Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 18, NWS St. Louis, MO

May 6, 2003Randolph County, Illinois

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this tornado warning at May 6, 2003, 7:53 PM CDT for Randolph County, Illinois. It was in force for 52 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 6, 2003, 7:53 PM CDT (00:53 UTC)
Expired
May 6, 2003, 8:45 PM CDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS St. Louis, MO
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Randolph County, IL

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:55 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
May 6, 5:40 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 261 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 2003-05-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 208 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2003-05-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 85 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
208 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-120 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1589 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
85 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
187 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

096 
WFUS53 KLSX 070053
TORLSX
ILC157-070145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
752 PM CDT TUE MAY 6 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST LOUIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  RANDOLPH COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS

* UNTIL 845 PM CDT

* AT 752 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
  PRAIRIE DU ROCHER. THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH...AND MAY
  PRODUCE A TORNADO AT ANY TIME

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  PRAIRIE DU ROCHER
  MODOC
  KELLOGG
  ROOTS
  ELLIS GROVE
  NEW PALESTINE
  BLAIR
  CHESTER
  SPARTA

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION. MOVE
IMMEDIATELY TO A BASEMENT OR BELOW GROUND SHELTER. IF UNDERGROUND
SHELTER IS NOT AVAILABLE...TAKE COVER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY
BUILDING OR HOME IN A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM...SUCH AS A CLOSET OR
HALLWAY. HIDE UNDER A MATRESS OR USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER
YOUR BODY.

IF YOU LIVE IN A MOBILE HOME OR TRAILER...ABANDON IT IMMEDIATELY AND
SEEK SHELTER IN A MORE SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER.

THE TORNADO WITH THIS STORM WILL LIKELY BE WRAPPED IN RAIN. DO NOT BE
LULLED INTO THINKING THE THREAT IS OVER DUE TO THE RAINFALL. STAY IN
SHELTER UNTIL THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION INDICATES THE THREAT HAS
PASSED.

THIS STORM WILL ALSO PRODUCE LARGE DESTRUCTIVE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 80 MPH.

LAT...LON 3809 9018 3793 8999 3789 8967 3821 8963

$$

MB/ST

The office that day

Everything else NWS St. Louis, MO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 6, 7:46 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXMonroe59 min
May 6, 7:55 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLSXMonroe4 hr
May 6, 8:06 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXSaint Clair54 min
May 6, 8:35 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXWashington55 min
May 6, 8:41 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXRandolph49 min
May 6, 9:24 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXWashington36 min

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.