Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Watches in 2004
Tornado Watch 342
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 30, 2004, 6:40 PM CDT for 4 states. It was in force for 6 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 30, 2004, 6:40 PM CDT (23:40 UTC)
- Expired
- May 31, 2004, 1:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
All 67 counties
Alexander County, IL, Bond County, IL, Champaign County, IL, Christian County, IL, Clark County, IL, Clay County, IL, Clinton County, IL, Coles County, IL, Crawford County, IL, Cumberland County, IL, DeWitt County, IL, Douglas County, IL, Edgar County, IL, Edwards County, IL, Effingham County, IL, Fayette County, IL, Ford County, IL, Franklin County, IL, Gallatin County, IL, Hamilton County, IL, Jackson County, IL, Jasper County, IL, Jefferson County, IL, Johnson County, IL, Macon County, IL, Madison County, IL, Marion County, IL, Massac County, IL, McLean County, IL, Monroe County, IL, Montgomery County, IL, Moultrie County, IL, Perry County, IL, Piatt County, IL, Pope County, IL, Pulaski County, IL, Randolph County, IL, Richland County, IL, Saint Clair County, IL, Saline County, IL, Shelby County, IL, Union County, IL, Vermilion County, IL, Washington County, IL, Wayne County, IL, White County, IL, Williamson County, IL, Benton County, IN, Fountain County, IN, Vermillion County, IN, Warren County, IN, Ballard County, KY, Carlisle County, KY, Hickman County, KY, McCracken County, KY, Bollinger County, MO, Butler County, MO, Cape Girardeau County, MO, Madison County, MO, Mississippi County, MO, New Madrid County, MO, Perry County, MO, Ripley County, MO, Sainte Genevieve County, MO, Scott County, MO, Stoddard County, MO, Wayne County, MO
The radar
The St Louis radar (KLSX), 130 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:39 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.
Warnings issued inside it
37 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 6:40 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | PAH | Jefferson | 35 min |
| May 30, 6:40 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | PAH | Stoddard | 65 min |
| May 30, 6:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | Ford | 42 min |
| May 30, 6:48 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | PAH | Scott | 57 min |
| May 30, 6:49 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Piatt | 56 min |
| May 30, 6:50 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | PAH | Williamson | 55 min |
| May 30, 6:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH | Franklin | 22 min |
| May 30, 6:57 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILX | Champaign, Piatt | 63 min |
| May 30, 6:59 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | PAH | Union | 46 min |
| May 30, 7:04 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH | Alexander, Pulaski | 41 min |
| May 30, 7:08 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILX | Clay | 52 min |
| May 30, 7:08 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH | Hamilton, Saline, Wayne | 22 min |
| May 30, 7:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH | Johnson | 51 min |
| May 30, 7:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH | Mississippi, New Madrid | 49 min |
| May 30, 7:12 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | ILX | Clay, Crawford, Richland | 6 hr |
| May 30, 7:15 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | IND | Parke, Vermillion | 60 min |
| May 30, 7:16 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH | Ballard | 59 min |
| May 30, 7:19 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | ILX | Jasper, Lawrence | 6 hr |
| May 30, 7:20 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | Benton | 40 min |
| May 30, 7:21 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | ILX | Champaign, Vermilion | 6 hr |
| May 30, 7:24 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILX | Vermilion | 66 min |
| May 30, 7:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH | Massac, Pope | 65 min |
| May 30, 7:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH | Edwards, Wabash | 49 min |
| May 30, 7:28 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILX | Jasper, Richland | 62 min |
| May 30, 7:28 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LOT | Benton, Jasper, Lake, Newton, Porter | 2 hr |
| May 30, 7:29 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | IND | Parke, Vermillion | 5 hr |
| May 30, 7:32 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH | McCracken | 58 min |
| May 30, 7:33 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH | Hamilton, Saline, Wayne | 27 min |
| May 30, 7:36 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH | Carlisle | 54 min |
| May 30, 7:37 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILX | Crawford, Lawrence | 53 min |
| May 30, 7:41 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH | Gallatin, White | 49 min |
| May 30, 7:43 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | PAH | New Madrid | 47 min |
| May 30, 7:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH | Saline | 18 min |
| May 30, 7:58 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH | Fulton, Hickman | 62 min |
| May 30, 8:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PAH | Mississippi | 45 min |
| May 30, 10:38 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | PAH | Crittenden, Graves, Livingston, Lyon, McCracken, Marshall and 1 more | 112 min |
| May 30, 11:23 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | ILX | Effingham | 4 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 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 227 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
- 1629 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -53 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 569 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 46 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 201 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 177 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.4
- Supercell composite
- 8.9
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WWUS20 KWNS 302337
SEL2
SPC WW 302340
ILZ000-KYZ000-MOZ000-310600-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 342
