A nearly stationary frontal boundary triggered widely scattered showers and thunderstorms across north-central Illinois during the afternoon of May 28th. A couple of the cells produced weak landspout tornadoes across McLean and Woodford 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.
A nearly stationary frontal boundary triggered widely scattered showers and thunderstorms across north-central Illinois during the afternoon of May 28th. A couple of the cells produced weak landspout tornadoes across McLean and Woodford counties. No damage 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 Lincoln, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 28, 11:24 AM CST, 23 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lincoln IL 1224 PM CDT Wed May 28 2014 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED 1043 AM CDT Wed May 28 2014 CU is beginning to develop across the area as a weak front slowly moves south through the area. Thunderstorms are still expected to develop this afternoon and continue into the evening hours. Upper level flow is weak, so storms will be slow moving. So brief heavy rain could be a factor later this afternoon into this evening. Forecasted highs in the middle 80s looks fine. Current forecast looks good overall, so no update required at this time. Auten && .AVIATION... ISSUED 1224 PM CDT Wed May 28 2014 Scattered thunderstorms have developed across the area very close to I-55. Storms look to be moving very slowly. Only TAF sites being effected at this time will be SPI and BMI. Since movement is very slow, not sure how long they will be on station at the sites. So will have VCTS with -SHRA at BMI and SPI at the start. These thunderstorms will likely last into the early evening hours and then slowly die off after sunset. Then skies will scatter out for the overnight hours. Models keep putting light fog in the forecast for the morning hours, but not confident so will only include only light fog as a tempo group in the early morning. Winds will be light and variable most of the period and then become easterly. Wind speeds should remain below 10kts. Auten && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 1135 AM CDT WED MAY 28 2014 ILZ027>031-036>038-291100- FULTON-KNOX-MARSHALL-MCLEAN-PEORIA-STARK-TAZEWELL-WOODFORD- 1135 AM CDT WED MAY 28 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING. ALTHOUGH THE THREAT FOR ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER IS LOW TODAY...A FEW OF THE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PRESENT INDICATIONS SUGGEST THE PRIMARY TIME FRAME FOR THUNDERSTORMS TODAY WOULD BE FROM NOW THROUGH ABOUT 900 PM THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM WILL BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY AFTERNOON BUT IT APPEARS THE BETTER CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE TO OUR SOUTH. THERE WILL BE A DAILY THREAT FOR THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN STARTING SUNDAY AND CONTINUING THROUGH WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. ILZ040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-291100- CASS-CHAMPAIGN-CHRISTIAN-CLARK-CLAY-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND- DE WITT-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-EFFINGHAM-JASPER-LAWRENCE-LOGAN-MACON-MASON- MENARD-MORGAN-MOULTRIE-PIATT-RICHLAND-SANGAMON-SCHUYLER-SCOTT- SHELBY-VERMILION- 1135 AM CDT WED MAY 28 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING. ALTHOUGH THE THREAT FOR ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER IS LOW TODAY...A FEW OF THE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PRESENT INDICATIONS SUGGEST THE PRIMARY TIME FRAME FOR THUNDERSTORMS TODAY WOULD BE FROM NOW THROUGH ABOUT 900 PM THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AGAIN THURSDAY AFTERNOON. NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED. THERE WILL BE A DAILY THREAT FOR THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN STARTING SUNDAY AND CONTINUING THROUGH WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED THROUGH TONIGHT. AUTEN
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 55 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:46 UTC.
2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A landspout tornado touched down in a field 1.1 miles NNE of Leroy at 12:47 PM CDT. The tornado was on the ground for 3 minutes before dissipating at 12:50 PM CDT. No damage was reported.
A landspout tornado touched down in a field 1.9 miles NNE of El Paso at 1:40 PM CDT. The tornado was on the ground for 10 minutes before dissipating at 1:50 PM CDT. No damage was reported.
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, May 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: 521517, 521519.