Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2004
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 26, NWS Lincoln, IL
NWS Lincoln, IL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 18, 2004, 5:40 PM CDT for McLean County, Illinois. It was in force for 65 min. 6 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- May 18, 2004, 5:40 PM CDT (22:40 UTC)
- Expired
- May 18, 2004, 6:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 65 min
- Issued by
- NWS Lincoln, IL
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
County McLean County, IL
The radar
The Lincoln radar (KILX), 55 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:39 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.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 6:03 PM CDT | HAIL 0.75 | 1 S Danvers, IL | |
| May 18, 6:03 PM CDT | HAIL 0.75 | 1 S Danvers, IL | |
| May 18, 6:03 PM CDT | HAIL 0.75 | 1 S Danvers, IL | |
| May 18, 6:03 PM CDT | HAIL 0.75 | Danvers, IL | |
| May 18, 6:03 PM CDT | HAIL 0.75 | Danvers, IL | |
| May 18, 6:03 PM CDT | HAIL 0.75 | Danvers, IL |
Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.
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 18, 12:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 7 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 60 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
- 989 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -53 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 838 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 124 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 85 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.3
- Supercell composite
- 2.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
524 WUUS53 KILX 182240 SVRILX ILC113-182345- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 540 PM CDT TUE MAY 18 2004 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LINCOLN HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... MCLEAN COUNTY IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS * UNTIL 645 PM CDT * AT 540 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF CARLOCK TO DANVERS...OR FROM 5 MILES SOUTH OF EUREKA TO 13 MILES SOUTH OF EUREKA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. * THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR... CARLOCK NORMAL HUDSON TOWANDA LEXINGTON DANVERS GRIDLEY THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH... 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 4058 8927 4045 8927 4060 8857 4072 8875 $$ KH
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 18, 2:10 PM CDT, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 18, 2:10 PM CDT, 3 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 210 PM CDT TUE MAY 18 2004 .DISCUSSION... MANY FORECAST CONCERNS IN THE SHORT TERM...ESPECIALLY THIS EVENING/TONIGHT. SEVERE WEATHER AND HEAVY PCPN A REAL CONCERN FOR TONIGHT. HAVE DECIDED TO ISSUE AN FFA FOR RUFFLY THE S 2/3 OF THE CWA. AIRMASS IS VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE WITH HIGH PRECIP WATER VALUES. FFG VALUES ARE FAIRLY HIGH BUT IM CONCERNED ABOUT TRAINING. MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT APPEARS TO BE FROM HAIL AND HIGH WINDS THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING. IN THE LONGER TERM...FRONTAL LOCATION AND PCPN CHANCES CONTINUES TO BE THE MAIN PROBLEM. WARM AND RATHER HUMID CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL WITH A SLIGHTLY COOLER DAY POSSIBLE BY NEXT TUE. SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH AN MCC/MCV OVER MO IS MOVING EAST AND INTO THE AREA. COLD FRONT HAS SLOWLY SAGGED SOUTH AND IS SLICING THRU THE N-CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE CWA. STORMS HAVE RAPIDLY DEVELOPED EARLY THIS AFTERNOON ALONG THE FRONT AS WELL AS COMING FROM THE MORE WESTERN MCV ACTIVITY. TO COMPLICATE MATTER A SHARP LAKE FRONT BREEZE HAS PUSHED DOWN CLOSE TO THE AREA FROM LAKE MI. MOST ALL OF THE CWA IS UNDER A SVR WATCH UNTIL 7 PM. GOING WITH A BIT OF A MODEL BLEND FOR THIS FCST PACKAGE. GFS QPF LOOKS LIKE ITS SUFFERING FROM CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK TONIGHT...HOWEVER IT HAS BEEN CONSISTENT WITH A BIG QPF BULLSEYE OVER OUR SOUTH-CENTRAL ZONES TONIGHT AND THE M-ETA IS SIMILAR JUST WITH LIGHTER AMOUNTS. RAISED POPS TO CATEGORICAL TONIGHT ACROSS CENTRAL-SOUTH ZONES AND LIKELY IN THE NORTH. EXPECT THERE MAY BE A BIT OF A SHARP CUTOFF TO THE PCPN THE FURTHER NORTH ONE GOES AND AS THE NIGHT PROGRESSES. DEWPOINTS ARE HIGH AND EXPECT OVERNIGHT LOWS TO STAY PRETTY MILD AGAIN TONIGHT. AS