Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 83, NWS Lincoln, IL

July 18, 2003Shelby County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this tornado warning at Jul 18, 2003, 5:41 AM CDT for Shelby County, Illinois. It was in force for 49 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
Jul 18, 2003, 5:41 AM CDT (10:41 UTC)
Expired
Jul 18, 2003, 6:30 AM CDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Shelby County, IL

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 96 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:40 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 18, 4:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 96 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 2003-07-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2256 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 00:00Z on 2003-07-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 78 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2256 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-134 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1630 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
78 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
148 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
4.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KILX 181041
TORILX
ILC173-181130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
539 AM CDT FRI JUL 18 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LINCOLN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SHELBY COUNTY IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS

* UNTIL 630 AM CDT

* AT 539 AM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH
  STRONG ROTATION 7 MILES NORTH OF OCONEE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25
  MPH. THIS STORM COULD PRODUCE A TORNADO AT ANY TIME. IN ADDITION
  TO THE THREAT OF A TORNADO...LARGE   HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS CAN
  BE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. GO TO A SAFE PLACE NOW

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  OCONEE
  TOWER HILL
  LAKEWOOD
  COWDEN

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.

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 3944 8887 3933 8913 3923 8914 3924 8884

$$

EH

NNNN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 17, 10:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXVermilion63 min
Jul 17, 11:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChampaign, Vermilion57 min
Jul 18, 1:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMcLean35 min
Jul 18, 2:01 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChampaign44 min
Jul 18, 2:59 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningILXChampaign6 hr
Jul 18, 3:22 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXLogan53 min
Jul 18, 3:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMason66 min
Jul 18, 4:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMacon64 min
Jul 18, 4:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXSchuyler60 min
Jul 18, 4:49 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChristian56 min
Jul 18, 5:08 AM CDTTornado WarningILXChristian52 min
Jul 18, 5:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMason58 min
Jul 18, 5:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXCass61 min
Jul 18, 5:38 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMenard37 min
Jul 18, 5:45 AM CDTTornado WarningILXScott45 min
Jul 18, 6:00 AM CDTTornado WarningILXChristian45 min
Jul 18, 6:40 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningILXChristian, Logan6 hr
Jul 18, 6:45 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningILXSchuyler6 hr
Jul 18, 6:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChristian, Shelby60 min
Jul 18, 7:05 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningILXCass, Morgan, Scott6 hr
Jul 18, 7:07 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChristian, Shelby38 min
Jul 18, 7:18 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXCass, Morgan, Schuyler, Scott57 min
Jul 18, 8:16 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXCass, Morgan, Sangamon, Scott59 min
Jul 18, 8:50 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningILXShelby6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 2003Every tornado warning in 2003Tornadoes 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.