Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 22 to 23, 2019

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Illinois, May 22 to 23, 2019
Start: 2019-05-22T19:47
End: 2019-05-23T03:45
Location: Illinois

May 22 to 23, 2019 · NWS LSX · 15 events in 8 counties and zones

A persistent pattern set up over the Mid Mississippi River Valley during May 21-23. Upper level winds were consistently southwesterly, providing large scale lift and moisture to the area.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 15

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS LSX wrote it up.

A persistent pattern set up over the Mid Mississippi River Valley during May 21-23. Upper level winds were consistently southwesterly, providing large scale lift and moisture to the area. Converging air along frontal boundaries at the surface provided sufficient low level lift to initial storms each night. During the afternoon of May 22, 2019 specifically, a warm front was moving north into southern Missouri, increasing low level moisture. At the same time a cold front was approaching from the west. Storms developed along the cold front as it pushed southeastward through Missouri. The significant low level wind produced storms favorable for hail and tornadoes.

What forecasters said that day

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 St. Louis, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 22, 5:55 PM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 22, 5:55 PM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion...Updated Aviation
National Weather Service Saint Louis MO
655 PM CDT Wed May 22 2019

.SHORT TERM...  (Through Late Thursday Night)
Issued at 515 PM CDT Wed May 22 2019

Another busy night of severe weather is underway as one supercell
has already developed over northeast MO ahead of a cold front in
in an axis of 1000-2000 J/kg MLCAPE. This same area is overlaid by
effective shear of 70kts and 0-1km shear of 20kts which supports
supercells capable of all hazards. CAMS runs have been showing
this scenario all day of supercell structures developing across
northeast and central Missouri into west central Illinois late
this afternoon that will eventually evolve into a QLCS by mid-late
evening as it moves into east central MO and southwest IL by late
evening and overnight. There will continue to be the threat for
severe weather during into the overnight hours before the storms
weaken toward morning.

Have issued a flash flood watch for central Missouri where
thunderstorms are expected to last the longest tonight. Given that
PWATS will be in the 1.5-2.0" range and soils are saturated, flash
flooding is a definite threat in this region.

The front will stall over southern Missouri and Illinois tomorrow.
The upper ridge will build over the area at the same time which
will act to limit coverage along the front given that amount of
instability along it. Will continue with a chance of showers and
thunderstorms with only a marginal risk of severe weather given
the instability and shear values. The front will begin to lift
north of the area on Thursday night.

Britt

.LONG TERM...  (Friday through Next Wednesday)
Issued at 515 PM CDT Wed May 22 2019

Not much change in thinking to the forecast over the holiday
weekend into next week. Global deterministic models and GEFS still
depict a strong upper high will remain over southeast CONUS at the
same time a mean trough remains over the west into the middle of
next week. A west-east oriented frontal boundary will drop back
down into the CWA on Friday and Saturday which will act as a focus
for shower and thunderstorm development, a few of which could be
strong to severe based on strong/severe based on the instability/
shear forecast parameters. Coverage of thunderstorms into next
week will be determined by the ultimate location of the front and
how much upper ridging will be over the CWA. For now will keep
with above normal temperatures given forecast 850mb temperatures
between 15-20C and a persistent chance of thunderstorms.

Britt

&&

.AVIATION...  (For the 00z TAFs through 00z Thursday Evening)
Issued at 637 PM CDT Wed May 22 2019

Thunderstorms are expected to continue to develop over central
and northeast Missouri and west central Illinois early this
evening affecting KUIN and KCOU bringing the threat of wind gusts
of 35KTS or greater, hail, and MVFR/IFR ceilings and visibilities
in heavy rain. These storms will move east through the evening
and eventually reach the St. Louis area terminals after 06Z. The
thunderstorms will move out of all terminals by 12Z with dry and
VFR conditions expected thereafter. Mainly dry and VFR conditions
are expected on Thursday except for any showers and thunderstorms
that develop along a stalled front. Coverage will not be high
enough to include in any of the TAFs at this time.

SPECIFICS FOR KSTL:

Dry and VFR conditions expected through 06Z. Then thunderstorms
will move into the terminals with low MVFR/IFR ceilings and
visibilities. These conditions are expected to move out of the
terminal by 12Z leaving dry and VFR conditions. There is some
potential for additional showers and thunderstorms during the day
on Thursday, but confidence is not high enough to include in the
terminals at this time.

