Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 129, NWS St. Louis, MO

May 21, 1998Washington County, Illinois

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 21, 1998, 2:16 PM CDT for Washington County, Illinois. It was in force for 49 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 21, 1998, 2:16 PM CDT (19:16 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 1998, 3:05 PM CDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS St. Louis, MO
Area
Whole counties

County Washington County, IL

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:15 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 21, 11:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 212 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, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 1998-05-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 1998-05-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 31 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1212 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
31 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
132 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

015 
WUUS1 KSTL 211917 RRA
SVRSTL
ILC189-212005-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
216 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST LOUIS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  WASHINGTON COUNTY ILLINOIS IN SOUTHWESTERN ILLINOIS

* UNTIL 305 PM CDT

* AT 215 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM JUST WEST OF OKAWVILLE... MOVING SOUTHEAST AT
  40 MPH.

* LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED...
  OKAWVILLE
  NASHVILLE
  LIVELY GROVE

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60
MPH...DAMAGING HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. MOVE
TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OR YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.
HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DO NOT DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE
WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

JPK/GS

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, May 21, 11:24 AM CDT, 2 hours 52 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>075-084-085-099-212300-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
1124 AM CDT THU MAY 21 1998

THIS OUTLOOK COVERS THE COUNTY WARNING AREA OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN ST LOUIS.  AREAS INCLUDED ARE PORTIONS OF
NORTHEAST...CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AS WELL AS
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS.

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE ENTIRE
COUNTY WARNING AREA THE REMAINDER OF TODAY AND TONIGHT.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 384 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM
FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL MISSOURI AND PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MISSOURI.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 386 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM FOR
MUCH OF EASTERN MISSOURI AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS.
SKYWARN ACTIVATION AND SPOTTER ACTION IS NEEDED IN THE WATCH AREAS
AND MAY BE REQUIRED IN ADDITIONAL AREAS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

GLASS
Special weather statement, May 21, 1:29 PM CDT, 47 minutes before
ILZ095>097-MOZ026-034>036-041-042-047-048-050-211930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
129 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1998

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 384 FOR CENTRAL MISSOURI HAS
EXPIRED...

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 386 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR PORTIONS OF
WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ARE NO LONGER IN ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH...

IN MISSOURI...BOONE...MONITEAU...COLE...AUDRAIN...RALLS...SHELBY...PIKE
...MONROE...CALLAWAY

IN ILLINOIS...ADAMS...BROWN...PIKE

.END
GLASS
Special weather statement, May 21, 1:29 PM CDT, 47 minutes before
ILZ095>097-MOZ026-034>036-041-042-047-048-050-211930-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
129 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1998

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 384 FOR CENTRAL MISSOURI HAS
EXPIRED...

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 386 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR PORTIONS OF
WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ARE NO LONGER IN ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH...

IN MISSOURI...BOONE...MONITEAU...COLE...AUDRAIN...RALLS...SHELBY...PIKE
...MONROE...CALLAWAY

IN ILLINOIS...ADAMS...BROWN...PIKE

.END
GLASS
Special weather statement, May 21, 1:42 PM CDT, 34 minutes before
ILZ098-MOZ049-051-052-059-060-211945-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
142 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1998

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 386 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR PORTIONS OF
EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS...

THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ARE NO LONGER IN ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH...

IN MISSOURI...LINCOLN...MONTGOMERY...WARREN...GASCONADE...OSAGE

IN ILLINOIS...CALHOUN

.END
GLASS
Special weather statement, May 21, 1:42 PM CDT, 34 minutes before
ILZ098-MOZ049-051-052-059-060-211945-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
142 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1998

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 386 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR PORTIONS OF
EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS...

THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ARE NO LONGER IN ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH...

IN MISSOURI...LINCOLN...MONTGOMERY...WARREN...GASCONADE...OSAGE

IN ILLINOIS...CALHOUN

.END
GLASS
Special weather statement, May 21, 2:06 PM CDT, 10 minutes before
ILZ058-059-099-MOZ061>064-212000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
206 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1998

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 386 HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR PORTIONS OF
EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS...

THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ARE NO LONGER IN ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH...

IN MISSOURI...ST LOUIS COUNTY AND CITY...ST CHARLES...FRANKLIN

IN ILLINOIS...GREENE...JERSEY...MACOUPIN

.END
GLASS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 1:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXSaint Clair47 min
May 21, 1:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXClinton, Madison47 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998

Sources

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