Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Watches in 2002
Tornado Watch 200
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 1, 2002, 10:30 PM CDT for 4 states. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 1, 2002, 10:30 PM CDT (03:30 UTC)
- Expired
- May 2, 2002, 4:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 60 counties
Alexander County, IL, Clay County, IL, Crawford County, IL, Edwards County, IL, Franklin County, IL, Gallatin County, IL, Hamilton County, IL, Hardin County, IL, Jackson County, IL, Jasper County, IL, Jefferson County, IL, Johnson County, IL, Lawrence County, IL, Marion County, IL, Massac County, IL, Perry County, IL, Pope County, IL, Pulaski County, IL, Randolph County, IL, Richland County, IL, Saline County, IL, Union County, IL, Wabash County, IL, Washington County, IL, Wayne County, IL, White County, IL, Williamson County, IL, Daviess County, IN, Dubois County, IN, Gibson County, IN, Jackson County, IN, Jennings County, IN, Knox County, IN, Lawrence County, IN, Martin County, IN, Orange County, IN, Pike County, IN, Posey County, IN, Vanderburgh County, IN, Warrick County, IN, Ballard County, KY, Union County, KY, Bollinger County, MO, Butler County, MO, Cape Girardeau County, MO, Carter County, MO, Howell County, MO, Iron County, MO, Madison County, MO, Oregon County, MO, Ozark County, MO, Perry County, MO, Reynolds County, MO, Ripley County, MO, Saint Francois County, MO, Sainte Genevieve County, MO, Scott County, MO, Shannon County, MO, Stoddard County, MO, Wayne County, MO
The radar
The Paducah radar (KPAH), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:33 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.
Warnings issued inside it
1 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 10:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH | Ripley | 49 min |
The nearest sounding before it
Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 3.5 hours before the alert went out and 304 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2525 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -128 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1321 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 53 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 100 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 101 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.4
- Supercell composite
- 7.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WWUS20 KWNS 020310 SEL0 SPC WW 020304 ILZ000-INZ000-MOZ000-020900- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 200 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 1004 PM CDT WED MAY 1 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SOUTHERN INDIANA SOUTHEAST MISSOURI EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING FROM 1030 PM UNTIL 400 AM CDT. 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 85 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF WEST PLAINS MISSOURI TO 75 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF EVANSVILLE INDIANA. 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 197. WATCH NUMBER 197 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 1030PM CDT. CONTINUE...WW 198...WW 199... DISCUSSION...ISOLATED STRONG/SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY FURTHER AS THEY TRACK EASTWARD INTO SOUTHEAST MO/SOUTHERN IL. BACKED LOW LEVEL WINDS IN THIS REGION ARE ENHANCING VERTICAL SHEAR PROFILES...LIKELY AIDING IN CONVECTIVE INTENSIFICATION. SUPERCELLS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES ARE EXPECTED. EVENTUAL EVOLUTION INTO BOWS/LEWPS IS ALSO ANTICIPATED. 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. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27040. ...HART 390,0852 363,0895 363,0925 390,0883 WWUS20 KWNS 020310 SEL0 SPC WW 020304 ILZ000-INZ000-MOZ000-020900- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 200 STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 1004 PM CDT WED MAY 1 2002 THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SOUTHERN INDIANA SOUTHEAST MISSOURI EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING FROM 1030 PM UNTIL 400 AM CDT. 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 85 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF WEST PLAINS MISSOURI TO 75 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF EVANSVILLE INDIANA. 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 197. WATCH NUMBER 197 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 1030PM CDT. CONTINUE...WW 198...WW 199... DISCUSSION...ISOLATED STRONG/SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY FURTHER AS THEY TRACK EASTWARD INTO SOUTHEAST MO/SOUTHERN IL. BACKED LOW LEVEL WINDS IN THIS REGION ARE ENHANCING VERTICAL SHEAR PROFILES...LIKELY AIDING IN CONVECTIVE INTENSIFICATION. SUPERCELLS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES ARE EXPECTED. EVENTUAL EVOLUTION INTO BOWS/LEWPS IS ALSO ANTICIPATED. 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. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27040. ...HART 390,0852 363,0895 363,0925 390,0883
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 7:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Bond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, Saint Clair and 1 more | 4 hr |
| May 2, 7:30 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Alexander, Gallatin, Hardin, Jackson, Johnson, Massac and 5 more | 5 hr |
| May 1, 11:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Bartholomew, Blackford, Boone, Brown, Clinton, Dearborn and 29 more | 5 hr |
| May 1, 8:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Anderson, Bath, Bell, Bourbon, Boyle, Breathitt and 45 more | 4 hr |
| May 2, 8:45 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Adair, Anderson, Bath, Bell, Bourbon, Boyd and 63 more | 4 hr |
| May 2, 12:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Allen, Barren, Bell, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland and 17 more | 7 hr |
| May 1, 9:00 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Oregon | 5 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Illinois, 2002Tornado Watches in Missouri, 2002Tornado Watches in Indiana, 2002Every tornado watch in 2002
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.