Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 118, NWS Paducah, KY

May 4, 2003Alexander County, Illinois

NWS Paducah, KY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 4, 2003, 9:00 PM CDT for Alexander County, Illinois. It was in force for 45 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 4, 2003, 9:00 PM CDT (02:00 UTC)
Expired: May 4, 2003, 9:45 PM CDT
In force: 45 min
Issued by: NWS Paducah, KY
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Alexander County, IL

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 52 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:00 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 4, 6:55 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 268 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: 2245 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -12 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 658 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 254 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 313 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 4.4
Supercell composite: 14.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 4, 2:44 PM CDT, 6 hours 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 4, 2:44 PM CDT, 6 hours 16 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
244 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003

FORECAST CHALLENGE IS TIMING OF PRECIP AND SVR WX.

FIRST CLUSTER OF STORMS NORTH OF WARM FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH WARM AIR
ADVECTION AT 850 SLOWLY MOVING OFF TO THE EAST. AT 1900 UTC WARM
FRONT ENTERING THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF CWA WITH MID TO UPPER 60 DEW
POINTS. LARGE HAIL WITH ISOLATED WIND DAMAGE REPORTED WITH THESE
STORMS.

SEVERE WEATHER ASSOCIATED WITH THE MAIN SYSTEM NOW OVER
NEBRASKA...KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA.  EXPECT THIS SYSTEM TO MERGE INTO A
POSSIBLE SQUALL LINE AS IT REACHES THE AREA THIS EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT. WILL KEEP MENTION OF SEVERE IN ZONES BOTH TONIGHT AND
AGAIN TOMORROW AFTERNOON. EHI AND VGP VALUES FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE
WEATHER BOTH TIME FRAMES. FIRST SQUALL LINE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE
THROUGH THE AREA OVERNIGHT AND WEAKENS TO OUR EAST DURING THE DAY ON
MONDAY. IF THE CLOUDS BREAK AS EXPECTED...WE WILL DESTABILIZE BY
AFTERNOON WITH FORECAST CAPES OVER 3500 J/KG. AGAIN WITH VGP VALUES
OVER .3 IN PART OF WEST KENTUCKY TOMORROW AFTERNOON AND EHI VALUES
AROUND 5...SUPERCELLS ARE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY IN WESTERN KENTUCKY.

AS FRONT SLOWLY SAGS SOUTH...IT IS FORECAST TO BE ALONG OHIO RIVER
BY EARLY WEDNESDAY...WITH SURFACE LOW MOVING ALONG FRONT...WILL
MENTION HEAVY RAIN.

LITTLE CHANGE TO THE REST OF THE FORECAST WITH ONLY MINOR CHANGES TO
WINDS...TEMPERATURES.

EXTENDED FORECAST...ALL MODELS IN DECENT AGREEMENT THROUGH FRIDAY
WHICH MEANS A CONTINUED CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. WEAK
TROUGH OVER WEST COAST WILL KEEP SOUTHWEST FLOW OVER THE REGION.
TIMING OF IMPULSES IN SOUTHWEST FLOW THAT WILL PRODUCE SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS IS VERY DIFFICULT. THIS WILL KEEP A WEAK FRONTAL
BOUNDARY ALONG THE OHIO RIVER UNTIL FRIDAY. MODELS SWING DECENT
SYSTEM THROUGH ON FRIDAY...ANOTHER LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY.

.PAH...NONE.

SPODEN

Hazardous weather outlook, May 4, 8:57 PM CDT, 3 minutes before

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-100-
107>112-114-051000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
857 PM CDT SUN MAY 4 2003

...HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI TONIGHT
WITH A MODERATE RISK OVER MOST OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND WESTERN
KENTUCKY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA AND WESTERN KENTUCKY.

.DAY ONE...THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI
TONIGHT WITH A MODERATE RISK OVER MOST OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND
WESTERN KENTUCKY. A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS OVER
THE REST OF THE REGION. SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND TORNADOES WILL BE
POSSIBLE...MAINLY OVER THE SOUTHWEST HALF OF THE
REGION...GENERALLY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM JUST NORTH OF CARBONDALE
ILLINOIS...TO NEAR MADISONVILLE KENTUCKY. STORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WIND ARE POSSIBLE NORTH OF THE LINE.

