Alert archive / Kentucky / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2011

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 224, NWS Paducah, KY

May 25, 201112 counties in Kentucky; Hardin County, Massac County, Pope County, Illinois

NWS Paducah, KY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 25, 2011, 7:28 PM CDT for 12 counties in Kentucky; Hardin County, Massac County, Pope County, Illinois. It was in force for 47 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: May 25, 2011, 7:28 PM CDT (00:28 UTC)
Expired: May 25, 2011, 8:15 PM CDT
In force: 47 min
Issued by: NWS Paducah, KY
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 1.0 in
Wind: 80.0 mph

Counties Hardin County, IL, Massac County, IL, Pope County, IL, Ballard County, KY, Caldwell County, KY, Calloway County, KY, Carlisle County, KY, Crittenden County, KY, Fulton County, KY, Graves County, KY, Hickman County, KY, Livingston County, KY, Lyon County, KY, Marshall County, KY, McCracken County, KY

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 22 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:27 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 watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 25, 11:09 AM CDT	Tornado Watch PDS	SPC	10 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 199 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: 1870 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1479 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 212 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 334 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.5
Supercell composite: 14.1

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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 25, 1:36 PM CDT, 5 hours 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 25, 1:36 PM CDT, 5 hours 52 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
136 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011

.DISCUSSION...
BIGGEST CHALLENGE WILL BE THE DETAILS ASSOCIATED WITH A
POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK OVER THE NEXT 10-12
HOURS OR SO.

WILL KEEP THIS BRIEF WITH ONSET OF SEVERE WEATHER IMMINENT. STRONG
SFC AND UPPER LOW MOVING EASTWARD OUT OF THE PLAINS WILL PUSH A
COLD FRONT ACROSS OUR CWA THIS EVENING. IN THE MEANTIME...WITH
SFC TEMPS IN THE LOW 80S AND SFC DEWPOINTS NEAR 70...THE ATMOSPHERE
HAS BECOME VERY UNSTABLE ACROSS THE AREA. THIS COMBINED WITH
FAVORABLE DEEP LAYER SHEAR...JET DYNAMICS...AND HUGE AMOUNTS OF
CAPE AND HELICITY HAS SET THE STAGE FOR A WIDESPREAD OUTBREAK OF
SEVERE WEATHER INCLUDING LARGE LONG-TRACK TORNADOES...VERY LARGE
HAIL...AND INTENSE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS (DOWNBURSTS).

LATEST RADAR IMAGES ARE SHOWING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER
THE NORTHEAST SECTIONS OF OUR CWA...BUT THESE STORMS HAVE
REMAINED BELOW SEVERE LEVELS SO FAR. THE LACK OF CONVECTION
ELSEWHERE ACROSS OUR CWA CORRESPONDS WELL TO A POCKET OF 9-10C
WARM AIR IN THE MID LEVELS. THE THINKING IS THAT AS THE SEVERE
CONVECTION TO OUR WEST BEGINS TO MOVE INTO THE WESTERN SECTIONS
WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS...THE CAP WILL BE BROKEN AND
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE VERY RAPID AND INTENSE.

MOST LIKELY SCENARIO WILL BE DISCREET SUPERCELLS THIS AFTERNOON
INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS...THEN A LINE (QLCS) OF THUNDERSTORMS
WITH EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS THROUGH THE REST OF THE EVENING. EACH
NEW MODEL RUN CONTINUES TO SPEED UP THE EASTWARD PROGRESS OF THIS
SYSTEM...SO THE LATEST THINKING IS THAT THE THREAT FOR SEVERE
WEATHER WILL CLEAR THE EASTERN SECTIONS OF OUR CWA SHORTLY AFTER
MIDNIGHT.

PRECIP CHANCES WILL LINGER INTO THURSDAY NIGHT ON THE BACK SIDE OF
THIS SYSTEM. AFTER A BRIEF RESPITE ON FRIDAY...THE COMBINATION OF
UPPER LEVEL ENERGY AND THE APPROACH OF A FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL BRING
PRECIP CHANCES TO THE HEARTLAND FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY.

BEYOND SATURDAY AN UPPER RIDGE ESTABLISHES ITSELF OVER OUR AREA
THROUGH THE REST OF THE PERIOD...ESPECIALLY PER THE ECMWF. THE GFS
CRANKS OUT A BIT OF PRECIP NEXT WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS
IT DROPS A FRONT INTO OUR AREA. THE ECMWF CONTINUES TO KEEP THE
RIDGE OVER OUR AREA WITH NO PRECIP SO FOR NOW WILL KEEP IT DRY.

