High Wind — Edgar, Illinois

2004-03-05 · Edgar, Illinois

Wider weather episode

A strong area of low pressure moved from Iowa into Wisconsin during the day on March 5th. This system created gradient winds over Illinois beginning in the mid morning hours. Wind gusts to 58 mph were reported at the Galesburg Municipal Airport and at the Greater Peoria Regional Airport. Also, there were numerous reports of damage across the region and one fatality due to the high winds. In Edgar county as the winds blew through, a large tree limb was blown down on top of a SUV in Paris. The limb caved in the roof of the vehicle and caused the driver to loose consciousness. The vehicle traveled another 597 feet before stopping against a parked car. She had to be extricated from the vehicle while a uninjured juvenile passenger escaped from the back of the vehicle. The woman died from her injuries a week and a half later. As for other reports, several semis were blown over as well as a city bus in Champaign. The bus fell 15 feet off of a bridge and into a creek. Six people sustained minor injuries on the bus, including the bus driver. Numerous reports of trees, tree limbs, power lines, power poles and signs were blown down, some of which caused minor structural damage. No dollar amount damage estimates were available.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5387095. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.