Britt

&&

.LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MO...Flash Flood Watch through Thursday morning for Audrain MO-Boone
     MO-Callaway MO-Cole MO-Gasconade MO-Moniteau MO-Montgomery
     MO-Osage MO.

IL...None.
&&

WFO LSX

Hazardous weather outlook, May 22, 2:14 PM CST, 5 hours 33 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Saint Louis MO
314 PM CDT Wed May 22 2019

ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ018-019-026-027-
034>036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084-085-099-232015-
Adams IL-Audrain MO-Bond IL-Boone MO-Brown IL-Calhoun IL-Callaway MO-
Clinton IL-Cole MO-Crawford MO-Fayette IL-Franklin MO-Gasconade MO-
Greene IL-Iron MO-Jefferson MO-Jersey IL-Knox MO-Lewis MO-Lincoln MO-
Macoupin IL-Madison IL-Madison MO-Marion IL-Marion MO-Moniteau MO-
Monroe IL-Monroe MO-Montgomery IL-Montgomery MO-Osage MO-Pike IL-
Pike MO-Ralls MO-Randolph IL-Reynolds MO-Saint Charles MO-
Saint Clair IL-Saint Francois MO-Saint Louis City MO-Saint Louis MO-
Sainte Genevieve MO-Shelby MO-Warren MO-Washington IL-Washington MO-
314 PM CDT Wed May 22 2019

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of eastern and
central Missouri as well as west central and southwest Illinois.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

Thunderstorms are expected tonight over central, northeast and east-
central Missouri as well as west-central and southwest Illinois. A
few of these storms will likely become severe, capable of producing
isolated tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds.

In addition to severe weather, there is a risk for heavy rainfall
over central Missouri where a flash flood watch is in effect.

Major river flooding is ongoing along portions of the Mississippi
and Illinois Rivers.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday.

Major river flooding is expected over the next week along the
Mississippi, Missouri, and Illinois Rivers. Crests at some locations
will be close to or greater than what were seen earlier this year.

The risk for flash flooding will continue into early Thursday
morning. See the Flash Flood Watch for more information.

The chance for thunderstorms will continue from Thursday night
through Tuesday across parts of the area. A few strong to severe
storms are possible Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will likely be needed tonight across much of
central and eastern Missouri as well as west central Illinois.

Britt

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 22, 2:08 PM CST, 5 hours 39 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
308 PM CDT WED MAY 22 2019

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0558 PM     TORNADO          2 E AUGUSTA             38.58N 90.85W
05/21/2019                   ST. CHARLES        MO   NWS STORM SURVEY

            A TORNADO DEVELOPED ABOUT 1 MILE WEST OF
            LABADIE IN FRANKLIN COUNTY, CAUSING SOME
            TREE DAMAGE AND THEN MOVED NORTH- NORTHEAST
            ACROSS THE MISSOURI RIVER IN ST. CHARLES
            COUNTY. EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE WAS NOTED ON
            SANDERS ROAD, TERRY ROAD AND COATES LN.
            MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS NOTED ON A FEW
            HOMES AND A FEW ROOFS WERE BLOW OFF OF BARNS
            AND OUTBUILDINGS.

&&

CVKING

Special weather statement, May 22, 3:59 PM CST, 3 hours 48 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service St Louis MO
459 PM CDT Wed May 22 2019

ILZ095-MOZ019-027-222230-
Adams IL-Marion MO-Lewis MO-
459 PM CDT Wed May 22 2019

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WEST CENTRAL ADAMS...NORTHWESTERN
MARION AND SOUTHEASTERN LEWIS COUNTIES UNTIL 530 PM CDT...

At 459 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Philadelphia, moving northeast at 35 mph.

Winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with this storm.

Locations impacted include...
Quincy, Canton, La Grange, Maywood, Philadelphia, Ursa and Taylor.

This includes Interstate 172 between exits 14 and 19.

This also includes Wakonda State Park.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM CDT for west central
Illinois...and northeastern Missouri.

