Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 24, NWS Lincoln, IL

May 23, 2004Coles County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this tornado warning at May 23, 2004, 8:01 PM CDT for Coles County, Illinois. It was in force for 44 min. 8 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 23, 2004, 8:01 PM CDT (01:01 UTC)
Expired
May 23, 2004, 8:45 PM CDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Coles County, IL

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 112 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:01 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 23, 8:20 PM CDTHAIL 1Charleston, ILCOLES COUNTY EOC REPORTED QUARTER SIZE HAIL IN CHARLESTON.
May 23, 8:20 PM CDTHAIL 1Charleston, ILCOLES COUNTY EOC REPORTED QUARTER SIZE HAIL IN CHARLESTON.
May 23, 8:20 PM CDTHAIL 1.75Charleston, ILCOLES COUNTY EOC REPORTED GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AT ROUTE 130 ON NE SIDE OF CHARLESTON.
May 23, 8:20 PM CDTHAIL 1.75Charleston, ILCOLES COUNTY EOC REPORTED GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AT ROUTE 130 ON NE SIDE OF CHARLESTON.
May 23, 8:20 PM CDTHAIL 1.75Charleston, ILCOLES COUNTY EOC REPORT OF GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AT ROUTE 16 AND 1420 E.
May 23, 8:20 PM CDTHAIL 1.75Charleston, ILCOLES COUNTY EOC REPORT OF GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AT ROUTE 16 AND 1420 E.
May 23, 8:22 PM CDTHAIL 1.753 N Charleston, ILFROM COLES EOC
May 23, 8:22 PM CDTHAIL 1.753 N Charleston, ILFROM COLES EOC

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 23, 5:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 71 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 2004-05-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2833 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 2004-05-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 164 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
2833 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
727 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
164 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
193 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.9
Supercell composite
13.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KILX 240101
TORILX
ILC029-240145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
801 PM CDT SUN MAY 23 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LINCOLN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  COLES COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS

* UNTIL 845 PM CDT

* AT 801 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG
  ROTATION OVER COOKS MILL...OR ABOUT 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF MATTOON...
  MOVING EAST AT 35 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...
  HUMBOLDT
  CHARLESTON
  RARDIN
  ASHMORE

ANOTHER LOCATION IN THIS WARNING IS...MATTOON.

A DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED TORNADO MEANS THAT THERE IS STRONG ROTATION
WITHIN THE STORM. THE STORM MAY NOT BE PRODUCING A TORNADO AT THE
MOMENT...BUT IS EXPECTED TO DURING THE WARNING PERIOD. FOR YOUR
SAFETY...GO INDOORS NOW TO AN INTERIOR ROOM AND 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 3963 8846 3963 8819 3964 8800 3944 8805
          3944 8846

$$

BARKER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 23, 7:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMacon55 min
May 23, 7:19 PM CDTTornado WarningILXShelby56 min
May 23, 7:28 PM CDTTornado WarningILXSangamon32 min
May 23, 7:30 PM CDTTornado WarningILXMoultrie60 min
May 23, 7:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMcLean, Woodford66 min
May 23, 7:39 PM CDTTornado WarningILXChristian66 min
May 23, 7:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXTazewell59 min
May 23, 7:51 PM CDTTornado WarningILXMcLean, Tazewell54 min
May 23, 7:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXColes, Douglas53 min
May 23, 8:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXShelby62 min
May 23, 8:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXSangamon57 min
May 23, 8:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXEdgar52 min
May 23, 8:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXClark57 min
May 23, 8:45 PM CDTTornado WarningILXChristian60 min
May 23, 9:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXColes59 min
May 23, 9:10 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningILXChristian6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 2004Every tornado warning in 2004Tornadoes 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.