Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 154, NWS St. Louis, MO

August 24, 1997Adams County, Illinois

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 24, 1997, 8:45 PM CDT for Adams County, Illinois. It was in force for 60 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Aug 24, 1997, 8:45 PM CDT (01:45 UTC)
Expired
Aug 24, 1997, 9:45 PM CDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS St. Louis, MO
Area
Whole counties

County Adams County, IL

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 150 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:45 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 24, 8:58 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 51Fowler, ILA volunteer firefighter reported 60 mph wind gusts in Fowler along with minor tree damage.

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 00:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 190 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Davenport, at 00:00Z on 1997-08-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1065 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Davenport, at 00:00Z on 1997-08-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -23 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1065 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-22 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1016 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-23 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
140 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.1
Supercell composite
-0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KSTL 250146 RRA
SVRSTL
ILC001-250245-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
845 PM CDT SUN AUG 24 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST LOUIS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  945 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS
 
   ...ADAMS COUNTY
 
AT 843 PM...NWS DOPPLER CONTINUED TO INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS
ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MENDON IN ADAMS COUNTY.
 
THE STORM WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTH AROUND 20 MPH AND WILL BE CAPABLE OF
HAIL AROUND ONE INCH IN DIAMETER AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.
 
COMMUNITIES IN THE PATH ARE THE QUINCY AIRPORT...BURTON...ADAMS...
LIBERTY...RICHFIELD...PAYSON...AND PLAINVILLE.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM! BE PREPARED FOR DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING. STAY INSIDE AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
 
SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING. REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
OFTEN PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.
 
METZE

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 24, 2:48 PM CDT, 5 hours 57 minutes before
ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ009-010-018-019-026-
027-034>036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084-085-099-251100-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
245 PM CDT SUN AUG 24 1997

THIS OUTLOOK COVERS THE COUNTY WARNING AREA OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN ST LOUIS.  AREAS INCLUDED ARE PARTS OF
CENTRAL...NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI...AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST
ILLINOIS.

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MISSOURI AND MOST OF WEST CENTRAL
ILLINOIS. THE THREAT AREA IS GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM
COLUMBIA MISSOURI TO JUST SOUTH OF ST LOUIS TO CARBONDALE ILLINOIS.

A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER EASTERN IOWA INTO
CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND MOVE SOUTH INTO MISSOURI AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
DURING THE EVENING. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE THIS EVENING.
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS ALREADY IN EVFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH-
EAST MISSOURI AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS UNTIL 800 PM THIS EVENING.

STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST NWS
STATEMENTS AND FORECASTS FOR POSSIBLE SKYWARN ACTION.

PEDIGO
Special weather statement, Aug 24, 8:00 PM CDT, 45 minutes before
ILZ058>060-064-065-070-095>100-MOZ009-010-018-019-026-027-035-036-
250245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
800 PM CDT SUN AUG 24 1997

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN MISSOURI
AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS HAS EXPIRED. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE
POSSIBLE IN NORTHEAST MISSOURI AND WESTERN ILLINOIS THIS EVENING AND
TONIGHT...BUT THE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAS DIMINISHED WITH
THE LOSS OF HEATING AFTER SUNSET.

BECHTOLD
Special weather statement, Aug 24, 8:04 PM CDT, 41 minutes before
ILZ058>060-064-065-070-095>100-MOZ009-010-018-019-026-027-035-036-
250245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
800 PM CDT SUN AUG 24 1997

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN MISSOURI
AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS HAS EXPIRED. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE
POSSIBLE IN NORTHEAST MISSOURI AND WESTERN ILLINOIS THIS EVENING AND
TONIGHT...BUT THE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAS DIMINISHED WITH
THE LOSS OF HEATING AFTER SUNSET.

BECHTOLD

The office that day

Everything else NWS St. Louis, MO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 24, 7:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXAdams58 min
Aug 25, 5:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXWashington28 min
Aug 25, 5:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXRandolph48 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.