Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Watches in 2004

Tornado Watch 317

May 27, 20044 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 27, 2004, 7:40 PM CDT for 4 states. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 27, 2004, 7:40 PM CDT (00:40 UTC)
Expired
May 28, 2004, 1:00 AM CDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 66 counties

Alexander County, IL, Edwards County, IL, Franklin County, IL, Gallatin County, IL, Hamilton County, IL, Hardin County, IL, Jackson County, IL, Jefferson County, IL, Johnson County, IL, Massac County, IL, Monroe County, IL, Perry County, IL, Pope County, IL, Pulaski County, IL, Randolph County, IL, Saline County, IL, Union County, IL, Washington County, IL, Wayne County, IL, White County, IL, Williamson County, IL, Crawford County, IN, Dubois County, IN, Floyd County, IN, Gibson County, IN, Harrison County, IN, Perry County, IN, Pike County, IN, Posey County, IN, Spencer County, IN, Vanderburgh County, IN, Warrick County, IN, Breckinridge County, KY, Bullitt County, KY, Butler County, KY, Caldwell County, KY, Crittenden County, KY, Daviess County, KY, Edmonson County, KY, Grayson County, KY, Green County, KY, Hancock County, KY, Hardin County, KY, Hart County, KY, Henderson County, KY, Hopkins County, KY, Jefferson County, KY, Larue County, KY, Livingston County, KY, McLean County, KY, Meade County, KY, Muhlenberg County, KY, Ohio County, KY, Union County, KY, Webster County, KY, Bollinger County, MO, Cape Girardeau County, MO, Franklin County, MO, Iron County, MO, Jefferson County, MO, Madison County, MO, Perry County, MO, Reynolds County, MO, Saint Francois County, MO, Sainte Genevieve County, MO, Washington County, MO

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 96 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:42 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

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 27, 7:40 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLSXMonroe4 hr
May 27, 7:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKFloyd43 min
May 27, 7:52 PM CDTTornado WarningLMKFloyd53 min
May 27, 7:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHWayne63 min
May 27, 8:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKJefferson44 min
May 27, 8:02 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXMonroe43 min
May 27, 8:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXJefferson28 min
May 27, 8:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBullitt, Spencer57 min
May 27, 8:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXWashington41 min
May 27, 8:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHJefferson26 min
May 27, 8:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXWashington39 min
May 27, 8:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXSainte Genevieve, Saint Francois53 min
May 27, 8:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXRandolph52 min
May 27, 8:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHJefferson, Perry46 min
May 27, 8:30 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningPAHEdwards, Jefferson, Wabash, Wayne3 hr
May 27, 8:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKMeade39 min
May 27, 8:37 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXSainte Genevieve, Saint Francois38 min
May 27, 8:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHEdwards, Wabash65 min
May 27, 8:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKHardin50 min
May 27, 9:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHFranklin, Hamilton45 min
May 27, 9:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHPike49 min
May 27, 9:13 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLMKBullitt, Jefferson3 hr
May 27, 9:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHJackson, Saline, Williamson51 min
May 27, 9:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHUnion56 min
May 27, 9:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHGallatin, White52 min
May 27, 9:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKDubois63 min
May 27, 9:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHJohnson, Pope44 min
May 27, 10:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHHardin55 min
May 27, 10:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKCrawford, Perry57 min
May 27, 10:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHDaviess, McLean62 min
May 27, 10:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKMeade29 min
May 27, 10:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHHopkins, Webster55 min
May 27, 10:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKHarrison48 min
May 27, 11:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKHancock, Ohio45 min
May 27, 11:11 PM CDTTornado WarningLMKMeade34 min
May 27, 11:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHMuhlenberg62 min
May 27, 11:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBreckinridge44 min
May 27, 11:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKJefferson23 min
May 27, 11:22 PM CDTTornado WarningLMKBullitt53 min
May 27, 11:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKGrayson34 min
May 27, 11:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKHardin34 min
May 27, 11:54 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLMKBullitt2 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, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 250 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 2004-05-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 651 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 2004-05-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -105 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
651 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-12 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1078 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-105 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
52 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.4
Supercell composite
-3.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 280042
SEL7  
SPC WW 280040
ILZ000-INZ000-KYZ000-MOZ000-280600-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 317
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
740 PM CDT THU MAY 27 2004

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

       SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
       SOUTHERN INDIANA
       WESTERN AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY
       SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING FROM 740 PM UNTIL
100 AM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 45 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 100 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF CAPE GIRARDEAU
MISSOURI TO 30 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY.

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 SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 312...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER
310. WATCH NUMBER 312 310 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 740 PM CDT.
CONTINUE...WW 311...WW 314...WW 315...WW 316...

DISCUSSION...LINE/CLUSTER OF INTENSE CONVECTION NEAR STL IS LIKELY
TO EVOLVE INTO A BOW ECHO AND SURGE SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS SOUTHERN IL
AND INTO PARTS OF SOUTHERN IND/WESTERN KY THIS EVENING. AMPLE
MOISTURE/INSTABILITY AND STRONG WINDS ALOFT WILL PROMOTE THE RISK OF
DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES ALONG THIS CORRIDOR.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 29040.


...HART

382,0911 382,0853 370,0853 370,0911

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 27, 7:12 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Clay, Clinton, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin and 22 more93 min
May 27, 10:27 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Gallatin, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope and 3 more93 min
May 27, 7:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCDearborn, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Henry, Randolph and 3 more5 hr
May 27, 8:53 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoyle, Breathitt, Casey, Clay, Estill, Floyd and 21 more97 min
May 27, 9:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBell, Boyle, Breathitt, Casey, Clay, Clinton and 30 more6 hr
May 27, 9:39 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnderson, Bath, Bourbon, Boyd, Carter, Elliott and 15 more96 min
May 27, 11:17 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnderson, Bath, Bell, Bourbon, Boyd, Boyle and 50 more58 min
May 27, 9:08 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCedar, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Dent, Douglas and 13 more97 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Kentucky, 2004Tornado Watches in Illinois, 2004Tornado Watches in Indiana, 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.