Thursday looks promising.
What are people thinking?

I like it. Looks like a good day for The Road. NW wind in the 5.8 to 4.7 range. Add 5 more degrees to the Marina water temp. Gonna need a wetsuit, air temp only 60 F not including windchill. Jibe-a-torium on both sides. I'm in.

Clinton Lake Forecast

I'm going to be there, the road is one of the best fall sailing spots, good ramps in the middle and flat water ripping on the far side as it releases off the shore line. If your hands get cold you just dip them in the water. Oh and I'm bringing Rumchata and hot chocolate, doesn't hurt.

Raining here in Peoria. Not sure what that means for Clinton

That rain is forecast to move on a line from Peoria to Bloomington keeping it north of the lake. And then disappear altogether after 12:00 pm.

Rain forecast for 11:45 am

What time are you guys heading there?

I'm loading up and heading out. Hot coffee in tow.

Got to the road around 1pm rigged 5.8 and it started to rain/hale, Reid and Sylvain were out in the water, they waited it out and then came in, the wind was completely dead. Rich showed up and then went to work on his boat. The little pop up storms were all around making the weak wind shift to the north so we waited it out. About 3:30 Rich was back and the wind started to shift back to WNW and pick up so we all went out. The lake lit up with the four o’clock blow and we all had some good rides. It died down again at 4:30 so I packed it in and left content. Glad I stuck it out.

They never said anything about hail. Got out on the the water with Sylvain with the 5.8 and 108 L. The wind was much better than it looked. We got in a half hour of really nice wind. Then a dark cloud approached. How bad can it be? We're on the back side of a cold front. Air temp isn't even 60 F yet. Wind is getting better and it's probably just a little cold drizzle. So we kept sailing in the rain. Then I was like, this rain is starting to sting my face. So I pulled over at the Swim Beach and put the sail over my head. And down came full on pea / marble size hail. I was holding the mast and the hail was hitting my fingers. Ouch! I pulled my hand away and held the boom and waited it out. And then I was thinking if it's able to make hail it's able to make lightning. The small hail moving up collides with the larger hail moving down and static electricity builds. We got off the water and bigger than shit if lightning didn't strike a mile from our location ( Storm app) . I told everybody to get in their cars. We heard several thunder strikes. Crazy.. The morning rain that passed over Peoria and Bloomington we expected. What nobody forecast was the popcorn thunderstorms that erupted everywhere. We all waited it out hoping to catch a break. One of the storms was just north of the lake right over Dewitt, but not raining on us. It made the wind pick up to what looked like 4,2 wind NW right down the lake, but we didn't go out after hearing the earlier lightning. Then the wind died off to nothing and came out of the N - NNW. Really cold air. Slowly the wind started to shift back to NW . And we all got out around 3:30 and had a great time. The wind went back to WNW and died off around 5:00.. We all got plenty of rides. What a trip.


Bloomington



Champaign



Decatur




12 of the day's 48 photos

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Looking down wind right after the hail. The hail made fog hitting the warm water ( at the treeline).



Looking up wind right after the hail., blue shy, and yes that's rain / hail under those two clouds



Me ( 5.8 ) Nice swell. Power plant dome in the background.



Rich (7.5) Chris ( 5.8 ) Me ( 5.8 )



Sylvain (5.9)



Rich (7.5) Sylvain (5.9) in the background.



Chris ( 5.8 ) Me ( 5.8 ) Hand drag.



Rich (7.5)



Chris ( 5.8 ) Quintessential Clinton Lake photo. (see photo link for full sequence)



Me ( 5.8 ) You could rip turns out there.



Sylvain (5.9) Me ( 5.8 ) Trying to milk the last of the day.



The Road launch from the water. The most user friendly launch on the lake. 'till next time!





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Was weird how such small storms were popping up which were dropping hale. Anyway, glad we waited for it. Cool pics!