Severe thunderstorms overspread portions of Central and South-Central IL during the afternoon and evening hours of March 14, 2024. The Storm Prediction Center issued a tornado watch for much of Central Illinois and South-Central IL until 9 PM.
An early morning line of severe storms moved through South-Central Illinois between 7AM and 11AM. These storms had areas of circulation embedded in the line that prompted several tornado warnings for areas along and just east of I-55. As these storms pushed out of the state, skies behind them cleared and instability built across the area. The atmosphere was recovering, and severe storms became more and more likely for the afternoon.
Storms initially struggled to fire in West-Central Illinois along I-72. Storms fired in Missouri and pushed into the St. Louis area around 4 PM. These storms tracked on an eastern trajectory into South-Central Illinois. Several severe and tornado warnings were issued by the NWS in St. Louis and Lincoln.
The main hazard was large hail, with several reports of hail larger than 2.00″. In total, 122 storm reports were made as the storms moved through the state.
Leave a Reply