&&
.AVIATION...
SEVERE STORMS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE IN COVERAGE DURING THE
AFTERNOON...PEAKING WITH THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT THIS EVENING.
HIGHEST CHANCES FOR CONVECTION AT EACH TAF SITE APPEAR TO BE LATE IN
THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY IN THE EVENING. HOWEVER...ISOLATED
SUPERCELLS COULD OCCUR AT ANY TIME. IN ADDITION TO LOCALLY DAMAGING
WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE. THE CONVECTION WILL
END WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE FRONT LATE THIS EVENING. SOME LOW CLOUDS
WILL ARRIVE BY 12Z THURSDAY...WITH MVFR CIGS LIKELY DURING THE
MORNING.

&&

.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KY...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR BALLARD-
     CALDWELL-CALLOWAY-CARLISLE-CHRISTIAN-CRITTENDEN-DAVIESS-
     FULTON-GRAVES-HENDERSON-HICKMAN-HOPKINS-LIVINGSTON-LYON-
     MARSHALL-MCCRACKEN-MCLEAN-MUHLENBERG-TODD-TRIGG-UNION KY-
     WEBSTER.

MO...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR BOLLINGER-
     BUTLER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-CARTER-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID-PERRY
     MO-RIPLEY-SCOTT-STODDARD-WAYNE MO.

IL...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR ALEXANDER-
     EDWARDS-FRANKLIN-GALLATIN-HAMILTON-HARDIN-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-
     JOHNSON-MASSAC-PERRY IL-POPE-PULASKI-SALINE-UNION IL-WABASH-
     WAYNE IL-WHITE-WILLIAMSON.

IN...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR GIBSON-PIKE-
     POSEY-SPENCER-VANDERBURGH-WARRICK.

&&

MY/JAP

Hazardous weather outlook, May 25, 8:13 AM CDT, 11 hours 15 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
813 AM CDT WED MAY 25 2011

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-
100-107>112-114-261315-
JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON-
WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION IL-JOHNSON-POPE-
HARDIN-ALEXANDER-PULASKI-MASSAC-GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-VANDERBURGH-
WARRICK-SPENCER-FULTON-HICKMAN-CARLISLE-BALLARD-MCCRACKEN-GRAVES-
LIVINGSTON-MARSHALL-CALLOWAY-CRITTENDEN-LYON-TRIGG-CALDWELL-
UNION KY-WEBSTER-HOPKINS-CHRISTIAN-HENDERSON-DAVIESS-MCLEAN-
MUHLENBERG-TODD-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-WAYNE MO-CARTER-
RIPLEY-BUTLER-STODDARD-SCOTT-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID-
813 AM CDT WED MAY 25 2011

...AREA UPGRADED TO HIGH RISK...
...WIDESPREAD SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THE ENTIRE QUAD STATE AREA IS IN A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER
TODAY AND TONIGHT. THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...AS
THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR A SIGNIFICANT AND WIDESPREAD SEVERE
WEATHER EVENT ACROSS THE REGION. SOME LOCATIONS MAY EXPERIENCE 2
OR 3 SEPARATE ROUNDS OF SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH THIS EVENING.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...POSSIBLY AS EARLY AS THE LATE MORNING HOURS.
VERY STRONG WIND FIELDS AND PLENTIFUL INSTABILITY WILL ALLOW THE
STORMS TO QUICKLY BECOME SEVERE...WITH LARGE HAIL...STRONG
TORNADOES...AND DAMAGING WINDS. THE STORMS WILL MOVE RAPIDLY
NORTHEAST ACROSS THE QUAD STATE REGION THROUGH THE AFTERNOON.
OTHER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP FARTHER EAST ACROSS THE
AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON.

FINALLY...A LINE OF SEVERE STORMS WITH AN INCREASING DAMAGING WIND
THREAT WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA AROUND 5
PM...AND THEN SWEEP THROUGH THE ENTIRE AREA THROUGH THE EVENING.
TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL...AND HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE
WITH THIS LINE. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT SHOULD BE EAST OF THE
ENTIRE AREA BY MIDNIGHT.

OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORMS...STRONG SOUTH WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO GUST
25 TO 35 MPH THROUGH THE DAY AND INTO THE EARLY EVENING. CONSULT
THE LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AS AN UPPER LEVEL LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES EAST THROUGH THE REGION THURSDAY. ANY
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE LIMITS.

ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE AREA WITH
A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY NIGHT. AT THIS TIME...SEVERE
WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL MOST LIKELY BE NEEDED THROUGHOUT THE AREA
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

DRS/PS

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 25, 7:15 PM CDT, 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
715 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011

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

0356 PM     TORNADO          ELLSINORE               36.93N 90.75W
05/25/2011                   CARTER             MO   OTHER FEDERAL

            ...UPDATE 715PM...TORNADO WAS 0.5 TO 0.75 MILES WIDE AT
            TIMES. WENT THROUGH THE ENTIRE COUNTY AND INTO WAYNE
            COUNTY. MULTIPLE HOMES DESTROYED. HUNDREDS OF ACRES OF
            DOWNED AND SNAPPED TREES COUNTYWIND BLOCKING MULTIPLE
            ROADWAYS. NO KNOWN INJURIES AT THIS TIME.

&&

SMITTY

Local storm report, May 25, 7:16 PM CDT, 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
716 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011

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

0714 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 N DIXON SPRINGS       37.41N 88.67W
05/25/2011                   POPE               IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SEVERAL TREES DOWN WITH WIND GUSTS ESTIMATED AT 70 MPH.

&&

SMITTY

Local storm report, May 25, 7:20 PM CDT, 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
720 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011

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

0710 PM     TSTM WND DMG     4 W CALVERT CITY        37.03N 88.43W
05/25/2011                   MARSHALL           KY   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TREES AND LIMBS DOWN ALONG INTERSTATE 24 NEAR MILE MARKER
            21.

&&

SMITTY

Local storm report, May 25, 7:22 PM CDT, 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
722 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011

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

0722 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     5 E MCLEANSBORO         38.09N 88.44W
05/25/2011                   HAMILTON           IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTED NEAR THE COMMUNITY OF THACKERAY.

&&

SMITTY

Local storm report, May 25, 7:23 PM CDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
723 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011

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

0700 PM     TSTM WND DMG     3 E VIENNA              37.41N 88.84W
05/25/2011                   JOHNSON            IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            LATE REPORT...DESTORYED SHED WITH MULTIPLE TREES DOWN
            WITH SOME UPROOTED AND SNAPPED.

&&

SMITTY

Local storm report, May 25, 7:26 PM CDT, 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
726 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011

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

0725 PM     TSTM WND GST     WEST PADUCAH            37.08N 88.74W
05/25/2011  M70 MPH          MCCRACKEN          KY   ASOS

            REPORTED AT BARKLEY REGIONAL AIRPORT.

&&

SMITTY

The office that day

Everything else NWS Paducah, KY issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 25, 7:02 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, McCracken	28 min
May 25, 7:27 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Henderson, Union	33 min
May 25, 7:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Union	65 min
May 25, 7:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Daviess, Henderson	55 min
May 25, 8:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Caldwell, Calloway, Christian, Crittenden, Graves, Hopkins and 5 more	38 min
May 25, 8:14 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Calloway, Graves, Marshall	17 min
May 25, 8:15 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Henderson	18 min
May 25, 8:37 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Daviess	23 min
May 25, 8:38 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Caldwell, Lyon, Trigg	19 min
May 25, 8:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Daviess, Henderson	65 min
May 25, 8:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Caldwell, Calloway, Christian, Crittenden, Hopkins, Lyon and 5 more	63 min
May 25, 8:52 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Daviess	23 min
May 25, 8:53 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PAH	Caldwell, Calloway, Christian, Daviess, Henderson, Hopkins and 7 more	3 hr
May 25, 8:53 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Caldwell, Christian, Hopkins, Trigg	22 min
May 25, 8:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Daviess	32 min
May 25, 9:02 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Calloway, Trigg	43 min
May 25, 9:27 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Daviess	18 min
May 25, 9:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Christian, Muhlenberg, Todd, Trigg	64 min
May 25, 9:43 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Christian, Trigg	32 min
May 25, 7:08 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Edwards, Wabash, Wayne, White	37 min
May 25, 7:41 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Wabash	34 min
May 26, 10:49 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	PAH	Jackson	7 days
May 25, 7:02 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Cape Girardeau, Scott	28 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kentucky, 2011 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 2011 Every 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.