Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Watches in 1998

Tornado Watch 147

March 30, 199843 counties in Illinois; 34 counties in Missouri

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Mar 30, 1998, 9:00 PM CST for 43 counties in Illinois; 34 counties in Missouri. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 30, 1998, 9:00 PM CST (03:00 UTC)
Expired
Mar 31, 1998, 3:00 AM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 77 counties

Adams County, IL, Brown County, IL, Bureau County, IL, Calhoun County, IL, Cass County, IL, Cook County, IL, DeKalb County, IL, DuPage County, IL, Fulton County, IL, Greene County, IL, Grundy County, IL, Hancock County, IL, Henderson County, IL, Henry County, IL, Jersey County, IL, Kane County, IL, Kendall County, IL, Knox County, IL, Lake County, IL, LaSalle County, IL, Lee County, IL, Livingston County, IL, Logan County, IL, Macoupin County, IL, Marshall County, IL, Mason County, IL, McDonough County, IL, McLean County, IL, Menard County, IL, Morgan County, IL, Ogle County, IL, Peoria County, IL, Pike County, IL, Putnam County, IL, Sangamon County, IL, Schuyler County, IL, Scott County, IL, Stark County, IL, Tazewell County, IL, Warren County, IL, Whiteside County, IL, Will County, IL, Woodford County, IL, Audrain County, MO, Boone County, MO, Callaway County, MO, Camden County, MO, Cole County, MO, Crawford County, MO, Dallas County, MO, Dent County, MO, Franklin County, MO, Gasconade County, MO, Greene County, MO, Hickory County, MO, Laclede County, MO, Lawrence County, MO, Lincoln County, MO, Maries County, MO, Marion County, MO, Miller County, MO, Moniteau County, MO, Monroe County, MO, Montgomery County, MO, Morgan County, MO, Osage County, MO, Phelps County, MO, Pike County, MO, Polk County, MO, Pulaski County, MO, Ralls County, MO, Saint Charles County, MO, Saint Louis County, MO, Texas County, MO, Warren County, MO, Webster County, MO, Wright County, MO

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 76 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:04 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.

Warnings issued inside it

7 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 30, 9:01 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFLaclede34 min
Mar 30, 9:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXMonroe30 min
Mar 30, 10:03 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXKnox57 min
Mar 30, 10:11 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFChristian, Douglas, Webster49 min
Mar 30, 10:51 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNCarroll, Whiteside49 min
Mar 30, 10:58 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXFulton47 min
Mar 30, 11:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXKnox46 min

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 259 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 00:00Z on 1998-03-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 575 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, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 1998-03-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 158 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
575 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-64 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
934 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
158 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
132 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
2.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

026 
WWUS9 KMKC 310230
SEL7  
MKC WW 310230
MOZ000-ILZ000-310900-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 147
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
830 PM CST MON MAR 30 1998

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   CENTRAL AND EASTERN MISSOURI                           
   NORTHERN AND WESTERN ILLINOIS                           

EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING FROM 900 PM UNTIL
300 AM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 65 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF SPRINGFIELD MISSOURI TO
35 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF ROCKFORD ILLINOIS.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH
NUMBER 142...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 144.  WATCH NUMBER
142...144 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 900 PM CST.  CONTINUE...WW
145...WW 146.

DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ALONG AND AHEAD OF SURFACE COLD
FRONT. ALTHOUGH INSTABILITY IS LIMITED...SHEAR PROFILES ARE QUITE
FAVORABLE FOR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES.


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23040.


...VESCIO

370,0940 421,0894 421,0870 370,0914

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 30, 7:00 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCBarry, McDonald, Newton, Ozark, Stone, Taney6 hr
Mar 30, 11:00 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCButler, Carter, Douglas, Howell, Oregon, Ozark and 2 more5 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Illinois, 1998Tornado Watches in Missouri, 1998Every tornado watch 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.