-HOP ensembles were indicating the main convection would be tracking across northern Missouri and into central to southeast Illinois late this afternoon and evening, along the differential heating boundary set up by the lower cloud cover. Further south, nothing but sunshine and temps in the low to mid 90s, so quite a contrast across central thru southeast Illinois which many times these storms tend to propagate through. If the cap is breached there is plenty of CAPE and Shear to interact with this evening with a fast moving QLCS still looking more likely at least over our southern half of the forecast this evening. Damaging winds and large hail will be the primary threats but enough low level shear prevalent, especially near the boundary across our northern counties, that a tornado could develop with a persistent rotating updraft. Some of the storms could start to back-build later this evening as the low level jet starts to back more into a southwest to west direction increasing the threat for locally heavy rainfall. Storms should start to edge out of our forecast area Sunday morning as the front settles to our southeast by afternoon. Will still keep low chance pops going, especially across the east but some fairly decent dry air will be advecting in on a gusty west to northwest wind during the afternoon. Cooler and much less humid air will filter southeast into our area Monday and Tuesday as an unseasonably deep trof settles in north of the Great Lakes. LONG TERM...Wednesday through Saturday The deep h5 trof will be the main weather story for much of this period bringing rather cool temperatures for the first few days of August, although latest guidance was not quite as cool as previous runs as we see daytime highs edge back to or just above 80 degrees starting on Wednesday. Rain chances remain a challenge as models diverge with respect to timing of individual shortwaves that drop southeast into the region bringing mainly diurnally driven shower and thunderstorm chances, especially on Friday and Saturday. Smith && .AVIATION... ISSUED 1259 PM CDT Sat Jul 26 2014 Main concern with forecast is timing of thunderstorms that potentially could be strong to severe late this afternoon into mid evening. Leaned on the HRRR model for timing of convection which appears to have a good handle on convection over MO. Have 22-24Z timing for western TAF sites of PIA and SPI, 23-01Z for DEC and BMI and 00-02Z for CMI. Kept strong wind gusts of 35-40 kts with thunderstorms and vsbys 1-3 miles with heavy rains and MVFR ceilings. Convection currently moving east into central/nw MO. Frontal boundary over nw IL nw of the IL river could develop convection sooner this afternoon at PIA so will monitor this. Otherwise frontal boundary to push se through central IL into this evening with sw winds of 7-12 kts and few higher gusts turn WSW this evening and lighten up to 4-7 kts and veern WNW and increase to 10-15 kts Sunday morning with gusts 15-20 kts after 15Z/10 am. 07 && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 312 PM CDT SAT JUL 26 2014 ILZ027>031-036>038-040>043-047>053-271100- CASS-CHRISTIAN-DE WITT-FULTON-KNOX-LOGAN-MACON-MARSHALL-MASON- MCLEAN-MENARD-MORGAN-PEORIA-SANGAMON-SCHUYLER-SCOTT-STARK- TAZEWELL-WOODFORD- 312 PM CDT SAT JUL 26 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS THROUGH MID EVENING. SEVERE WIND GUSTS OF 60 TO 75 MPH ARE THE GREATEST THREAT. IN ADDITION LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF I-74. VERY HEAVY RAINS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING IS A RISK AS WELL. HOT AND HUMID TROPICAL CONDITIONS ARE ALSO EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON. HEAT INDICES OF 95 TO 100 DEGREES WILL APPROACH HAZARDOUS LEVELS FOR PROLONGED EXPOSURE OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY OCCUR FROM THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THROUGH 8 PM TODAY. ILZ044>046-054>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-271100- CHAMPAIGN-CLARK-CLAY-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND-DOUGLAS-EDGAR- EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-MOULTRIE-PIATT-RICHLAND-SHELBY- VERMILION- 312 PM CDT SAT JUL 26 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS EASTERN ILLINOIS FROM LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH MID EVENING. SEVERE WIND GUSTS OF 60 TO 75 MPH ARE THE GREATEST THREAT. IN ADDITION LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF I-74. VERY HEAVY RAINS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING IS A RISK AS WELL. HOT AND HUMID TROPICAL CONDITIONS ARE ALSO EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON. HEAT INDICES OF 95 TO 103 DEGREES WILL APPROACH HAZARDOUS LEVELS FOR PROLONGED EXPOSURE OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY LINGER ON SUNDAY ACROSS EASTERN ILLINOIS ESPECIALLY FROM I-57 EAST. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE AGAIN POSSIBLE FROM THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED FROM 4 TO 10 PM TODAY. 07
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 443 PM CDT SAT JUL 26 2014 ILZ054>056-061-063-262230- CLARK-COLES-DOUGLAS-MOULTRIE-SHELBY- 443 PM CDT SAT JUL 26 2014 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR COLES...NORTHERN SHELBY... NORTHWESTERN CLARK...SOUTHERN MOULTRIE AND SOUTHWESTERN DOUGLAS COUNTIES UNTIL 530 PM CDT... AT 439 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR SULLIVAN...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. PENNY SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS 50 TO 55 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... ALLENVILLE... COOKS MILL... MATTOON... HUMBOLDT... CHARLESTON... RARDIN... OTHER LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE...KIRKSVILLE...COLES...COLES COUNTY AIRPORT...FAIRGRANGE AND BUSHTON. 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 3963 8799 3939 8801 3951 8877 3969 8874 TIME...MOT...LOC 2143Z 277DEG 34KT 3959 8863 07
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 42 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:53 UTC.
16 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees and tree branches were blown down.
A large tree and several tree branches were blown down about 7 miles east of Clinton.
Several tree limbs were blown down.
A tree was blown down in Farmer City.
A tree was blown into power lines in Mahomet.
Several large tree branches were blown down.
Trees were blown down in Mount Hope Cemetery in Urbana.
A few trees and large tree branches were blown down near Florida and Orchard in Urbana.
Two one-foot diameter poplar trees were blown down in Martinsville.
A tree was snapped off at the ground. Another tree was uprooted and several branches were blown down.
Several tree branches were blown down in Marshall.
A large tree was blown down blocking Route 1 just south of Georgetown.
A tree was blown down onto 1800E near Morey Chapel just south of Westville.
Numerous trees were blown down in Westville.
A tree was blown down onto power lines causing a power outage across parts of Olney.
Numerous tree branches were blown down northeast of Claremont.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 532919, 532920, 532921, 532925, 532926, 532922, 532924, 532923, 532927, 532928, 532930, 532929, 532931, 532932, 532933, 532934.