Alert archive / Illinois / Flash Flood Warnings in 2009

Flash Flood Warning 25, NWS Chicago, IL

July 28, 2009Ford County, Iroquois County, Illinois; Benton County, Indiana

NWS Chicago, IL issued this flash flood warning at Jul 28, 2009, 4:07 PM CDT for Ford County, Iroquois County, Illinois; Benton County, Indiana. It was in force for 8 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 28, 2009, 4:07 PM CDT (21:07 UTC)
Expired
Jul 28, 2009, 11:52 PM CDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Chicago, IL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Ford County, IL, Iroquois County, IL, Benton County, IN

The radar

The Chicago radar (KLOT), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:07 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 89 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 12:00Z on 2009-07-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 200 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 12:00Z on 2009-07-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 49 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
200 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-167 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1401 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
49 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
111 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

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

NWS Chicago, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Jul 28, 2:52 PM CDT, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 28, 2:52 PM CDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
252 PM CDT TUE JUL 28 2009

.DISCUSSION...
250 PM CDT

ONCE AGAIN NEAR TERM OF FCST BASED ON LATEST SATLT TRENDS. VIS
IMAGERY VERY HELPFUL IN LAYING OUT POPS/WX GRIDS WITH CONVERGENCE
BEING ENHANCED DOWNWIND OF S TIP OF LK MI. THIS HAS ALLOWED NARROW
PLUME OF TSTMS TO DVLP FROM S AND E OF GARY...ACROSS NRN LAKE AND
PORTER COUNTIES...TO NR SBN. HOWEVER...MAIN FOCUS FOR DEEP
CONVECTION TO RE DEVELOP IS LINING UP ALONG BOUNDARY LEFT FROM
TSTMS EARLIER TODAY. CLOUDS AND PRECIP OVER SRN PORTION OF FA HAVE
LEFT A RESIDUAL COLD POOL. AS A RESULT...STRONGER STORMS WILL
CONTINUE TO FIRE ON SRN PERIPHERY OF THIS STABLE AREA...OVER
CNTRL IL THROUGH THIS EVENING RUFLY FROM UIN-CMI. HAVE KEPT
CHC/SLGT CHC POPS IN AS FAR N AS I-80 CORRIDOR THOUGH FOR EARLY
THIS EVENING AS AIR MASS REMAINS RATHER UNSTABLE ALONG AND AHEAD
OF SYNOPTIC COLD FRONT NOW ANALYZED FROM WRN LWR MI SWWD ACROSS
CHICAGO...TO NR BRL. HOWEVER...AS MENTIONED...BEST FORCING FOR
CONVECTION ALREADY OVER NWRN INDIANA AND FROM CNTRL IL INTO NERN
INDIANA.

TRANQUIL DAY WED AS SFC HIGH SETTLES ACROSS AREA. ONLY CHALLENGE
IS WITH MAX TEMPS. HAVE GONE A DEGREE OR TWO ABV MOS MOST AREAS
GIVEN AMPLE LATE JULY SUNSHINE. ONLY EXCEPTION WILL BE OVR NERN
IL/NWRN IN WHERE SYNOPTIC SCALE FLOW WILL BE N TO NELY ALLOWING
FOR HIGHS LOWER NEAR THE LAKE.

LTL CHG TO REMAINDER OF FCST AS PARADE OF SHORT WAVES CONTINUES
WITH REGULARITY. NEXT SHORT WAVE/WIND MAX ALREADY DIGGING SWD
ACROSS ALBERTA BASED ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY. THIS FEATURE WILL
MOVE TO NRN PLAINS STATES BY LATE ED...THEN CONTINUE EWD ACROSS
UPR GRTLKS REGION ON THURSDAY. THIS WAVE IS STILL FCST TO REMAIN
QUITE VIGOROUS AS IT PASSES N OF REGION...SENDING ASSD COLD FRONT
ACROSS FA THURSDAY AFTN-ERLY EVENING. WILL KEEP CHC POPS GOING.
LOOKS LIKE DYNAMICS WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH TO GENERATE AT LEAST
SOME SCT TSTMS ALONG/AHEAD OF BOUNDARY GIVEN MODEST AMOUNT OF
INSTABILITY IN PRE FRONTAL AIR MASS...HOWEVER...BEST LLVL FORCING
EXPECTED TO BE FOCUSED ALONG OLD BOUNDARY PRODUCED BY THIS
EVENING/S FRONT AS IT STALLS OUT FROM SRN PLAINS TO S OF OH VLY.
THIS PRECLUDES GOING WITH ANYTHING MORE THAN CHC POPS OVR OUR AREA
FOR NOW.

AS THIS SYS PROGRESSES EWD...SFC HIGH PRESSURE WILL SHIFT EWD
ACROSS MID MS VLY...PROVIDING FAIR WX FRIDAY-FRI NIGHT WITH VERY
COMFORTABLE TEMPS AND LOW DEW POINTS.

