Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 434, NWS St. Louis, MO

August 5, 2008Fayette County, Marion County, Illinois

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 5, 2008, 7:33 PM CDT for Fayette County, Marion County, Illinois. It was in force for 42 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Aug 5, 2008, 7:33 PM CDT (00:33 UTC)
Expired: Aug 5, 2008, 8:15 PM CDT
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS St. Louis, MO
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Fayette County, IL, Marion County, IL

The radar

The Evansville,IN radar (KVWX), 114 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:33 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Aug 5, 2:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 154 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1853 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -52 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 949 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 60 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 69 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.5
Supercell composite: 4.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS53 KLSX 060033
SVRLSX
ILC051-121-060115-
/O.NEW.KLSX.SV.W.0434.080806T0033Z-080806T0115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
733 PM CDT TUE AUG 5 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST LOUIS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN FAYETTE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS
  MARION COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS

* UNTIL 815 PM CDT

* AT 730 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DESTRUCTIVE WINDS
  IN EXCESS OF 80 MPH. THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE
  EXTENDING FROM 9 MILES NORTH OF VANDALIA TO 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF
  PATOKA...AND WERE MOVING EAST AT 58 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  ST. ELMO...
  SALEM...
  KINMUNDY...
  STEPHEN FORBES STATE PARK...
  OMEGA...
  FARINA...
  HELM...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...
DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR YOUR
PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME
OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DO NOT DRIVE INTO
AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

DOPPLER RADAR HAS INDICATED SOME WEAK ROTATION WITHIN THIS STORM.
WHILE NOT IMMEDIATELY LIKELY...A TORNADO MAY STILL DEVELOP. IF A
TORNADO IS SPOTTED...ACT QUICKLY AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IN A 
STURDY STRUCTURE...SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM.

LAT...LON 3847 8870 3847 8914 3911 8913 3907 8880
      3892 8881 3892 8870
TIME...MOT...LOC 0033Z 274DEG 50KT 3910 8900 3880 8909

$$

TILLY

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS St. Louis, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 5, 6:58 PM CDT, 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 5, 6:58 PM CDT, 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
658 PM CDT TUE AUG 5 2008

.UPDATE...
/653 PM CDT TUE AUG 5 2008/

HAVE LOCALLY EXPANDED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 810 TO INCLUDE THE
REST OF THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE CWA. SEVERE STORMS WILL LIKELY
PERSIST IN THIS AREA IN ENVIRONMENT WITH MLCAPES GREATER THAN 4000
J/KG. WHILE SHEAR IS WEAK...TSRA WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO DEVELOP
ALONG OUTFLOWS FROM ONGOING STORMS.

HAVE ALSO ALLOWED THE HEAT ADVISORY AND WARNING TO EXPIRE. OUTFLOW
FROM THUNDERSTORMS IS PUSHING HEAT INDICES WELL BELOW CRITERIA AS
THE FRONT CONTINUE TO SLOWLY PUSH SOUTH.

BRITT

&&

.DISCUSSION...
/326 PM CDT TUE AUG 5 2008/
MAIN FORECAST CONCERN IS TRANSITIONING FROM HEAT TO POTENTIAL FOR
SEVERE WEATHER THIS EVENING AND AGAIN TOMORROW.  OUTFLOW BOUNDARY
FROM CONVECTION OVER CENTRAL ILLINOIS HAS WORKED SWWD AND NOW
EXTENDS FROM HANNIBAL THROUGH THE ST. LOUIS METRO AREA INTO SOUTH
CENTRAL ILLINOIS. HAVE DROPPED THE NORTHERN COUNTIES OF THE HEAT
ADVISORY WHERE WHERE CRITERIA WILL LIKEELY NOT BE MET THE REST OF
THE DAY. OTHERWISE...TSRA WILL CONTINUE TO QUICKLY DEVELOP AND
BECOME SEVERE ACROSS THE REGION THE NEXT FEW HOURS AS ATMOSPHERE
CONTINUES TO DESTABILIZE WITH MLCAPES IN THE 3000-5000 J/KG RANGE
WITH WEAKING CIN IN ADVANCE WEAK SHORTWAVE TROUGH CURRENTLY MOVING
ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS. COLD FRONT OVER NORTHERN MO ALONG WITH
OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES WILL ACT AS FOCUS FOR TSRA TO DEVELOP ON. WHILE
DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS RELATIVELY WEAK...AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY WILL
BE SUFFICENT FOR ORGANIZED MULTICELLS AND POSSIBLE SUPERCELLS IF
THEY DEVELOP ALONG A BOUNDARY. WILL ALSO BE WATCH THE HEAVY
RAINFALL POTENTIAL WITH ANY SLOW MOVING CELLS ALONG FRONT IN
ENVIORNMENT WITH PRECIPITABLE WATERS ABOVE 2 INCHES.

