Thunderstorm Wind in McDonough County, Illinois

Recorded gust with wind measuring equipment.

A strong storm system impacted the forecast area on March 14, resulting in a multitude of hazards seen through the afternoon and evening. Through the late morning and afternoon hours, the storm system created quite the strong wind field throughout much of the Midwest, resulting in widespread strong winds gusting upwards to 40-55 mph through the day. These very strong winds combined with dry antecedent conditions led to a very high fire danger area-wide, prompting a Red Flag Warning. Several fires resulted from these conditions, with gusty winds aiding the spread of the fires.

Later in the day, the system brought a line of showers and severe thunderstorms through the area. While lightning activity remained on the low-end, convection that developed was able to mix down the strong winds aloft, resulting in damaging winds. Widespread 60-80 mph winds were reported, with some locations seeing over 80 mph winds. Numerous power outages were reported throughout the area. These thunderstorm winds also caused damage to trees, structures, and power poles/lines. In Johnson County Iowa, lightning struck a field of timber, resulting in a fire. The strong winds helped to expand the fire to 25 acres. One EF-0 tornado occurred just northeast of Wilton, IA. The tornado occurred between 8:49-8:51 PM Friday evening, with estimated peak winds of 85 mph and a path length of 1.9 miles.