LARGE CLOSED LOW THEN FCST WITH REASONABLE CONSISTENCY BY GFS TO
DIG SEWD FROM CNTRL CANADA TO UPPR GRTLKS BY SUNDAY. THIS SUGGESTS
A REPEAT OF LATTER HALF OF THIS WEEK...WITH WARMING AND
DESTABILIZATION OCCURRING SAT...LLVL MOIST INFLUX SAT NIGHT AND
COLD FROPA ON SUNDAY...ASSD WITH INCREASING CHCS OF TSTMS SAT
NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. THIS UPR SYS IS ADVERTIZED TO BE MUCH LARGER
IN SCALE THAN ITS PREDECESSORS...SO HAVE OPTED TO GO DRY THROUGH
EXTENDED AS PER GFS. CONCUR WITH EARLIER CHAT WITH MKX AND WILL
KEEP POPS BELOW MENTION DAYS 6.5 AND 7.

MERZLOCK

&&

.AVIATION...

1800 UTC TAFS...WEAK AND DIFFUSE COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO SAG
SLOWLY SOUTHEAST ACROSS ERN IOWA AND NWRN IL.

THE MAIN CONCERN FOR THE PERIOD WILL BE WIND DIRECTION.  LATEST
OBS INDICATE THAT THE FRONT IS MOVING THRU THE RFD AREA AS WINDS
VEERED WNWLY EARLIER THIS MORNING AND SHOULD DO SO AT THE OTHER
SITES BY ISSUANCE TIME. WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING ACROSS THE
UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND THE FRONTAL TROUGH SETTLING OVER THE
OHIO VALLEY...WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO VEER TO NELY OVERNIGHT.

WITH DRIER AIR FILTERING OVER NRN IL AND...EVENTUALLY...NWRN
IN...STILL SEE LITTLE CHANCE FOR ANY PCPN AT THE TERMINALS.
FRONTAL FORCING...WEAK AS IT IS...WILL BE WELL TO THE SOUTH AND
EAST...AND WHILE STILL EXPECT A MODEST SHORT WAVE TO CROSS THE
REGION...IT SHOULD ONLY SERVE TO ENHANCE ANY CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY
INVOF THE FRONT RATHER THAN INITIATE AND SGFNT ACTIVITY TO THE
NORTH.

OTHERWISE...CIGS AND VIS WILL REMAIN UNRESTRICTED THROUGH THE PERIOD.

KREIN

&&

.MARINE...
100 PM CDT

A SERIES OF WEAK FRONTAL PASSAGES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE WESTERN
GREAT LAKES REGION OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. THE FIRST COLD
FRONT WILL SAG SOUTH ACROSS THE LAKE TODAY AS WEAK HIGH PRESSURE
BUILDS ACROSS THE NRN PLAINS...ALLOWING WINDS TO GRADUALLY SHIFT
FROM SWLY TO NWLY. HOWEVER...THE PRESSURE GRADIENT IN ADVANCE OF
AND BEHIND THE FRONT WILL BE RATHER WEAK...SO DO NOT EXPECT WINDS
GREATER THAN 10-15 KT OVER THE NEXT 24 HRS. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE
WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES AREA THROUGH
THURSDAY EVENING WHEN ANOTHER WEAK COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO SWEEP
ACROSS THE LAKE. A WEAK RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL CROSS LAKE
MICHIGAN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...WITH YET ANOTHER FRONTAL PASSAGE ON
SUNDAY.

KREIN

&&

.LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IL...NONE.
IN...NONE.
LM...NONE.
&&
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 28, 3:11 PM CDT, 56 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
311 PM CDT TUE JUL 28 2009

ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>023-032-033-039-INZ001-002-010-011-019-
292015-
WINNEBAGO-BOONE-MCHENRY-LAKE ILLINOIS-OGLE-LEE-DE KALB-KANE-
DUPAGE-COOK-LA SALLE-KENDALL-GRUNDY-WILL-KANKAKEE-LIVINGSTON-
IROQUOIS-FORD-LAKE INDIANA-PORTER-NEWTON-JASPER-BENTON-
311 PM CDT TUE JUL 28 2009 /411 PM EDT TUE JUL 28 2009/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...
NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

  SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS EVENING AHEAD OF A
  COLD FRONT. AT 300 PM CDT...THIS FRONT EXTENDED FROM THE SOUTH
  SIDE OF CHICAGO...SOUTHWESTWARD ACROSS THE OTTAWA AREA...TO NEAR
  BURLINGTON IOWA. AREAS ALREADY BEHIND THIS FRONT ARE ALL CLEAR.
  AREAS ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE BOUNDARY WILL MAINTAIN A RISK OF A
  THUNDERSTORM YET THIS EVENING...ESPECIALLY FROM NORTHWEST
  INDIANA INTO EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS.

  SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH
  TONIGHT OVER FAR SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA
  AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE OVER NORTHERN MISSOURI MOVES
  EASTWARD ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS OVERNIGHT.

  NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED...HOWEVER A FEW OF THE HEAVIER
  STORMS MAY PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY...AND AGAIN SATURDAY
INTO SUNDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NECESSARY THROUGH TONIGHT.

&&

COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE NWS CHICAGO
WEBPAGE: WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO

LMZ740>745-292015-
WINTHROP HARBOR TO WILMETTE HARBOR-
WILMETTE HARBOR TO NORTHERLY ISLAND-
NORTHERLY ISLAND TO CALUMET HARBOR-CALUMET HARBOR TO GARY-
GARY TO BURNS HARBOR-BURNS HARBOR TO MICHIGAN CITY-
311 PM CDT TUE JUL 28 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ILLINOIS NEARSHORE
WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN AND THE INDIANA NEARSHORE WATERS OF LAKE
MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY...AND AGAIN SATURDAY
NIGHT INTO SUNDAY.

&&

COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE NWS CHICAGO
WEBPAGE: WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO

LMZ080-261-362-364-366-563-565-567-669-671-673-675-777-779-868-
870-872-874-876-878-292015-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM MICHIGAN CITY IN TO ST. JOSEPH MI 5 NM
OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM SEUL CHOIX POINT TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE 5 NM
OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN SOUTH OF A LINE FROM SEUL CHOIX POINT TO THE
MACKINAC BRIDGE AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM CHARLEVOIX MI TO SOUTH
FOX ISLAND 5 NM OFFSHORE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM CHARLEVOIX TO POINT BETSIE MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO
MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM POINT BETSIE TO MANISTEE MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO
MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE TO STURGEON BAY WI-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM STURGEON BAY TO TWO RIVERS WI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO
MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM TOW RIVERS TO SHEBOYGAN WI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO
MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM SHEBOYGAN TO PORT WASHINGTON WI 5 NM OFFSHORE
TO MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM PORT WASHINGTON TO NORTH POINT LIGHT WI 5 NM
OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM NORTH POINT LIGHT TO WIND POINT WI 5 NM
OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WIND POINT WI TO WINTHROP HARBOR IL 5 NM
OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WINTHROP HARBOR TO WILMETTE HARBOR IL 5 NM
OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WILMETTE HARBOR IL TO MICHIGAN CITY IN 5 NM
OFFSHORE TO MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM PENTWATER TO MANISTEE MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID
LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WHITEHALL TO PENTWATER MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID
LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM GRAND HAVEN TO WHITEHALL MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO
MID LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM HOLLAND TO GRAND HAVEN MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID
LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM SOUTH HAVEN TO HOLLAND MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO MID
LAKE-
LAKE MICHIGAN FROM ST. JOSEPH TO SOUTH HAVEN MI 5 NM OFFSHORE TO
MID LAKE-
311 PM CDT TUE JUL 28 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE OPEN WATERS OF LAKE
MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY...AND AGAIN SATURDAY
INTO SUNDAY.

&&

COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE NWS CHICAGO
WEBPAGE: WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO

MERZLOCK

In the hours before

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Local storm report, Jul 28, 3:39 PM CDT, 28 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
339 PM CDT TUE JUL 28 2009

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

0335 PM     HAIL             1 E PAXTON              40.46N 88.08W
07/28/2009  E0.50 INCH       FORD               IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            PEA TO MARBLE SIZED HAIL ON THE EAST SIDE OF PAXTON.
            WINDS ESTIMATED TO 35 MPH.

&&

BOXELL

The office that day

Everything else NWS Chicago, IL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 27, 9:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTLee, Ogle60 min
Jul 27, 10:16 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTDeKalb, Lee74 min
Jul 27, 10:31 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLOTLee, Ogle6 hr
Jul 27, 11:00 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLOT60 min
Jul 27, 11:05 PM CDTHigh Wind WarningLOTDuPage, Lake, McHenry3 hr
Jul 27, 11:40 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTGrundy, Kendall, LaSalle, Lee95 min
Jul 27, 11:58 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLOT2 hr
Jul 28, 12:31 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLOT119 min
Jul 28, 4:51 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTIroquois54 min
Jul 28, 5:17 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTFord, Iroquois43 min
Jul 28, 6:15 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTFord, Iroquois30 min
Jul 28, 6:21 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTGrundy, Will54 min
Jul 28, 4:48 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTBenton57 min
Jul 28, 6:43 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTPorter47 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Illinois, 2009Flash Flood Warnings in Indiana, 2009Every flash flood warning in 2009

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.