Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 2000

Tornado Warning 44, NWS Lincoln, IL

May 18, 2000Champaign County, Piatt County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this tornado warning at May 18, 2000, 7:28 PM CDT for Champaign County, Piatt County, Illinois. It was in force for 62 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 18, 2000, 7:28 PM CDT (00:28 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 2000, 8:30 PM CDT
In force
62 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Champaign County, IL, Piatt County, IL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 18, 7:45 PM CDTTornado F0Thomasboro, ILA tornado briefly touched down in a field 1.5 miles northwest of Thomasboro. No injuries or damage were reported.

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 18, 6:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 19 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 2000-05-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1192 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2000-05-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 218 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1192 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1231 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
53 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
218 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
249 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.3
Supercell composite
3.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

612 
WFUS53 KILX 190029
TORSPI
ILC019-147-190130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
728 PM CDT THU MAY 18 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LINCOLN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  PIATT COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS
  CHAMPAIGN COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS

* UNTIL 830 PM CDT

* AT 728 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED TWO
  DEVELOPING TORNADOS...3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GIBSON CITY AND NEAR LEROY.
  BOTH STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 50 MPH. 

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  MANSFIELD
  MAHOMET
  LAKE OF THE WOODS
  FISHER
  RANTOUL
  GIFFORD
  CHAMPAIGN
  URBANA

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.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE TORNADO IS LIKELY OBSCURED BY RAIN
AND MAY NOT BE VISIBLE. IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNED AREA...GO TO A
BASEMENT OR INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. DO NOT REMAIN IN YOUR
CAR OR MOBILE HOME.

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

LAT...LON 4041 8846 4029 8848 4016 8866 3996 8875
          3990 8798 4043 8796

AUTEN

NNNN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 7:15 PM CDTTornado WarningILXDeWitt45 min
May 18, 8:21 PM CDTTornado WarningILXVermilion54 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.