MENTIONED ABOVE MAIN CONCERNS TONIGHT ARE FOR HEAVY RAINS AND SVR THREAT. EXPECT FRONT TO MAKE IT TO A LITTLE SOUTH OF I-70 TONIGHT BEFORE BECOMING STATIONARY. EXPECT THE FRONT TO LIFT BACK NORTHWARD AGAIN TOMORROW. FOR TOMORROW WILL CONTINUE WITH LIKELY POPS CENTRAL AND SOUTH IN THE MORNING TAPERING DOWN TO CHC POPS CWA WIDE BY AFTERNOON AS THE FRONT LIFTS BACK NORTHWARD. TEMPS CONTINUE MILD TO WARM AS THE FRONT LIFTS BACK UP THROUGH THE AREA BUT IT MAY BE A COOL DAMP MORNING ESP IN THE MORE NORTHERN ZONES. FRONT EXPECTED TO BE JUST NORTH OF THE CWA BY TOMORROW NIGHT-NEAR I-80. KEPT LOW CHC POPS IN THE NORTH FOR THE BOUNDARY AND ONLY SLIGHT CHC OR NONE FURTHER SOUTH. ON THURSDAY THE MODELS BEGIN TO DIVERGE A LITTLE BIT ON FRONTAL PLACEMENT. GFS A LITTLE FURTHER NORTH THAN THE ETA. THIS TREND CONTINUES ON INTO FRI AND SAT. WILL LEAN A LITTLE MORE TOWARD THE SLIGHTLY FURTHER SOUTH ETA AND ECMWF ALTHOUGH THE IMPACT ON THE SENSIBLE WEATHER WILL NOT BE THAT GREAT. KEPT LOW CHC POPS FAR NORTH AND LITTLE OR NO MENTION OF PCPN ELSEWHERE FOR THU AND THU NIGHT. LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... EXTENDED MODELS STILL CONTINUING TO STRUGGLE WITH THE FRONTAL PLACEMENT THRU THE PERIOD. GFS FURTHER NORTH EARLY IN THE PERIOD...THAN THE ECMWF AND HPC GUIDANCE. LEANING TOWARD A SLIGHTLY FURTHER SOUTH PLACEMENT OF THE BOUNDARY. THIS ARGUES FOR KEEPING LOW CHC POPS ON FRIDAY ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA AND DRY FURTHER SOUTH. KEPT SAT DRY THINKING THE BOUNDARY WILL STILL BE TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA. BY SUNDAY THE FRONT BEGINS TO PUSH SOUTHWARD AGAIN TOWARD THE AREA...KEPT LOW CHC POPS GOING FOR THE WHOLE CWA SUNDAY. BOUNDARY ON TOP OF US MONDAY...BUT ONCE AGAIN IT APPEARS THAT THE FRONT WONT MAKE IT TO FAR TO THE SOUTH AND WILL STILL BE IN THE AREA COME TUESDAY. KEPT CHC POPS GOING THROUGH TUE. WILL ISSUE FFA SHORTLY. && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM FOR ALL BUT KNOX...STARK...AND MARSHALL COUNTIES. FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT MAINLY EAST AND SOUTH OF THE IL RIVER. && HALL
Hazardous weather outlook, May 18, 11:00 AM CDT, 6 hours 40 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL 1100 AM CDT TUE MAY 18 2004 ILZ027>031-036>038-040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-191100- CASS-CHAMPAIGN-CHRISTIAN-CLARK-CLAY-COLES-CRAWFORD-CUMBERLAND- DE WITT-DOUGLAS-EDGAR-EFFINGHAM-FULTON-JASPER-KNOX-LAWRENCE-LOGAN- MACON-MARSHALL-MASON-MCLEAN-MENARD-MORGAN-MOULTRIE-PEORIA-PIATT- RICHLAND-SANGAMON-SCHUYLER-SCOTT-SHELBY-STARK-TAZEWELL-VERMILION- WOODFORD- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BLOOMINGTON...CHAMPAIGN...DANVILLE... DECATUR...EFFINGHAM...FLORA...GALESBURG...HAVANA...JACKSONVILLE... LAWRENCEVILLE...LINCOLN...MATTOON...PEORIA...SHELBYVILLE... SPRINGFIELD AND TAYLORVILLE 1100 AM CDT TUE MAY 18 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... A SLOW MOVING FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL SLOWLY MOVE SOUTH ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AND REACH NEAR INTERSTATE 70 BY MIDNIGHT. THIS FRONT COLLIDING WITH A WARM...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL PRODUCE MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK THAT SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. THE PRIMARY THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL REMAIN ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS WEDNESDAY AND THEN LIFT NORTHWARD ON THURSDAY. THIS BOUNDARY WILL CONTINUE TO INTERACT WITH WARM...MOIST AIR AND PRODUCE PERIODS OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MOST OF THE WEEK. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK THAT SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE WEDNESDAY ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...AND AGAIN ON THURSDAY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 72. .SPOTTER ACTIVATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THROUGH TONIGHT. && THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGIC AND CLIMATE INFORMATION...IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT: HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/ILX. THIS ADDRESS IS ALL IN LOWER CASE. AUTEN/HUETTL
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 18, 2:28 PM CDT, 3 hours 12 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
228 PM CDT TUE MAY 18 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0225 PM HAIL MAHOMET 40.19N 88.40W
05/18/2004 0.75 INCH CHAMPAIGN IL CO-OP OBSERVER
REPORTED AT I-74 EXIT 172.