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
640 PM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
FAR WESTERN KENTUCKY
SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI
EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING FROM 640 PM UNTIL
100 AM CDT.
...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...
DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE 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 60 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF BLOOMINGTON ILLINOIS TO
35 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF POPLAR BLUFF MISSOURI.
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 334. WATCH NUMBER 334 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 640
PM CDT. CONTINUE...WW 331...WW 332...WW 335...WW 336...WW 337...WW
338...WW 339...WW 340...WW 341...
DISCUSSION...PARAMETERS REMAIN VERY FAVORABLE FOR TORNADIC
SUPERCELLS ACROSS WW THIS EVENING...A FEW OF WHICH COULD BE QUITE
STRONG. BOWING STRUCTURE MAY ALSO EVOLVE ACROSS SERN MO/SRN IL/FAR
WRN KY THIS EVENING WITH ADDITIONAL THREAT OF VERY STRONG DAMAGING
WINDS.
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 25030.
...EVANS
404,0865 363,0884 363,0905 404,0891SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 7:40 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Adams, Brown, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Coles and 31 more | 5 hr |
| May 30, 9:40 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Greene, Hancock and 6 more | 3 hr |
| May 30, 10:04 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alexander, Clay, Clinton, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin and 19 more | 2 hr |
| May 30, 10:50 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Adams, Brown, Hancock, McDonough, Pike | 8 hr |
| May 30, 11:04 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Champaign, Cook, DeWitt, Douglas, DuPage, Iroquois and 4 more | 116 min |
| May 30, 11:50 AM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Clark, Crawford, Edgar, Edwards, Gallatin, Hardin and 7 more | 7 hr |
| May 30, 12:13 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Carroll, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Jo Daviess, Knox and 4 more | 2 hr |
| May 30, 12:25 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Bureau, Carroll, Henderson, Henry, Jo Daviess, Knox and 8 more | 7 hr |
| May 30, 12:53 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Christian, Fulton and 13 more | 2 hr |
| May 30, 1:05 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Alexander, Bond, Calhoun, Cass, Champaign, Christian and 45 more | 6 hr |
| May 30, 3:16 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cass, DeKalb, DuPage and 29 more | 119 min |
| May 30, 4:25 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Iroquois and 12 more | 6 hr |
| May 30, 5:10 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Alexander, Bond, Clinton, Fayette, Jackson, Madison and 7 more | 95 min |
| May 30, 5:36 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Christian and 39 more | 54 min |
| May 30, 6:55 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Gallatin, Hardin, Lawrence, Wabash | 8 hr |
| May 30, 3:05 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bartholomew, Blackford, Boone, Brown, Clark, Crawford and 47 more | 115 min |
| May 30, 3:55 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Adams, Dearborn, Ohio, Switzerland, Union, Wayne | 5 hr |
| May 30, 11:50 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Anderson, Bath, Bell, Bourbon, Boyle, Bracken and 54 more | 115 min |
| May 30, 1:40 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Adair, Anderson, Barren, Bath, Bell, Bourbon and 67 more | 7 hr |
| May 30, 3:20 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Calloway, Fulton | 8 hr |
| May 29, 8:45 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Clay, Clinton, DeKalb and 5 more | 60 min |
| May 29, 9:35 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Caldwell, Cass, Clay and 13 more | 6 hr |
| May 29, 11:23 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Caldwell, Clay, Clinton and 10 more | 67 min |
| May 30, 2:38 AM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Andrew, Buchanan, Caldwell, Cass, Clay, Clinton and 17 more | 97 min |
| May 30, 2:44 PM CDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Christian, Crawford and 26 more | 2 hr |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Illinois, 2004Tornado Watches in Missouri, 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.