Large clusters of intense thunderstorms sagged southeastward across southern Illinois during the night. A few of these clusters produced multiple reports of wind damage, especially in southeast Illinois to the east of Interstate 57.
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 PAH wrote it up.
Large clusters of intense thunderstorms sagged southeastward across southern Illinois during the night. A few of these clusters produced multiple reports of wind damage, especially in southeast Illinois to the east of Interstate 57. The storms occurred ahead of a surface low pressure center over west central Illinois. A surface boundary extended southeast into the lower Ohio Valley. Despite loss of daytime heating, the storms maintained their intensity with the aid of a 500 mb jet streak that rotated into the base of a trough over southeast Missouri.
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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 6, 5:31 PM CST, 4 hours 27 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Paducah KY 631 PM CDT Sun Aug 6 2023 .UPDATE... Issued at 624 PM CDT Sun Aug 6 2023 ...AVIATION UPDATE... .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Tuesday night) Issued at 406 PM CDT Sun Aug 6 2023 The hi-res models are coming into better focus for this evenings' storm risk. The southern storm path is expected to primarily move through Arkansas into Tennessee with minimal chances in southern portions of Missouri and Kentucky. The northern system will pose a more substantial concern for the I-64 corridor this evening. A tornado watch has been issued through 10pm including the northernmost counties of Southern Illinois. Low pressure in Southeast Iowa is dipping southeastward this evening through the overnight hours. Westerly winds at 700mb increase in St. Louis during the evening and cross the Quad State overnight. These increasing winds will help increase shear potential this evening with 0-3 km SRH peaking around 3z. CAPE around 1500-2000 J/kg is plenty sufficient though lower than other recent events. Initial supercell structure northwest of our area is likely to become more organized during the evening. Hail and tornado concerns are tilted earlier in the event while more linear structures this evening would favor damaging wind as the primary severe weather hazard. A few models bring storms further southeast into northwestern Kentucky (especially the NSSL for late afternoon, which at this point is unlikely) while most track storms through the I-64 corridor. Aside from a narrow swath in Wayne and Edwards counties, most of this region has avoided the torrential rains from the past week so flooding issues should be limited. A cold frontal passage tonight will bring an end to much of the precipitation, dropping highs to the lower half of the 80s Monday. The lone concern for rain tomorrow will be from wrap-around showers and storms on the northeastern periphery of the forecast area. Drier air moves in dropping lows Monday night to the lower 60s. Dry conditions are expected Tuesday with highs nudging slightly warmer. Showers from the next system reach Southeast Missouri late Tuesday night. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday through Sunday) Issued at 406 PM CDT Sun Aug 6 2023 Models agree on fairly zonal flow driving a shortwave trough through the Quad State region sometime between Wednesday and Thursday. The Canadian ensemble is faster in progression of the shortwave while the ECMWF is the slowest. The best chances for storms appear to be Wednesday afternoon through Wednesday night. While PW values don't particularly stand out at this time, the Integrated WV transport does, at the 99.5th percentile Wednesday night from the NAEFS ensemble despite being several days out. Instability remains the lesser ingredient with a late return to southerly flow keeping temperatures on the cooler side while also resulting in PW percentiles being below IVT percentiles. Nonetheless, with plenty of shear and moisture advection fueling storm potential, SPC has a day 4 slight risk over most of the Quad State, fairly rare for a risk area that far out this time of year. Lingering PoPs remain with this system into Thursday, a time duration that might be reduced as the timing comes into better focus. A chance of showers and storms is in the forecast for Friday and Saturday as models generally agree on a northern system that may not make it this far south, and some amount of smaller scale southern development which might not make it this far north. Temperatures are forecast to be below normal this week, particularly for the highs which are forecast to be in the 80s throughout. && .AVIATION... Issued at 624 PM CDT Sun Aug 6 2023 Convection to our north may develop south into the I-64 corridor area this evening and early overnight. KEVV/KMVN may be impacted but confidence too low to include more than VCTS mention at this time. Lingering showers possible overnight up there. Guidance suggesting MVFR cigs will spread southeastward tomorrow morning into our northern terminals, but may be low VFR as it spreads south towards KCGI/KPAH by late morning/midday. SSW winds this evening will turn around to WNW tomorrow behind the frontal passage overnight. Sustained winds of 12-14 kts with gusts of 18-22 kts are anticipated during the day. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...None. MO...None. IN...None. KY...None. && UPDATE...SP SHORT TERM...ATL LONG TERM...ATL AVIATION...SP
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Paducah KY 857 PM CDT Sun Aug 6 2023 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-080200- Jefferson-Wayne IL-Edwards-Wabash-Perry IL-Franklin-Hamilton- White-Jackson-Williamson-Saline-Gallatin-Union-Johnson-Pope- Hardin-Alexander-Pulaski-Massac-Gibson-Pike-Posey-Vanderburgh- Warrick-Spencer-Fulton-Hickman-Carlisle-Ballard-McCracken-Graves- Livingston-Marshall-Calloway-Crittenden-Lyon-Trigg-Caldwell- Union KY-Webster-Hopkins-Christian-Henderson-Daviess-McLean- Muhlenberg-Todd-Perry MO-Bollinger-Cape Girardeau-Wayne MO-Carter- Ripley-Butler-Stoddard-Scott-Mississippi-New Madrid- 857 PM CDT Sun Aug 6 2023 /957 PM EDT Sun Aug 6 2023/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast Missouri. .DAY ONE...Tonight A Tornado Watch has been issued for portions of southern Illinois and southwest Indiana. Severe thunderstorms are possible late this evening into the early overnight hours. Damaging winds, large hail, and a few tornadoes are possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Chances of thunderstorms will return to the forecast late Tuesday night over southeast Missouri and then spread over the entire area for Wednesday and Thursday. Severe storms with widespread damaging winds will be possible on Wednesday. Otherwise, locally heavy rainfall and lightning will be the primary concerns. Small chances of thunderstorms will continue over portions of the region Friday and Saturday. Locally heavy rainfall and lightning will be the primary concerns. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter reports of severe weather this evening are appreciated. Spotter activation may be required again on Wednesday.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Lots of tree limbs were blown down in Fairfield, causing some power outages. A trained spotter estimated a wind gust to 60 mph on the west side of Fairfield. A tree was blown down on County Highway 2 near Mt. Erie.
Trees were down around Raleigh. Further east, the town of Eldorado was heavily impacted. Lots of trees were down around Eldorado, including several trees and large limbs on houses. One tree fell through the roof of a residence. A tree was down on a trailer. Power lines were down.
Trees were down.
There were numerous reports of trees and power lines down. Nearly 900 customers were without power.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Illinois in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, August 2023
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: 1117252, 1117258, 1117264, 1117265.