Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 33, NWS Paducah, KY

March 2, 2012Franklin County, Hamilton County, Saline County, Illinois

NWS Paducah, KY issued this tornado warning at Mar 2, 2012, 11:37 AM CST for Franklin County, Hamilton County, Saline County, Illinois. It was in force for 23 min. 4 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
Mar 2, 2012, 11:37 AM CST (17:37 UTC)
Expired
Mar 2, 2012, 12:00 PM CST
In force
23 min
Issued by
NWS Paducah, KY
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Franklin County, IL, Hamilton County, IL, Saline County, IL

The radar

The Evansville,IN radar (KVWX), 93 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:38 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 2, 11:39 AM CSTHAIL 0.75West Frankfort, IL
Mar 2, 11:41 AM CSTFUNNEL CLOUDWest Frankfort, ILGOLF BALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED WITH THIS STORM.
Mar 2, 11:41 AM CSTHAIL 1West Frankfort, ILQUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED WITH NEAR ZERO VISIBILITY.
Mar 2, 11:48 AM CSTFUNNEL CLOUDThompsonville, ILFUNNEL CLOUD IS GOING UP AND DOWN.

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

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Mar 2, 9:54 AM CSTTornado Watch PDSSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 5.6 hours before the alert went out and 243 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 2012-03-02Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2012-03-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 76 square meters per square second.1939587897117136156Sfc1 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
1770 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
76 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
163 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

903 
WFUS53 KPAH 021737
TORPAH
ILC055-065-165-021800-
/O.NEW.KPAH.TO.W.0033.120302T1737Z-120302T1800Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1137 AM CST FRI MAR 2 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PADUCAH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN FRANKLIN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...
  SOUTHWESTERN HAMILTON COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...
  NORTHWESTERN SALINE COUNTY IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...

* UNTIL NOON CST.

* AT 1135 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS
  STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR WEST FRANKFORT...AND MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

  THIS TORNADO WILL HIT WEST FRANKFORT BY 1145 AM. 

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNED AREA INCLUDE...
  WEST FRANKFORT...THOMPSONVILLE AND HANAFORD.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3809 8857 3788 8851 3787 8898 3791 8900
TIME...MOT...LOC 1736Z 251DEG 45KT 3790 8896

$$
1 follow-up statement
649 
WWUS53 KPAH 021751
SVSPAH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1151 AM CST FRI MAR 2 2012

ILC055-065-165-021800-
/O.CON.KPAH.TO.W.0033.000000T0000Z-120302T1800Z/
SALINE IL-FRANKLIN IL-HAMILTON IL-
1151 AM CST FRI MAR 2 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWESTERN HAMILTON AND
EAST CENTRAL FRANKLIN COUNTIES IN SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...AND
NORTHWESTERN SALINE COUNTY IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNTIL NOON CST...

A FUNNEL CLOUD HAS JUST BEEN REPORTED AT 1149 AM BOUNCING UP AND 
DOWN NEAR THOMPSONVILLE. THIS FUNNEL CLOUD IS MOVING RAPIDLY EAST.

AT 1143 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS 
STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR THOMPSONVILLE...OR 5 MILES EAST OF WEST 
FRANKFORT...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

THIS STORM PRODUCED GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL AND A FUNNEL CLOUD AS IT 
PASSED OVER WEST FRANKFORT.

THE TORNADIC CIRCULATION WILL MOVE QUICKLY EAST ALONG THE COUNTY 
LINE OF HAMILTON AND SALINE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3809 8857 3788 8851 3789 8884 3794 8885
TIME...MOT...LOC 1747Z 257DEG 49KT 3793 8877

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 2, 1:30 AM CSTWind AdvisoryPAHAlexander, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin and 13 more19 hr
Mar 2, 11:12 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHFranklin, Jackson, Williamson33 min
Mar 2, 11:33 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHFranklin, Jackson, Williamson42 min
Mar 2, 11:44 AM CSTTornado WarningPAHFranklin, Hamilton, Saline, Williamson31 min
Mar 2, 12:02 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHEdwards, Hamilton, White28 min
Mar 2, 12:03 PM CSTTornado WarningPAHAlexander, Pulaski, Union42 min
Mar 2, 12:07 PM CSTTornado WarningPAHHamilton, White38 min
Mar 2, 12:29 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHWabash, White46 min
Mar 2, 12:39 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHJohnson, Union36 min
Mar 2, 12:42 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHAlexander, Pulaski33 min
Mar 2, 12:53 PM CSTTornado WarningPAHJohnson, Pope22 min
Mar 2, 12:58 PM CSTTornado WarningPAHWhite24 min
Mar 2, 1:09 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHMassac, Pulaski20 min
Mar 2, 1:11 PM CSTTornado WarningPAHGallatin, Hardin, Pope, Saline34 min
Mar 2, 1:23 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHMassac, Pope22 min
Mar 2, 1:28 PM CSTTornado WarningPAHGallatin32 min
Mar 2, 1:38 PM CSTTornado WarningPAHMassac37 min
Mar 2, 1:49 PM CSTTornado WarningPAHMassac, Pope26 min
Mar 2, 1:54 PM CSTTornado WarningPAHHardin36 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 2012Every tornado warning in 2012Tornadoes in 2012

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.