Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 63, NWS St. Louis, MO

August 19, 2009Fayette County, Illinois

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this tornado warning at Aug 19, 2009, 5:31 PM CDT for Fayette County, Illinois. It was in force for 26 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Aug 19, 2009, 5:31 PM CDT (22:31 UTC)
Expired: Aug 19, 2009, 5:57 PM CDT
In force: 26 min
Issued by: NWS St. Louis, MO
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Fayette County, IL

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 131 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:31 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Aug 19, 5:33 PM CDT	HAIL 0.75	Vandalia, IL
Aug 19, 5:35 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	1 S Vandalia, IL	NUMEROUS TREE LIMBS AND DEBRIS COVERING HIGHWAY 51 SOUTH OF VANDALIA.
Aug 19, 5:45 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Vandalia, IL	NUMEROUS BRANCHES AND TREES DOWN IN VANDALIA. POWER OUT TO PART OF TOWN. QUARTER SIZE HAIL ALSO REPORTED.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 128 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: 272 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 766 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 95 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 137 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KLSX 192231
TORLSX
ILC051-192315-
/O.NEW.KLSX.TO.W.0063.090819T2231Z-090819T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
531 PM CDT WED AUG 19 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST LOUIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  FAYETTE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

* UNTIL 615 PM CDT

* AT 529 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS
  STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR VANDALIA...AND MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  VANDALIA...
  SHOBONIER...
  BROWNSTOWN...
  ST. ELMO...
  WRIGHTS CORNER...
  AVENA...
  ST. PETER...
  ST. JAMES...
  LOOGOOTEE...
  LA CLEDE...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF IN MOBILE HOMES
OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF
NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE... LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

NUMEROUS REPORTS OF HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF GOLFBALLS AND TREE DAMAGE 
HAVE BEEN RECEIVED WITH THIS STORM.

&&

LAT...LON 3886 8917 3903 8924 3922 8889 3922 8881
      3921 8880 3911 8880 3892 8881 3892 8870
      3887 8870
TIME...MOT...LOC 2231Z 254DEG 16KT 3893 8913

$$

KANOFSKY

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS53 KLSX 192249
SVSLSX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
549 PM CDT WED AUG 19 2009

ILC051-192315-
/O.CON.KLSX.TO.W.0063.000000T0000Z-090819T2315Z/
FAYETTE IL-
549 PM CDT WED AUG 19 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM CDT FOR FAYETTE
COUNTY...

AT 548 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR VANDALIA...MOVING
EAST AT 20 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
BROWNSTOWN...ST. ELMO...WRIGHTS CORNER...AVENA...ST. JAMES...
LOOGOOTEE AND LA CLEDE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF IN MOBILE HOMES
OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF
NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE... LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

NUMEROUS REPORTS OF TREE DAMAGE AND HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF GOLFBALLS 
HAVE BEEN RECEIVED WITH THIS STORM.

&&

LAT...LON 3886 8917 3903 8924 3922 8889 3922 8881
      3921 8880 3911 8880 3892 8881 3892 8870
      3887 8870
TIME...MOT...LOC 2248Z 254DEG 16KT 3895 8904

$$

KANOFSKY

000 
WWUS53 KLSX 192257
SVSLSX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
557 PM CDT WED AUG 19 2009

ILC051-192306-
/O.CAN.KLSX.TO.W.0063.000000T0000Z-090819T2315Z/
FAYETTE IL-
557 PM CDT WED AUG 19 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR FAYETTE COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THIS WARNING HAS WEAKENED AND NO LONGER 
APPEARED TO BE SEVERE...HOWEVER...SEVERE WEATHER IS STILL OCCURRING 
ELSEWHERE IN THE AREA.

LAT...LON 3886 8917 3903 8924 3922 8889 3922 8881
      3921 8880 3911 8880 3892 8881 3892 8870
      3887 8870
TIME...MOT...LOC 2256Z 254DEG 16KT 3896 8899

$$

KANOFSKY

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 19, 1:08 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LSX	Adams	37 min
Aug 19, 1:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LSX	Adams, Brown	23 min
Aug 19, 1:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LSX	Adams, Pike	19 min
Aug 19, 1:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LSX	Brown	15 min
Aug 19, 1:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LSX	Pike	24 min
Aug 19, 1:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LSX	Brown	25 min
Aug 19, 1:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LSX	Greene, Pike	17 min
Aug 19, 2:14 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LSX	Greene	16 min
Aug 19, 2:32 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LSX	Greene	13 min
Aug 19, 2:47 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LSX	Macoupin	13 min
Aug 19, 3:08 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LSX	Macoupin, Montgomery	22 min
Aug 19, 3:20 PM CDT	Flash Flood Watch	LSX	Adams, Bond, Brown, Calhoun, Clinton, Fayette and 10 more	13 hr
Aug 19, 3:34 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LSX	Macoupin, Montgomery	22 min
Aug 19, 4:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LSX	Fayette, Montgomery	39 min
Aug 19, 4:49 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LSX	Bond, Fayette	26 min
Aug 19, 5:13 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LSX	Bond, Fayette	32 min
Aug 19, 5:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LSX	Bond, Montgomery	23 min
Aug 19, 5:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	LSX	Fayette	48 min
Aug 19, 6:14 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	LSX	Fayette	46 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 2009 Every tornado warning in 2009 Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.