Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Watches in 2000

Tornado Watch 305

May 18, 200045 counties in Illinois; Scott County, Iowa; 41 counties in Missouri

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 18, 2000, 3:00 PM CDT for 45 counties in Illinois; Scott County, Iowa; 41 counties in Missouri. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 18, 2000, 3:00 PM CDT (20:00 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 2000, 9:00 PM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 87 counties

Scott County, IA, Adams County, IL, Brown County, IL, Bureau County, IL, Calhoun County, IL, Cass County, IL, Christian County, IL, DeWitt 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, Kendall County, IL, Knox County, IL, LaSalle County, IL, Lee County, IL, Livingston County, IL, Logan County, IL, Macoupin County, IL, Madison County, IL, Marshall County, IL, Mason County, IL, McDonough County, IL, McLean County, IL, Menard County, IL, Mercer County, IL, Monroe County, IL, Montgomery County, IL, Morgan County, IL, Peoria County, IL, Pike County, IL, Putnam County, IL, Rock Island County, IL, Saint Clair County, IL, Sangamon County, IL, Schuyler County, IL, Scott County, IL, Stark County, IL, Tazewell County, IL, Warren County, IL, Whiteside County, IL, Woodford County, IL, Audrain County, MO, Callaway County, MO, Carter County, MO, City of Saint Louis, MO, Cole County, MO, Crawford County, MO, Dent County, MO, Douglas County, MO, Franklin County, MO, Gasconade County, MO, Howell County, MO, Iron County, MO, Jefferson County, MO, Laclede County, MO, Lincoln County, MO, Madison County, MO, Maries County, MO, Marion County, MO, Miller County, MO, Montgomery County, MO, Oregon County, MO, Osage County, MO, Ozark County, MO, Phelps County, MO, Pike County, MO, Pulaski County, MO, Ralls County, MO, Reynolds County, MO, Ripley County, MO, Saint Charles County, MO, Saint Francois County, MO, Saint Louis County, MO, Sainte Genevieve County, MO, Shannon County, MO, Taney County, MO, Texas County, MO, Warren County, MO, Washington County, MO, Wayne County, MO, Webster County, MO, Wright County, MO

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 44 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:02 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

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 3:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNHenry31 min
May 18, 3:14 PM CDTTornado WarningDVNHenry31 min
May 18, 3:21 PM CDTTornado WarningDVNBureau24 min
May 18, 3:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDVNWhiteside47 min
May 18, 3:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXSaint Charles, Warren46 min
May 18, 3:43 PM CDTTornado WarningDVNBureau47 min
May 18, 3:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTLee60 min
May 18, 3:47 PM CDTTornado WarningDVNHenry28 min
May 18, 4:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXPeoria, Stark45 min
May 18, 4:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXCalhoun, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison48 min
May 18, 4:16 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXSaint Charles, Saint Louis29 min
May 18, 4:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMarshall42 min
May 18, 4:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTLaSalle67 min
May 18, 4:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFPhelps22 min
May 18, 4:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXCrawford46 min
May 18, 4:38 PM CDTTornado WarningILXMarshall37 min
May 18, 4:41 PM CDTTornado WarningDVNPutnam34 min
May 18, 4:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXMacoupin, Madison47 min
May 18, 4:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXPeoria44 min
May 18, 4:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFOzark44 min
May 18, 4:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXWoodford47 min
May 18, 5:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTKendall60 min
May 18, 5:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXFranklin, Washington42 min
May 18, 5:06 PM CDTTornado WarningILXMarshall24 min
May 18, 5:07 PM CDTTornado WarningLOTLaSalle23 min
May 18, 5:18 PM CDTTornado WarningILXWoodford42 min
May 18, 5:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXBond, Montgomery42 min
May 18, 5:21 PM CDTTornado WarningLOTLivingston24 min
May 18, 5:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFHowell, Ozark51 min
May 18, 5:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXPeoria, Tazewell47 min
May 18, 5:29 PM CDTTornado WarningLOTGrundy, LaSalle31 min
May 18, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMarshall45 min
May 18, 5:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXMadison29 min
May 18, 5:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXJefferson26 min
May 18, 5:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXLogan, McLean62 min
May 18, 5:45 PM CDTTornado WarningLOTLivingston30 min
May 18, 5:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXSaint Louis, City of Saint Louis22 min
May 18, 5:56 PM CDTTornado WarningILXMcLean, Woodford49 min
May 18, 6:01 PM CDTTornado WarningLOTFord, Livingston44 min
May 18, 6:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSGFHowell36 min
May 18, 6:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTLivingston32 min
May 18, 6:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXReynolds46 min
May 18, 6:33 PM CDTTornado WarningLOTFord, Livingston27 min
May 18, 6:37 PM CDTTornado WarningILXMcLean68 min
May 18, 6:48 PM CDTTornado WarningILXLogan42 min
May 18, 7:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXIron37 min
May 18, 7:15 PM CDTTornado WarningILXDeWitt45 min
May 18, 7:34 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXIron, Madison41 min
May 18, 7:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHRipley55 min
May 18, 8:13 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXMadison17 min

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 276 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 2000-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 557 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 2000-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 328 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
557 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-308 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1218 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
328 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
351 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

151 
WWUS9 KMKC 181922
SEL5  

SEL5  
MKC WW 181922
IAZ000-ILZ000-MOZ000-190200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 305
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
222 PM CDT THU MAY 18 2000

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

   EASTERN IOWA                               
   CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ILLINOIS                           
   SOUTHERN AND EASTERN MISSOURI                           

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 300 PM UNTIL 900
PM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 70 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 15 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF WEST PLAINS MISSOURI TO
50 MILES NORTHWEST OF MARSEILLES 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 302.  WATCH NUMBER 302 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 300 PM
CDT.  CONTINUE...WW 301...WW 303...WW 304...

DISCUSSION...STORMS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SWD ALONG THE DRY LINE INTO
ERN MO INTO AIRMASS THAT IS MODERATELY UNSTABLE WITH CAPES TO 3000
J/KG.  WITH THE VAD AND PROFILERS INDICATING STRONG VEERING SHEAR
PROFILES...SUPERCELLS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES EXPECTED ALONG WITH
VERY LARGE HAIL.


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25040.


...HALES

415,0880 363,0904 363,0931 415,0904

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 11:30 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCBureau, Champaign, DeWitt, Ford, Fulton, Grundy and 26 more6 hr
May 18, 6:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBond, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton and 40 more5 hr
May 17, 8:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCFremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page and 3 more5 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Illinois, 2000Tornado Watches in Missouri, 2000Tornado Watches in Iowa, 2000Every tornado watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.