Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Watches in 2004
Tornado Watch 281
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 24, 2004, 5:45 PM CDT for 9 counties in Illinois; 6 counties in Iowa; 25 counties in Missouri. It was in force for 5 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 24, 2004, 5:45 PM CDT (22:45 UTC)
- Expired
- May 24, 2004, 11:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 5 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 40 counties
Appanoose County, IA, Davis County, IA, Des Moines County, IA, Lee County, IA, Van Buren County, IA, Wayne County, IA, Adams County, IL, Brown County, IL, Calhoun County, IL, Hancock County, IL, Henderson County, IL, McDonough County, IL, Pike County, IL, Schuyler County, IL, Warren County, IL, Adair County, MO, Audrain County, MO, Boone County, MO, Carroll County, MO, Chariton County, MO, Clark County, MO, Cooper County, MO, Howard County, MO, Knox County, MO, Lewis County, MO, Lincoln County, MO, Linn County, MO, Macon County, MO, Marion County, MO, Monroe County, MO, Montgomery County, MO, Pike County, MO, Putnam County, MO, Ralls County, MO, Randolph County, MO, Saline County, MO, Schuyler County, MO, Scotland County, MO, Shelby County, MO, Sullivan County, MO
The radar
The St Louis radar (KLSX), 208 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:46 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.
Warnings issued inside it
45 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 6:26 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | EAX | Linn | 64 min |
| May 24, 7:04 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | EAX | Sullivan | 41 min |
| May 24, 7:11 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Adair, Clarke, Lucas, Union, Wayne | 18 hr |
| May 24, 7:11 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | EAX | Sullivan | 34 min |
| May 24, 7:14 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | EAX | Macon | 61 min |
| May 24, 7:30 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | EAX | Linn | 45 min |
| May 24, 7:42 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Appanoose | 48 min |
| May 24, 7:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Wayne | 67 min |
| May 24, 7:54 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LSX | Shelby | 66 min |
| May 24, 8:09 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | EAX | Linn | 6 hr |
| May 24, 8:10 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | EAX | Macon | 50 min |
| May 24, 8:13 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | DMX | Appanoose, Davis, Monroe, Wapello | 18 hr |
| May 24, 8:14 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DVN | Clark | 46 min |
| May 24, 8:22 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Andrew, Buchanan, Putnam | 53 min |
| May 24, 8:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DMX | Appanoose, Monroe | 57 min |
| May 24, 8:28 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DVN | Lee | 62 min |
| May 24, 8:44 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LSX | Shelby | 46 min |
| May 24, 8:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Sullivan | 30 min |
| May 24, 8:52 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Appanoose | 23 min |
| May 24, 8:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Adair | 37 min |
| May 24, 8:56 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DMX | Davis | 49 min |
| May 24, 8:58 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Macon | 47 min |
| May 24, 9:04 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DVN | Hancock | 41 min |
| May 24, 9:10 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LSX | Marion | 65 min |
| May 24, 9:29 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | EAX | Macon | 6 hr |
| May 24, 9:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LSX | Shelby | 45 min |
| May 24, 9:35 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LSX | Shelby | 6 hr |
| May 24, 9:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | DVN | Hancock, McDonough | 42 min |
| May 24, 9:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LSX | Monroe | 24 min |
| May 24, 10:01 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LSX | Adams, Pike | 59 min |
| May 24, 10:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LSX | Ralls | 40 min |
| May 24, 10:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LSX | Monroe | 49 min |
| May 24, 10:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LSX | Adams | 48 min |
| May 24, 10:17 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LSX | Marion, Shelby | 58 min |
| May 24, 10:22 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Cass, Morgan, Schuyler, Scott | 53 min |
| May 24, 10:22 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LSX | Brown | 53 min |
| May 24, 10:27 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | DVN | McDonough | 33 min |
| May 24, 10:27 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Saline | 63 min |
| May 24, 10:30 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LSX | Marion | 60 min |
| May 24, 10:34 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | EAX | Randolph | 41 min |
| May 24, 10:35 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LSX | Marion | 5 hr |
| May 24, 10:35 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LSX | Ralls | 25 min |
| May 24, 10:48 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | ILX | Schuyler | 6 hr |
| May 24, 10:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LSX | Pike | 39 min |
| May 24, 10:52 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LSX | Pike | 53 min |
Discussions around it
SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.
The nearest sounding before it
Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 308 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
- 817 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -242 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1250 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 40 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 97 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 98 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 2.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WWUS20 KWNS 242243
SEL1
SPC WW 242245
IAZ000-ILZ000-MOZ000-250400-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 281
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
545 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
SOUTHEAST IOWA
WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS
NORTHERN MISSOURI
EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 545 PM UNTIL 1100
PM CDT.
...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...
DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 4 INCHES IN DIAMETER...
THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE
POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 70 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF KIRKSVILLE
MISSOURI TO 35 MILES EAST OF QUINCY ILLINOIS.
REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 273...WW 275...WW 276...WW
277...WW 278...WW 279...WW 280...
DISCUSSION...TORNADIC SUPERCELLS NWRN MO EXPECTED TO TRACK EWD AS
WARM FRONT LIFTS NWD THRU NERN MO. WITH VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS AND
STRONG VEERING SHEAR PROFILES...POTENTIAL WILL EXIST FOR INTENSE
TORNADOES.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 4 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 600.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25030.
...HALES
404,0933 405,0903 385,0903 384,0933SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 23, 8:40 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bond, Calhoun, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton and 31 more | 65 min |
| May 24, 1:54 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alexander, Gallatin, Hardin, Jackson, Johnson, Massac and 5 more | 96 min |
| May 24, 5:26 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Adams, Brown, Hancock, Henderson, McDonough, Pike and 2 more | 94 min |
| May 24, 9:30 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Adams, Cass, Fremont, Mills, Montgomery, Page and 2 more | 2 hr |
| May 24, 10:10 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Ida, Lyon and 6 more | 6 hr |
| May 24, 11:30 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Adair, Adams, Audubon, Boone, Carroll, Cass and 19 more | 11 hr |
| May 24, 1:24 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Black Hawk, Bremer, Butler, Calhoun, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw and 17 more | 96 min |
| May 24, 2:08 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Ida, Lyon and 6 more | 67 min |
| May 24, 2:35 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Appanoose, Boone, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Clarke, Dallas and 26 more | 7 hr |
| May 24, 2:39 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Adair, Adams, Audubon, Boone, Carroll, Cass and 18 more | 96 min |
| May 23, 9:54 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Barry, Christian, Crawford, Dent, Douglas, Greene and 11 more | 96 min |
| May 24, 12:37 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bates, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll, Cass, Clay and 10 more | 83 min |
| May 24, 1:10 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Andrew, Bates, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll, Cass and 11 more | 9 hr |
| May 24, 3:28 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bates, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll, Cass, Clay and 10 more | 92 min |
| May 24, 6:57 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Platte | 48 min |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Missouri, 2004Tornado Watches in Illinois, 2004Tornado Watches in Iowa, 2004Every tornado watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.