Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Watches in 2004

Tornado Watch 283

May 24, 200433 counties in Illinois; 24 counties in Missouri

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 24, 2004, 10:45 PM CDT for 33 counties in Illinois; 24 counties in Missouri. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 24, 2004, 10:45 PM CDT (03:45 UTC)
Expired
May 25, 2004, 4:00 AM CDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 57 counties

Bond County, IL, Brown County, IL, Calhoun County, IL, Cass County, IL, Champaign County, IL, Christian County, IL, Clark County, IL, Coles County, IL, Cumberland County, IL, DeWitt County, IL, Douglas County, IL, Edgar County, IL, Fayette County, IL, Ford County, IL, Greene County, IL, Iroquois County, IL, Jersey County, IL, Logan County, IL, Macon County, IL, Macoupin County, IL, Madison County, IL, Mason County, IL, McLean County, IL, Menard County, IL, Montgomery County, IL, Morgan County, IL, Moultrie County, IL, Piatt County, IL, Pike County, IL, Sangamon County, IL, Scott County, IL, Shelby County, IL, Vermilion County, IL, Audrain County, MO, Boone County, MO, Callaway County, MO, Camden County, MO, City of Saint Louis, MO, Cole County, MO, Cooper County, MO, Franklin County, MO, Gasconade County, MO, Howard County, MO, Lincoln County, MO, Maries County, MO, Miller County, MO, Moniteau County, MO, Monroe County, MO, Montgomery County, MO, Morgan County, MO, Osage County, MO, Pike County, MO, Ralls County, MO, Randolph County, MO, Saint Charles County, MO, Saint Louis County, MO, Warren County, MO

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 76 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:46 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

36 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 24, 10:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXPike39 min
May 24, 10:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMenard53 min
May 24, 10:52 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXPike53 min
May 24, 11:02 PM CDTTornado WarningILXMason58 min
May 24, 11:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXScott42 min
May 24, 11:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXCalhoun39 min
May 24, 11:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXGreene64 min
May 24, 11:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXLogan60 min
May 24, 11:32 PM CDTTornado WarningILXLogan58 min
May 24, 11:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMorgan, Sangamon56 min
May 24, 11:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXDeWitt53 min
May 24, 11:39 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningILXCass, Logan, Mason, Menard6 hr
May 24, 11:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMenard46 min
May 24, 11:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMcLean59 min
May 24, 11:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXJersey, Macoupin57 min
May 24, 11:57 PM CDTTornado WarningILXMorgan, Sangamon48 min
May 24, 11:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXJersey62 min
May 25, 12:04 AM CDTTornado WarningILXMenard56 min
May 25, 12:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXMadison56 min
May 25, 12:09 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXMontgomery66 min
May 25, 12:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChristian41 min
May 25, 12:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMacon55 min
May 25, 12:22 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningILXDeWitt6 hr
May 25, 12:28 AM CDTTornado WarningILXChristian32 min
May 25, 12:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXLogan60 min
May 25, 12:31 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXDeWitt59 min
May 25, 12:40 AM CDTTornado WarningILXMacon65 min
May 25, 12:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXBond, Clinton, Fayette, Saint Clair61 min
May 25, 12:49 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXColes, Cumberland, Moultrie, Shelby41 min
May 25, 1:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXPiatt47 min
May 25, 1:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChampaign56 min
May 25, 1:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXColes, Douglas65 min
May 25, 1:33 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXCumberland57 min
May 25, 1:39 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXVermilion66 min
May 25, 1:43 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXEdgar62 min
May 25, 1:55 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningSGFBenton, Morgan6 hr

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 3.8 hours before the alert went out and 207 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 2004-05-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 150 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2004-05-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 21 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
150 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-246 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1872 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
112 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 250344
SEL3  
SPC WW 250345
ILZ000-MOZ000-250900-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 283
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1045 PM CDT MON MAY 24 2004

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 

       CENTRAL ILLINOIS
       EASTERN MISSOURI

EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING FROM 1045 PM UNTIL
400 AM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 55 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 45 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF COLUMBIA MISSOURI
TO 5 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF DANVILLE 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...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO
WATCH NUMBER 281. WATCH NUMBER 281 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER
1045 PM CDT. CONTINUE...WW 282...

DISCUSSION...INTENSE LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH EMBEDDED
SUPERCELLS CONTINUES EWD ACROSS NERN MO INTO CENTRAL IL.  WITH THE
STRONGLY VEERED SHEAR PROFILES AND VERY UNSTABLE AIR MASS TORNADOS
ARE STILL POSSIBLE ALONG WITH DAMAGING WINDS.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24035.


...HALES

392,0925 405,0873 392,0873 374,0925

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 24, 8:15 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Brown, Calhoun, Hancock, Henderson, McDonough and 3 more90 min
May 24, 10:26 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Bond, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Champaign and 36 more64 min
May 24, 11:45 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBond, Calhoun, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark and 24 more90 min
May 25, 3:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCChampaign, Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland and 15 more3 hr
May 25, 9:19 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCEdwards, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Lawrence, Pope and 4 more86 min
May 25, 1:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBond, Calhoun, Christian, Clinton, Fayette, Greene and 12 more6 hr
May 25, 2:39 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson and 10 more96 min
May 25, 3:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAlexander, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Edwards, Franklin and 22 more6 hr
May 25, 3:16 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBond, Calhoun, Christian, Clinton, Fayette, Greene and 12 more89 min
May 25, 5:03 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Bond, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Edwards and 25 more87 min
May 25, 6:04 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBond, Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Perry, Randolph and 2 more56 min
May 24, 10:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBarton, Bates, Cass, Cedar, Dade, Henry and 6 more6 hr
May 25, 12:00 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarton, Bates, Cass, Cedar, Dade, Henry and 6 more90 min
May 25, 2:17 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarton, Bates, Cedar, Dade, Henry, Jasper and 3 more118 min
May 25, 11:12 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBenton, Boone, Callaway, Camden, Cedar, Cole and 25 more93 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Illinois, 2004Tornado Watches in Missouri, 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.