Scattered showers and thunderstorms moved northeastward across parts of eastern Iowa, northeast Missouri, and western Illinois between 3 and 6 pm CDT May 8 as a cold front approached the area from the west. Some of the storms were severe, producing damaging wind gusts and isolated quarter sized hail.
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.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms moved northeastward across parts of eastern Iowa, northeast Missouri, and western Illinois between 3 and 6 pm CDT May 8 as a cold front approached the area from the west. Some of the storms were severe, producing damaging wind gusts and isolated quarter sized hail.
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 May 8, 1:27 PM CST, 1 hour 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 227 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2014 .DISCUSSION... ISSUED AT 225 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2014 AS OF 2 PM...MOST OF OUR CWA CONTINUES TO SLOWLY DESTABILIZE WITH FILTERED SUNSHINE BETWEEN PERIODS OF OPAQUE MID CLOUDS AND LIGHT SHOWERS. AFTER A QUICK ROUND OF WEAK ELEVATED CONVECTION ROLLED NORTH THROUGH EASTERN IOWA...WE NOW AWAIT THE MAIN SHOW. TODAYS SEVERE THREATS REMAIN COMPLICATED BY MARGINAL SUN...AND A WEAKLY CAPPED ATMOSPHERE. THE FORCING WILL ARRIVE THIS EVENING...AS IT IS SHOWING ITS HAND IN WESTERN IOWA AT THIS TIME. THE MODE OF CONVECTION APPEARS TO BE BROKEN LINES...WITH SUPERCELLS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE DURING THE EVENING BEFORE AN EVENTUAL EVOLUTION INTO A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND STORMS. HIGHER THAN AVERAGE PWAT VALUES OF 1.20 TO 1.4 SHOULD ALLOW FOR SOME STRIPES OF HEAVY RAIN WITHIN TONIGHTS EVENT WHERE SOME LOCATIONS WILL SEE OVERLAID PCPN OF PRECEDING STRONG/SEVERE CELLS/SUPERCELLS...THEN THE MAIN LINE WITH STRATIFORM RAIN AREA FOLLOWING. SEVERE WISE...THE EVENING SUPERCELLS SHOULD THEY FIRE AHEAD OF THE CENTRAL IOWA CONVECTION...WILL CARRY A NOTABLE HAIL THREAT AS WELL AS WINDS TO 60 TO 70 MPH. TORNADOES...WHILE NOT LIKELY...CANNOT BE RULED OUT WITH THESE CELLS AS WELL. HIGH PRECIPITATION SUPERCELLS WOULD BE FAVORED WITH THIS EVENT...LEADING TO A PREFERENCE FOR HEAVY RAIN/HAIL BEING THE MAIN THREATS. OVERNIGHT...A TRANSITION TO LARGE COVERAGE STRATIFORM IS LIKELY BEFORE THE RAIN EXITS EAST BY SUNRISE. THUS...POPS WILL BE MAINTAINED HIGH INTO THE NIGHT. RAINFALL AMOUNT OUTSIDE OF THE NARROW BANDS OF MULTI STORM TOTALS SHOULD BE GENERALLY 0.5 TO 0.75 THROUGH MORNING. FRIDAY SHOULD BE DRY...WITH WEST WINDS AND TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S WEST TO LOWER 70S CENTRAL AND EAST. AFTER A COOL NIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT IN THE MID 40S TO AROUND 50...WE WILL SEE A RAPID TRANSITION TO WAA...AGAIN BY SATURDAY. RAINS SHOULD HOLD OFF UNTIL AFTERNOON AS SATURATION SHOULD NOT BE TOO AGGRESSIVE AFTER OUR STORM IN THE SHORT TERM. HOWEVER...BY LATE PM...LIFT AND WAA SHOULD COMBINE WITH MOISTURE RETURN TO BRING SOME ELEVATED SHOWERS AND STORMS TO THE REGION. POPS WILL BE HIGH CHANCE TO LIKELY SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT AS ANOTHER VERY SLOW MOVING FRONT LAYS OUT OVER THE MIDWEST...WITH SEVERAL ROUNDS OF SIGNIFICANT RAIN...AND POSSIBLE SEVERE ON BOTH SUNDAY AND MONDAY AFTERNOONS. THESE DETAILS WILL NOT BE CLEAR FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER 2 DAYS...BUT IN THE MEAN TIME...IT IS CERTAINLY A PATTERN OFFERING UP THESE THREATS. MUCH COOLER WEATHER CONTINUES TO BE FORECAST FOR THE END OF THE WEEK...BUT IT IS MUCH TOO FAR OUT TO RAISE ANY THREAT FOR FROST HEADLINES AT TIME TIME. ERVIN && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1246 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2014 SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE VICINITY OF CID AND DBQ WILL DISSIPATE EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...THEN THE OCUS WILL TURN TO MORE VIGOROUS THUNDERSTORMS REDEVELOPING FROM MID TO LATE AFTERNOON. A MORE ORGANIZED LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS LIKELY THIS EVENING AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN THE PLAINS SWEEPS A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE REGION. SOME OF THE STORMS THIS EVENING MAY PRODUCE HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BUT THIS POTENTIAL IS TOO LOW TO INCLUDE IN THE TERMINALS AT THIS TIME. OTHERWISE...CONDITIONS WILL BE VFR...WITH MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE FOLLOWING THE OVERNIGHT FRONTAL PASSAGE. THIS FRONT WILL ALSO VEER BRISK SOUTH WINDS TO SOUTHWEST AND THEN WEST FOR FRIDAY MORNING. && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...NONE. IL...NONE. MO...NONE. && DISCUSSION...ERVIN AVIATION...11