LAT...LON 3980 9171 3988 9177 4015 9149 3996 9123
      3984 9145
TIME...MOT...LOC 2159Z 231DEG 31KT 3985 9170

Gosselin

Local storm report, May 22, 7:05 PM CST, 42 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
805 PM CDT WED MAY 22 2019

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0800 PM     HAIL             MONTICELLO              40.12N 91.71W
05/22/2019  M1.00 INCH       LEWIS              MO   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

&&

Local storm report, May 22, 7:11 PM CST, 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
811 PM CDT WED MAY 22 2019

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0804 PM     HAIL             4 SSW NEWARK            39.94N 91.99W
05/22/2019  M1.00 INCH       SHELBY             MO   PUBLIC

&&

Local storm report, May 22, 7:21 PM CST, 26 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
821 PM CDT WED MAY 22 2019

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0815 PM     TORNADO          1 NNE CANTON            40.14N 91.52W
05/22/2019                   LEWIS              MO   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 162 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:48 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Adams

When: May 22, 7:47 PM CST
Where: Adams County, 1.26 mi S of Ursa
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 40.052, -91.367

Thunderstorm Wind, Adams

When: May 22, 7:50 PM CST
Where: Adams County, 0.97 mi SSW of Bloomfield
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 40.008, -91.309

Thunderstorm Wind, Adams

When: May 22, 7:55 PM CST
Where: Adams County, 1.26 mi SSE of Mendon
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 40.063, -91.271

Hail, Adams

When: May 22, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Adams County, 0.52 mi WNW of Coatsburg
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.032, -91.159

Thunderstorm Wind, Adams

When: May 22, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Adams County, 0.74 mi W of Coatsburg to 0.4 mi WNW of Coatsburg
Measured: 64 kt (74 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates: 40.032, -91.164

A three foot diameter tree was uprooted and numerous tree limbs were blown down around town. Also, a large section of fencing was blown over.

Thunderstorm Wind, Adams

When: May 22, 8:04 PM CST to 8:15 PM CST
Where: Adams County, 0.74 mi N of Camp Pt to 1.48 mi SE of Golden
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 40.041, -91.069

Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous tree limbs in Camp Point. About a mile east of Golden, several power poles were snapped off.

Hail, Adams

When: May 22, 8:11 PM CST
Where: Adams County, 1.74 mi WSW of Golden
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.107, -91.048

Thunderstorm Wind, Pike

When: May 22, 9:50 PM CST
Where: Pike County, 0.48 mi SSW of Hadley
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.693, -90.972

Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous tree limbs.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pike

When: May 22, 10:20 PM CST
Where: Pike County, 0.65 mi NNW of Pittsfield to 1.1 mi ENE of Pittsfield
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.609, -90.823

Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees around town, as well as numerous tree limbs and power lines.

Thunderstorm Wind, Calhoun

When: May 22, 10:30 PM CST to 10:35 PM CST
Where: Calhoun County, 2.29 mi NE of Mozier to 2.33 mi N of Kampsville
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.326, -90.723

Thunderstorm winds caused a wide swath of tree damage across the northern portions of Calhoun County. Numerous trees were blown down, some of which were blocking many roads in the area.

Thunderstorm Wind, Greene

When: May 22, 10:45 PM CST to 10:47 PM CST
Where: Greene County, 1.63 mi WNW of White Hall to 0.87 mi NNE of White Hall
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.441, -90.427

Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees and power lines around town, as well as numerous tree limbs.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jersey

When: May 22, 11:10 PM CST to 11:45 PM CST
Where: Jersey County, Fidelity to 2.29 mi W of Jerseyville
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.150, -90.170

A wide swath of damaging winds moved through the Jerseyville and Fidelity areas. Numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When: May 23, 12:45 AM CST
Where: Montgomery County, 0.35 mi WSW of Nokomis
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 39.299, -89.286

Thunderstorm winds blew down a large tree onto the corner of a house on Cedar Street causing minor damage.

Thunderstorm Wind, Macoupin

When: May 23, 12:52 AM CST to 12:55 AM CST
Where: Macoupin County, 0.28 mi NNE of White City to 0.19 mi NE of Mt Olive
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.074, -89.768

Thunderstorm winds blew down a tree between Benld and White City. In Mt. Olive, a power pole was snapped off.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clinton

When: May 23, 3:44 AM CST to 3:45 AM CST
Where: Clinton County, 2.45 mi S of Trenton to 2.17 mi S of Trenton
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.565, -89.687

Thunderstorm winds snapped off numerous power poles along Illinois Route 160 just north northeast of New Baden. Some of the debris landed in the parking lot of Wesclin Junior High School.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Illinois in 2019 Every state in 2019 This day in weather history Warnings in Illinois, May 2019

Sources

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: 828956, 828960, 828966, 828962, 828964, 828973, 828975, 829406, 829407, 829423, 829424, 829425, 829427, 829428, 829431.