Tornado Watch 78

Issued

Mar 8, 2000, 2:30 PM CST (20:30 UTC)

Expired

Mar 8, 2000, 8:00 PM CST

In force

6 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

The Chicago radar (KLOT), 99 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:33 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.

000 
WWUS9 KMKC 081946
MKC WW 081946
ILZ000-WIZ000-LMZ000-090200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 78
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
146 PM CST WED MAR 8 2000

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

   NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS                           
   SOUTHERN WISCONSIN                          
   LAKE MICHIGAN                      

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 230 PM UNTIL
800 PM CST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 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 20 MILES SOUTH OF DECATUR ILLINOIS TO 40 MILES
NORTHEAST OF MADISON WISCONSIN.

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.


DISCUSSION...AS INTENSE LOW MOVES NEWD ACROSS NEB...VERY STRONG
WIND FIELDS ARE ROTATING ACROSS LWR MO VALLEY INTO IL THIS
AFTERNOON.  LOW LEVEL MOISTURE/INSTABILITY SURGING NNEWD ACROSS IL
WITH PRONOUNCED DRY LINE MOVING EWD ACROSS MS RIVER.  RAPID
DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED ALONG/E OF DRY LINE
INTO WRN IL AND SWRN WI.  SHEARS PROFILES FAVOR TORNADIC SUPERCELLS
AS STORMS MOVES RAPIDLY NEWD.


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23050.


...HALES

;433,0872 393,0873 393,0901 433,0900;

Tornado Watches in Illinois, 2000Tornado Watches in Wisconsin, 2000Every tornado watch in 2000

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.