Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 75, NWS Lincoln, IL

May 9, 2003Vermilion County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 9, 2003, 12:33 AM CDT for Vermilion County, Illinois. It was in force for 42 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: May 9, 2003, 12:33 AM CDT (05:33 UTC)
Expired: May 9, 2003, 1:15 AM CDT
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Lincoln, IL
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Vermilion County, IL

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 134 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:33 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 9, 12:05 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 5.6 hours before the alert went out and 73 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 743 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 166 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 278 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

767 
WUUS53 KILX 090533
SVRILX
ILC183-090615-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
1233 AM CDT FRI MAY 9 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LINCOLN HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  VERMILION COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS

* UNTIL 115 AM CDT

* AT 1231 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF RANKIN TO 19
  MILES WEST OF FITHIAN...OR FROM 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF PAXTON TO
  CHAMPAIGN...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  POTOMAC
  ROSSVILLE
  HOOPESTON
  FITHIAN
  DANVILLE

THIS LINE OF STORMS HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING DAMAGING HAIL... 
FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY 
BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER OR ANY STORM DAMAGE TO YOUR LOCAL ESDA...OR THE
NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY...FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE. STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEMENTS.

LAT...LON 4049 8792 4023 8794 4010 8793 4012 8755
          4026 8755 4051 8756

$$

PLAHMER

NNNN

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Lincoln, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 8, 9:00 PM CDT, 3 hours 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 8, 9:00 PM CDT, 3 hours 33 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
900 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2003

EARLIER SEVERE STORMS HAVE PUSHED EAST OF THE AREA...HOWEVER ANOTHER
ROUND IS TAKING SHAPE OVER NORTHEAST MISSOURI AND WESTERN ILLINOIS.
WARM FRONT EXTENDS FROM LOW PRESSURE OVER KANSAS THROUGH SOUTHERN
MISSOURI AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. ABOVE THE COOL DOME TO THE NORTH OF
THE FRONT...PROFILERS ARE SHOWING 30 TO 40 KT SOUTHERLY WINDS
TRANSPORTING MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR INTO ILLINOIS. THEREFORE...THE
ENVIRONMENT OVER THE AREA WILL REMAIN RIPE FOR SEVERE STORMS. MOST
OF THE STORMS OVER CENTRAL ILLINOIS SHOULD BE ELEVATED...SO LARGE
HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT. WILL CONTINUE CATEGORICAL WORDING
OF PRECIPITATION FOR OVERNIGHT.  ..04..

.ILX...NONE.

Hazardous weather outlook, May 8, 12:39 PM CDT, 11 hours 54 minutes before

ILZ027>031-036>038-040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-091100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
1239 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS THROUGH THIS EVENING. CURRENT INDICATIONS SUGGEST
THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IN THIS AREA WILL BE BETWEEN THE
HOURS OF NOON AND MIDNIGHT. LOW PRESSURE OVER EASTERN COLORADO THIS
MORNING IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT NORTHEAST INTO SOUTHWESTERN MINNESOTA
BY DAYBREAK FRIDAY. A WARM FRONT STRETCHED EAST OF THE LOW WILL
CONTINUE TO BE THE FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT FROM ACROSS
MISSOURI AND THE SOUTHERN HALF OF ILLINOIS THIS AFTERNOON...THEN
SHIFT NORTHWARD THIS EVENING AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE RISK
OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE FOUND ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN
ILLINOIS THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS...LIFTING
INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS AROUND MIDNIGHT. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER
THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

THERE IS ANOTHER RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST
ILLINOIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER AREA OF LOW
PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS SATURDAY MORNING.
THIS LOW WILL MOVE NORTHEASTWARD...BRINGING A WARM FRONT NORTH INTO
ILLINOIS LATER IN THE DAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
ALONG THIS FRONT AS IT MOVES NORTH THROUGH ILLINOIS SATURDAY
AFTERNOON SATURDAY NIGHT. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED AGAIN SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT
ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS.

