Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2011

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 1, NWS Chicago, IL

March 20, 2011Winnebago County, Illinois

NWS Chicago, IL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 20, 2011, 2:16 PM CDT for Winnebago County, Illinois. It was in force for 29 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 20, 2011, 2:16 PM CDT (19:16 UTC)
Expired
Mar 20, 2011, 2:45 PM CDT
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Chicago, IL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.0 in
Wind
50.0 mph

County Winnebago County, IL

The radar

The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:15 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

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 12:00Z, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 136 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 2011-03-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 2011-03-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 528 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
885 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
528 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
614 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 severe thunderstorm 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out at Mar 20, 1:59 PM CDT, 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 1:59 PM CDT, 17 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 20, 11:21 AM CDT, 2 hours 55 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
1121 AM CDT SUN MAR 20 2011

ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>023-032-033-039-INZ001-002-010-011-019-
211630-
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-
1121 AM CDT SUN MAR 20 2011 /1221 PM EDT SUN MAR 20 2011/

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

  WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED:

  THUNDERSTORMS...SOME COULD PRODUCE:
  PEA TO QUARTER SIZED HAIL
  WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH
  OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING

  AREAS AFFECTED AND TIMING:

  SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ACROSS NORTHERN ILLINOIS
  THIS MORNING AND ACROSS THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON
  AND EVENING.

  DISCUSSION:

  THUNDERSTORMS GENERALLY ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE
  LEVELS TODAY...OCCASIONALLY PRODUCING PEA SIZED HAIL...BUT THERE
  IS A POSSIBILITY THAT A FEW STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE TOWARD
  LATE AFTERNOON OR EVENING.  A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PASSING NORTH
  OF THE AREA WILL DRAG A COLD FRONT THROUGH OVERNIGHT. INCREASING
  INSTABILITY AND LIFT AHEAD OF THE FRONT THIS EVENING...TOGETHER
  WITH THE STRONG WIND FIELD ALREADY IN PLACE...COULD SUPPORT
  SUPERCELLS WITH LARGER HAIL AND STRONG WIND GUSTS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TOMORROW NIGHT INTO
TUESDAY. WITH SEVERAL CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS
WEEK...TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS COULD REACH ONE TO TWO INCHES WITH
LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. CONDITIONS WILL NEED TO BE
MONITORED FOR RISES ON AREA STREAMS AND RIVERS WHICH COULD LEAD TO
RENEWED FLOODING PROBLEMS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

&&

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

LMZ740>745-211630-
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-
1121 AM CDT SUN MAR 20 2011

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL LEAD TO HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR SMALL
CRAFT TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR BOTH THE ILLINOIS AND INDIANA
NEARSHORE WATERS.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE MONDAY NIGHT INTO
TUESDAY.

&&

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-
870-872-874-876-878-211630-
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 TWO 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-
1121 AM CDT SUN MAR 20 2011

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE MONDAY NIGHT INTO
TUESDAY MAINLY OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE LAKE.

&&

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

LENNING

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 20, 1:43 PM CDT, 33 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 20, 1:49 PM CDT, 27 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 20, 1:51 PM CDT, 25 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 20, 1:52 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 20, 1:57 PM CDT, 19 minutes before
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Local storm report, Mar 20, 2:04 PM CDT, 12 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 20, 1:29 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLOTBoone, Ogle, Winnebago4 hr
Mar 20, 2:51 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTBoone, McHenry24 min
Mar 20, 3:07 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLOTBoone, Cook, DeKalb, Kane, Lake, McHenry and 1 more7 hr
Mar 20, 3:16 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTLake, McHenry44 min
Mar 20, 3:21 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLOT84 min
Mar 20, 4:04 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTLake26 min
Mar 20, 4:30 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTLake15 min
Mar 20, 4:42 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLOT63 min
Mar 20, 6:11 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLOT49 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 2011Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2011

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.