ONE ROUND IS MOVING THROUGH THE AREA THIS EVENING...ANOTHER ROUND OF
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS POSSIBLE LATER TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN
KENTUCKY TOMORROW...WITH A SLIGHT RISK OVER THE REST OF THE QUAD
STATE AREA. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE
AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. AT THIS TIME...IS APPEARS THAT
SUPERCELLS ARE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY OVER WESTERN KENTUCKY. LARGE
HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE
TOMORROW. THIS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH DURING THE EVENING
HOURS.

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY THIS WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED ACROSS THE REGION THIS EVENING IN
THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WATCH AREAS. ADDITIONAL
ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE TONIGHT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE QUAD STATE
AREA. IN ADDITION...SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED MONDAY
AFTERNOON.

PS

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 4, 8:17 PM CDT, 43 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
817 PM CDT SUN MAY 04 2003

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

0814 PM    2W POPLAR BLUFF           MO   0.75 INCH HAIL
05/04/03   BUTLER                         REPORTED BY BUTLER COUNTY
                                          DES

Local storm report, May 4, 8:20 PM CDT, 40 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
820 PM CDT SUN MAY 04 2003

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

0818 PM    9N POPLAR BLUFF           MO   0.75 INCH HAIL
05/04/03   BUTLER                         REPORTED BY BUTLER COUNTY
                                          EM

Local storm report, May 4, 8:27 PM CDT, 33 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
827 PM CDT SUN MAY 04 2003

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

0810 PM    MT. VERNON                IL   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/04/03   JEFFERSON                      REPORTED BY TRAINED
                                          SPOTTERS

Local storm report, May 4, 8:39 PM CDT, 21 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
839 PM CDT SUN MAY 04 2003

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

0837 PM    2W ADVANCE                MO   80 MPH WIND GUST
05/04/03   STODDARD                       REPORTED BY STODDARD
                                          COUNTY DES

Local storm report, May 4, 8:42 PM CDT, 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
842 PM CDT SUN MAY 04 2003

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

0820 PM    WAPPAPELLO                MO   60 MPH WIND GUST
05/04/03   WAYNE                          TREES DOWN REPORTED BY
                                          THE PUBLIC

0822 PM    WAPPAPELLO                MO   60 MPH WIND GUST
05/04/03   WAYNE                          REPORTED BY THE PUBLIC

Local storm report, May 4, 8:57 PM CDT, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
857 PM CDT SUN MAY 04 2003

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

0856 PM    MORLEY                    MO   80 MPH WIND GUST
05/04/03   SCOTT                          REPORTED BY SCOTT COUNTY
                                          EM

The office that day

Everything else NWS Paducah, KY issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 4, 9:25 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Ballard	50 min
May 4, 9:40 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	McCracken	50 min
May 4, 9:47 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	PAH	Ballard, McCracken	3 hr
May 4, 9:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Livingston	47 min
May 4, 10:07 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Calloway	38 min
May 4, 10:13 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Graves	32 min
May 4, 10:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Crittenden	37 min
May 4, 10:24 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Union	36 min
May 4, 10:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Union, Webster	43 min
May 4, 10:50 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	PAH	Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Lyon and 2 more	6 hr
May 4, 10:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Union, Webster	40 min
May 4, 10:55 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Webster	35 min
May 4, 10:57 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Trigg	48 min
May 4, 11:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Christian	53 min
May 4, 11:18 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Calloway	57 min
May 4, 11:33 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Daviess, McLean	42 min
May 4, 11:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Christian, Todd	54 min
May 4, 11:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Trigg	53 min
May 5, 1:25 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	PAH	Christian, Todd	3 hr
May 5, 2:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Christian	44 min
May 5, 2:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Todd	36 min
May 4, 8:04 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Jefferson	26 min
May 4, 8:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	White	36 min
May 4, 9:08 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Alexander	37 min
May 4, 9:11 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Pulaski	49 min
May 4, 9:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Wabash	29 min
May 4, 9:36 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	PAH	Johnson	3 hr
May 4, 10:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Gallatin	34 min
May 5, 12:58 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Perry	32 min
May 5, 2:12 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Wayne	18 min
May 4, 7:19 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	New Madrid	26 min
May 4, 7:48 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Ripley	27 min
May 4, 7:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Wayne	35 min
May 4, 7:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Butler	31 min
May 4, 8:09 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Stoddard	36 min
May 4, 8:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Scott	41 min
May 4, 8:46 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Scott	44 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.