UPPER FLOW WILL BECOME WNWLY BY TOMORROW AND FRONT WILL STAY IN
CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE SWRN PART OF THE CWA AND LINGER NEARBY
THROUGH THURSDAY.  HAVE KEPT CHANCE OF SHRA/TSRA GOING INTO THURSDAY
WHEN FRONT GET PUSHED FARTHER SOUTH AS UPPER FLOW BECOME MORE NWLY
WITH UPPER LOW DIGGING IN THE GREAT LAKES. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE
WILL REMAIN HIGH ENOUGH BEHIND THE FRONT WITH SOME SOLAR
INSOLATION FOR MLCAPES TO CLIMB BACK INTO THE 1000-2000 J/KG
RANGE. THIS WILL BE ON THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF 35-40KT DEEP
LAYER SHEAR...SO SEVERE WEATHER WILL ALONG BE POSSIBLE TOMORROW
PER SPC SWODY2. WILL KEEP CHC OF SHRA/TRSA GOING OVER THE SOUTHERN
PART OF THE CWA

CONFIDENCE IN THE EXTENDED PART OF THE FORECAST IS LOWER TODAY AS
THERE ARE SIGNFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE ECMWF/GFS/CANADIAN WITH
HOW TO HANDLE POLAR VORTEX OVER ERN CANADA. CONTINUTY OF ECWMF IS
NOT AS GOOD AS YESTERDAY AS POLAR VORTEX REMAINS OVER THE HUDSON
BAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND INSTEAD OF MOVING SEWD ACROSS THE GREAT
LAKES AND NERN CONUS. THIS RESULTS IN UPPER FLOW BECOMING ZONAL
QUICKER OVER THE WEEKEND ACROSS MO/IL AND FASTER RETURN OF WARMER
AIR. HAVE INCLUDED A CHANCE OF SUNDAY INTO MONDAY AS TROUGH AND
ACCOMPANYING FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE CWA.

BRITT

&&

.AVIATION...
/1233 PM CDT TUE AUG 5 2008/
FOR THE 18Z TAFS...

COLD FRONT PROGRESSING SOUTH AT A SNAILS PACE WITH OUTFLOW
BOUNDARY NOW PARKED ACROSS THE METROPOLITAN AREA. LOOKING FOR
CONVECTION TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON...AND BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD
TOWARD EVENING. AFTER A LULL DURING THE MIDNIGHT HOUR...MORE
CONVECTION IS LIKELY TO FORM AS THE FRONT STALLS ACROSS THE AREA
AND 850MB CONVERGENCE/FRONTOGENESIS INCREASES. WINDS WILL
GENERALLY GO FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST WITH FROPA...BUT VARIABLE
IN VICINITY OF ANY THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOW BOUNDARY. LOOKS TO BE AN
ACTIVE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

CVKING

&&

.LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MO...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR BOONE-
     CALLAWAY-COLE-CRAWFORD-FRANKLIN-GASCONADE-JEFFERSON-
     MONITEAU-MONTGOMERY-OSAGE-ST. CHARLES-ST. LOUIS-ST. LOUIS
     CITY-WARREN-WASHINGTON.

     HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR IRON-MADISON-
     REYNOLDS-ST. FRANCOIS-STE. GENEVIEVE.

IL...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR MADISON
     IL-MONROE IL-ST. CLAIR IL.

     HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR CLINTON IL-MARION
     IL-RANDOLPH IL-WASHINGTON IL.

