Flash Flood in Tazewell County, Illinois

Very heavy rainfall of 3.00 to 5.00 inches resulted in damage to thousands of houses and businesses in the county, which included the cities of East Peoria, Pekin, Washington and Morton. Every creek and stream in the western and northern part of the county was flooded. Nearly every road in the flooded area was impassable, including parts of Interstate 74 which had to be closed. Numerous water rescues were made. Mudslides were also reported on the bluffs along the Illinois River which did damage to a gas station and covered U.S. Highway 150 with several inches of mud.

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.