&&
THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGIC
AND CLIMATE INFORMATION...IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT:

HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/ILX (ALL IN LOWER CASE)

BYRD

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 8, 10:06 PM CDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN, IL
1006 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1003 PM    HAVANA                    IL   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/08/03   MASON                          REPORTED JUST EAST OF
                                          HAVANA BY SHERIFFS DEPT.

GEELHART

Local storm report, May 8, 11:05 PM CDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN, IL
1105 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1050 PM    PEKIN                     IL   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/08/03   TAZEWELL                       REPORTED BY COOP OBSERVER.

1030 PM    1 SW PEKIN                IL   .75 INCH HAIL
05/08/03   TAZEWELL                       REPORTED JUST SOUTHWEST OF
                                          PEKIN BY SHERIFFS DEPT.

1030 PM    3 S PEKIN                 IL   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/08/03   TAZEWELL                       REPORTED SOUTH OF PEKIN BY
                                          SHERIFFS DEPT. TIME
                                          ESTIMATED.

1055 PM    PEKIN                     IL   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/08/03   TAZEWELL                       REPORTED BY HAM RADIO.

1055 PM    MORTON                    IL   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/08/03   TAZEWELL                       REPORTED BY OFF DUTY NWS
                                          EMPLOYEE.

1100 PM    ALEXANDER                 IL   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/08/03   MORGAN                         RELAYED BY SANGAMON COUNTY
                                          ESDA.

1038 PM    TRIVOLI                   IL   .75 INCH HAIL
05/08/03   PEORIA                         REPORTED BY HAM RADIO.

1018 PM    2 S DUNCAN MILLS          IL   .75 INCH HAIL
05/08/03   FULTON                         REPORTED BY HAM RADIO.

GEELHART

Local storm report, May 8, 11:15 PM CDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN, IL
1115 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1115 PM    MORTON                    IL   2.50 INCH HAIL
05/08/03   TAZEWELL                       SOUTH SIDE OF MORTON.
                                          REPORTED BY HAM RADIO.

GEELHART

Local storm report, May 8, 11:44 PM CDT, 49 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN, IL
1144 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1125 PM    JEROME                    IL   .88 INCH HAIL
05/08/03   SANGAMON                       SWOP REPORT.

1134 PM    MECHANICSBURG             IL   .75 INCH HAIL
05/08/03   SANGAMON                       REPORTED BY SHERIFFS DEPT.

1134 PM    BUFFALO                   IL   .75 INCH HAIL
05/08/03   SANGAMON                       REPORTED BY SHERIFFS DEPT.

GEELHART

Local storm report, May 9, 12:20 AM CDT, 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN, IL
1220 AM CDT FRI MAY 9 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1205 AM    2 N CISCO                 IL   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/09/03   PIATT                          REPORTED BY SHERIFFS DEPT.
                                          TIME ESTIMATED.

GEELHART

Local storm report, May 9, 12:29 AM CDT, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN, IL
1229 AM CDT FRI MAY 9 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1225 AM    MAHOMET                   IL   .75 INCH HAIL
05/09/03   CHAMPAIGN                      SWOP REPORT.

GEELHART

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 8, 8:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Schuyler	55 min
May 8, 9:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Knox	60 min
May 8, 9:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Cass	43 min
May 8, 9:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Fulton, Mason	58 min
May 8, 10:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Tazewell	66 min
May 8, 10:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Knox	59 min
May 8, 10:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Knox	58 min
May 8, 10:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Cass, Morgan, Scott	57 min
May 8, 10:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Mason	45 min
May 8, 10:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Fulton, Peoria, Stark	60 min
May 8, 10:51 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Menard, Sangamon	54 min
May 8, 10:53 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Marshall, Woodford	52 min
May 8, 11:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Logan	51 min
May 8, 11:19 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	McLean	71 min
May 8, 11:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	DeWitt	39 min
May 8, 11:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Macon	48 min
May 9, 12:00 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Piatt	30 min
May 9, 12:08 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Champaign	52 min
May 9, 6:10 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILX	Morgan, Scott	65 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 2003 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2003

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.