&&
GEELHARTLocal storm report, May 18, 4:42 PM CDT, 58 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
442 PM CDT TUE MAY 18 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0412 PM FLOOD CANTON 40.56N 90.04W
05/18/2004 FULTON IL EMERGENCY MNGR
STREET FLOODING. REPORTED BY CANTON ESDA.
0435 PM FLOOD 4 E HANNA CITY 40.69N 89.72W
05/18/2004 PEORIA IL TRAINED SPOTTER
IL-116 UNDER WATER.
0435 PM TSTM WND GST 4 E HANNA CITY 40.69N 89.72W
05/18/2004 70 MPH PEORIA IL TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
GEELHARTLocal storm report, May 18, 5:06 PM CDT, 34 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
506 PM CDT TUE MAY 18 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0502 PM HAIL PEORIA 40.74N 89.61W
05/18/2004 0.88 INCH PEORIA IL TRAINED SPOTTER
AT BAKER ST BRIDGE IN PEORIA.
0504 PM TSTM WND DMG PEORIA 40.74N 89.61W
05/18/2004 PEORIA IL TRAINED SPOTTER
12 TO 18 INCH DIAMETER TREES DOWN IN GLEN OAK PARK.
&&
GEELHARTLocal storm report, May 18, 5:14 PM CDT, 26 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
514 PM CDT TUE MAY 18 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0510 PM TORNADO 3 W WASHINGTON 40.92N 89.35W
05/18/2004 WOODFORD IL TRAINED SPOTTER
BRIEF TOUCHDOWN IN THE SUNNYLAND AREA. REPORTED BY MOBILE
WEATHER TEAM.
&&
GEELHARTLocal storm report, May 18, 5:19 PM CDT, 21 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
519 PM CDT TUE MAY 18 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0518 PM TORNADO WASHINGTON 40.70N 89.44W
05/18/2004 TAZEWELL IL TRAINED SPOTTER
REPORTED BY MOBILE WEATHER TEAM JUST NORTH OF WASHINGTON.
&&
GEELHARTLocal storm report, May 18, 5:29 PM CDT, 11 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT ... CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
529 PM CDT TUE MAY 18 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0510 PM TORNADO 3 W WASHINGTON 40.70N 89.49W
05/18/2004 TAZEWELL IL TRAINED SPOTTER
BRIEF TOUCHDOWN IN THE SUNNYLAND AREA. REPORTED BY MOBILE
WEATHER TEAM.
&&
CORRECTED COUNTY LOCATION
GEELHARTThe office that day
Everything else NWS Lincoln, IL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 12:27 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Morgan | 63 min |
| May 18, 1:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Champaign, Piatt | 62 min |
| May 18, 1:58 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | ILX | DeWitt | 6 hr |
| May 18, 3:41 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | McLean | 49 min |
| May 18, 3:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | McLean | 47 min |
| May 18, 4:43 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford | 62 min |
| May 18, 4:45 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | ILX | Peoria | 4 hr |
| May 18, 4:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Christian, Shelby | 52 min |
| May 18, 5:08 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILX | Tazewell, Woodford | 52 min |
| May 18, 5:35 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILX | Tazewell, Woodford | 25 min |
| May 18, 6:11 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILX | McLean | 64 min |
| May 18, 6:24 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | ILX | McLean | 3 hr |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 2004Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2004
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.