Flash Flood in Woodford County, Illinois

Rainfall rates of 2.00 inches per hour for three to four hours produced up to 8.00 inches of rain and major flash flooding. Hundreds of homes and businesses in Roanoke, Eureka and Metamora were flooded and several water rescues had to be made. Roads near the town of Minonk were flooded with more than one foot of flowing water. Every road from the central to northeast part of the county was impassable. No injuries were reported.

A nearly stationary frontal boundary interacting with an unseasonably warm and moist airmass brought widespread showers and thunderstorms to parts of central Illinois from the later afternoon of April 17th through the morning of April 18th. Several rounds of thunderstorms impacted west-central and central Illinois producing torrential rainfall and major flash flooding along and west of a Rushville to Minonk line. Rainfall totals ranged from 5 to 8 inches across most of this area. In addition, periodic severe thunderstorms produced large hail and damaging winds.