&&

WFO LSX

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 5, 7:20 PM CDT, 13 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
720 PM CDT TUE AUG 5 2008

ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ018-019-026-027-
034>036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084-085-099-061145-
GREENE IL-MACOUPIN IL-MONTGOMERY IL-BOND IL-FAYETTE IL-CLINTON IL-
MARION IL-WASHINGTON IL-RANDOLPH IL-ADAMS IL-BROWN IL-PIKE IL-
CALHOUN IL-JERSEY IL-MADISON IL-ST. CLAIR IL-MONROE IL-KNOX-LEWIS-
SHELBY-MARION-MONROE-RALLS-PIKE-BOONE-AUDRAIN-MONITEAU-COLE-OSAGE-
CALLAWAY-MONTGOMERY-LINCOLN-GASCONADE-WARREN-ST. CHARLES-FRANKLIN-
ST. LOUIS-ST. LOUIS CITY-JEFFERSON-CRAWFORD-WASHINGTON-
ST. FRANCOIS-STE. GENEVIEVE-IRON-MADISON-REYNOLDS-
720 PM CDT TUE AUG 5 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN AND
CENTRAL MISSOURI AS WELL AS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE REGION THIS EVENING.
THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...
DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLY A TORNADO. IN ADDITION...SOME STORMS
MAY PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL THAT MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED FLASH
FLOODING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REGION
WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. STORMS ONCE AGAIN WILL BE CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINFALL. THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ALONG AND
SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 70 ON THURSDAY.

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY. IN ADDITION TO SEVERE WEATHER...
SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO REPORT HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND ANY
FLOODING.

&&

FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS INFORMATION SEE OUR
WEBPAGE AT (LOWERCASE)... HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/LSX/?N=HWO1

BRITT

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 5, 7:18 PM CDT, 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
718 PM CDT TUE AUG 05 2008

..TIME..    ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE..    ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0713 PM     TSTM WND DMG     HIGHLAND                38.74N  89.68W
08/05/2008                   MADISON            IL   PUBLIC

            LARGE BROKEN LIMB

&&

EVENT NUMBER LSX0800845

FUCHS

Local storm report, Aug 5, 7:23 PM CDT, 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
723 PM CDT TUE AUG 05 2008

..TIME..    ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE..    ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0714 PM     TSTM WND DMG     STAUNTON                39.01N  89.79W
08/05/2008                   MACOUPIN           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TREES DOWNED...POWER OUTAGES REPORTED. NO SPECIFIC
            INFORMATION AS OF YET.

&&

EVENT NUMBER LSX0800846

DYE

Local storm report, Aug 5, 7:24 PM CDT, 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
724 PM CDT TUE AUG 05 2008

..TIME..    ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE..    ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0720 PM     TSTM WND GST     4 SW WATERLOO           38.29N  90.21W
08/05/2008  E50 MPH          MONROE             IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            PEA SIZE HAIL

&&

EVENT NUMBER LSX0800847

TRUETT

Local storm report, Aug 5, 7:26 PM CDT, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
726 PM CDT TUE AUG 05 2008

..TIME..    ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE..    ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0700 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 S SHIPMAN             39.09N  90.05W
08/05/2008                   MACOUPIN           IL   AMATEUR RADIO

            BARN DOOR BLOWN OFF WITH 2 TO 3 INCH LIMBS DOWN

&&

EVENT NUMBER LSX0800848

TRUETT

Local storm report, Aug 5, 7:27 PM CDT, 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
727 PM CDT TUE AUG 05 2008

..TIME..    ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE..    ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0712 PM     TSTM WND GST     RUMA                    38.13N  90.00W
08/05/2008  E60 MPH          RANDOLPH           IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            ROOF BLOWN OFF OF PARTIALLY BUILT NEW HOME.

&&

EVENT NUMBER LSX0800849

DYE

Local storm report, Aug 5, 7:29 PM CDT, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
729 PM CDT TUE AUG 05 2008

..TIME..    ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE..    ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION.. ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0724 PM     HAIL             DUTZOW                  38.61N  90.99W
08/05/2008  E0.50 INCH       WARREN             MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

EVENT NUMBER LSX0800850

FUCHS

The office that day

Everything else NWS St. Louis, MO issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 5, 7:06 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LSX	Bond, Fayette, Montgomery	39 min
Aug 5, 7:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LSX	Fayette, Montgomery	51 min
Aug 5, 7:43 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LSX	Fayette	17 min
Aug 5, 7:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LSX	Monroe, Saint Clair, Washington	13 min
Aug 5, 7:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LSX	Bond, Clinton, Fayette, Madison, Marion, Monroe and 3 more	64 min
Aug 5, 8:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LSX	Monroe	42 min
Aug 5, 9:42 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	LSX	Jersey, Macoupin	4 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 2008 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2008

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.