Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 2000

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Lincoln, IL

May 12, 2000Menard County, Sangamon County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this tornado warning at May 12, 2000, 3:41 PM CDT for Menard County, Sangamon County, Illinois. It was in force for 49 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 12, 2000, 3:41 PM CDT (20:41 UTC)
Expired
May 12, 2000, 4:30 PM CDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Menard County, IL, Sangamon County, IL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 12, 3:43 PM CDTHail 1.25Petersburg, IL

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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 12, 2:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 8.7 hours before the alert went out and 104 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 2000-05-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2035 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 12:00Z on 2000-05-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 283 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
2035 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-305 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1023 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
283 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
282 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KILX 122043
TORSPI
ILC129-167-122130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
341 PM CDT FRI MAY 12 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LINCOLN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  MENARD COUNTY IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS
  SANGAMON COUNTY IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS

* UNTIL 430 PM CDT

* AT 341 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PETERSBURG...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  PETERSBURG
  ATHENS
  CANTRALL

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM...TAKE COVER IN A BASEMENT OR
INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. VEHICLES AND MOBILE HOMES SHOULD
BE ABANDONED FOR A SAFER SHELTER.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM...ACT NOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF.
DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE THE TORNADO BEFORE TAKING ACTION. YOU MAY
NOT SEE OR HEAR ITS APPROACH.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER OR ANY STORM DAMAGE TO Y^OUR NEAREST LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. YOUR
REPORT COULD HELP SAVE LIVES. STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS.

LAT...LON 4001 8996 3987 8993 3988 8954 4004 8958

HEDGES

NNNN

The office that day

Everything else NWS Lincoln, IL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 12, 7:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMason32 min
May 12, 7:31 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXTazewell44 min
May 12, 2:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMason39 min
May 12, 2:58 PM CDTTornado WarningILXCass, Mason, Menard47 min
May 12, 2:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXPeoria, Tazewell, Woodford46 min
May 12, 3:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXWoodford46 min
May 12, 3:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXLogan, Mason58 min
May 12, 3:58 PM CDTTornado WarningILXLogan47 min
May 12, 4:12 PM CDTTornado WarningILXMcLean63 min
May 12, 4:26 PM CDTTornado WarningILXDeWitt49 min
May 12, 4:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXTazewell46 min
May 12, 4:35 PM CDTTornado WarningILXSangamon25 min
May 12, 4:40 PM CDTTornado WarningILXMacon50 min
May 12, 4:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXWoodford63 min
May 12, 4:46 PM CDTTornado WarningILXLogan29 min
May 12, 5:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChristian42 min
May 12, 5:23 PM CDTTornado WarningILXChristian, Shelby67 min
May 12, 5:28 PM CDTTornado WarningILXPiatt62 min
May 12, 5:34 PM CDTTornado WarningILXMacon41 min
May 12, 5:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChampaign39 min
May 12, 5:42 PM CDTTornado WarningILXMoultrie63 min
May 12, 6:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXVermilion55 min
May 12, 6:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXSangamon36 min
May 12, 6:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChampaign50 min
May 12, 6:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXDouglas65 min
May 12, 6:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXShelby43 min
May 12, 6:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChristian51 min
May 12, 6:52 PM CDTTornado WarningILXChampaign, Vermilion68 min
May 12, 6:54 PM CDTTornado WarningILXColes51 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 2000Every tornado warning in 2000Tornadoes in 2000

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.