Thunderstorm Wind in Bond County, Illinois

Thunderstorm winds caused a number of power poles to lean over and a few were snapped off. Also, a few trees and several large tree limbs were blown down, mainly on the south side of town.

Early morning thunderstorms resulted in outflow that left a remnant boundary across the forecast area. Visible satellite clearly marked a corridor with developing cumulus and associated thunderstorms, which stretched from central Illinois through Rolla, MO. Mesoanalysis depicted 4000-5000+ J/kg of SBCAPE along this line, dew points well into the 70s, PWATs pushing near 2 inches, and DCAPE between 1000 and 1600 J/kg. The biggest limitation was the lackluster shear, less than 20 knots covering this region. This environment suggested frequent lightning, locally very heavy rain with rainfall rates of 1-2+ inches per hour, and downburst winds that could reach 50-60 mph through the early evening. There were numerous reports of damaging winds.