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL 400 AM CDT THU MAY 8 2014 IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007- 009-015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-090900- BENTON IA-BUCHANAN IA-BUREAU IL-CARROLL IL-CEDAR IA-CLARK MO-CLINTON IA-DELAWARE IA-DES MOINES IA-DUBUQUE IA-HANCOCK IL-HENDERSON IL-HENRY IA-HENRY IL-IOWA IA-JACKSON IA-JEFFERSON IA-JO DAVIESS IL-JOHNSON IA- JONES IA-KEOKUK IA-LEE IA-LINN IA-LOUISA IA-MCDONOUGH IL-MERCER IL- MUSCATINE IA-PUTNAM IL-ROCK ISLAND IL-SCOTLAND MO-SCOTT IA- STEPHENSON IL-VAN BUREN IA-WARREN IL-WASHINGTON IA-WHITESIDE IL- 400 AM CDT THU MAY 8 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 A COLD FRONT WILL PRODUCE ROUNDS OF THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED...MAINLY BETWEEN NOON AND MIDNIGHT. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE STRONG AND POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WINDS OF 45 TO 65 MPH WITH LARGE HAIL UP 1.25 INCHES THE SECONDARY THREAT. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK AREA IN A SLIGHT RISK. PORTIONS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER ARE EXPERIENCING FLOODING. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST FLOOD STATEMENTS AND FLOOD WARNINGS FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY ANY LINGERING NON-SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL END FRIDAY MORNING AS A COLD FRONT SWEEPS EAST OF THE OUTLOOK AREA. ANOTHER STRONG AND SLOW MOVING STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING SEVERAL ROUNDS OF THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. SEVERE STORMS AND HEAVY RAINFALL ARE POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY TODAY INTO THIS EVENING. ANY REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER WOULD BE APPRECIATED. NICHOLS/21
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
328 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2014
IAZ087>089-098-099-ILZ025-026-034-035-MOZ009-010-082115-
CLARK-DES
MOINES-HANCOCK-HENDERSON-HENRY-JEFFERSON-LEE-MCDONOUGH-SCOTLAND-VAN
BUREN-WARREN-
328 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2014
...RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHEAST MISSOURI MOVING
INTO SOUTHEAST IOWA AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...
AT 320 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS RAPIDLY DEVELOPING 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
RUTLEDGE...OR 16 MILES EAST OF EDINA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.
* THE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
KAHOKA AROUND 340 PM CDT...
ST. FRANCISVILLE AND WAYLAND AROUND 350 PM CDT...
NEW BOSTON...MONTROSE AND NAUVOO AROUND 355 PM CDT...
IOWA ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT AROUND 400 PM CDT...
ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL...WINDS GREATER THAN 35 MPH...AND
BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.
IF YOU HEAR THUNDER...MOVE IMMEDIATELY TO A STURDY BUILDING OR CAR
UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.
LAT...LON 4019 9150 4024 9151 4025 9195 4030 9196
4030 9218 4108 9189 4104 9047 4019 9115
TIME...MOT...LOC 2022Z 219DEG 70KT 4023 9182
SHEETSThe Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 163 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:48 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew down a 14 inch diameter tree, some 6 inch diameter tree limbs, and some power poles in Kahoka, MO around 350 pm CDT May 8.
Wind gusts estimated to be 75 mph blew down some large trees in Kahoka, MO around 350 pm CDT May 8. Some houses were damaged.
Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew some roof shingles off a building and overturned a swing set in Kahoka, MO at 403 pm CDT May 8.
Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph uprooted some trees, damaged some roof shingles, and displaced a trampoline in Kahoka, MO at 413 pm CDT May 8.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, 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: 523963, 524404, 523980, 523992.