Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 57, NWS Paducah, KY

March 23, 2012Franklin County, Jackson County, Perry County, Illinois

NWS Paducah, KY issued this tornado warning at Mar 23, 2012, 12:18 PM CDT for Franklin County, Jackson County, Perry County, Illinois. It was in force for 42 min. 8 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 23, 2012, 12:18 PM CDT (17:18 UTC)
Expired
Mar 23, 2012, 1:00 PM CDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Paducah, KY
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Franklin County, IL, Jackson County, IL, Perry County, IL

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 107 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:21 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 23, 12:23 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUDDe Soto, ILSPOTTER REPORTS ROTATING WALL CLOUD NEAR DE SOTO
Mar 23, 12:24 PM CDTTORNADO 13 Nw De Soto, ILTHE FOLLOWING IS THE PRELIMINARY DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FOR JACKSON COUNTY ILLINOIS. * EVENT TYPE.........EF1 TORNADO * EVENT DATE.........FRIDAY MARCH 23 2012 * EVENT TIME.........BEGAN AT APPROXIMATELY 1224 PM CDT * EVENT LOCATION.....THE TORNADO BEGAN 3.5 NORTHW
Mar 23, 12:24 PM CDTTORNADO3 Nw De Soto, ILEVENT TYPE.........EF1 TORNADO EVENT DATE.........FRIDAY MARCH 23 2012 EVENT TIME.........BEGAN AT APPROXIMATELY 1224 PM CDT EVENT LOCATION.....THE TORNADO BEGAN 3.5 NORTHWEST OF DESOTO ALONG TRUAX TRAER ROAD AND TRAVELED NORTHEAST TO 3.5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DU
Mar 23, 12:30 PM CDTTORNADODowell, ILBRIEF TOUCHDOWN JUST OUTSIDE THE CITY LIMITS OF DOWELL. IT TOUCHED DOWN AND THEN WENT BACK UP INTO THE CLOUDS.
Mar 23, 12:30 PM CDTTORNADOElkville, ILPUBLIC REPORT RELAYED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OF A TORNADO NEAR TRUAX AND TRAYER ROAD.
Mar 23, 12:42 PM CDTTORNADO2 E Du Quoin, ILBRIEF ROPE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN AND GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL
Mar 23, 12:46 PM CDTHAIL 1.5Du Quoin, IL
Mar 23, 12:47 PM CDTHAIL 1.75Du Quoin, IL

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 23, 11:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 5.3 hours before the alert went out and 245 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 2012-03-23Temperature 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 2012-03-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 29 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
808 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
29 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
57 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.

918 
WFUS53 KPAH 231718
TORPAH
ILC055-077-145-231800-
/O.NEW.KPAH.TO.W.0057.120323T1718Z-120323T1800Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1218 PM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PADUCAH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN FRANKLIN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...
  NORTHEASTERN JACKSON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...
  SOUTHEASTERN PERRY COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

* UNTIL 100 PM CDT.

* AT 1217 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD
  NEAR DE SOTO...OR 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF MURPHYSBORO. A TORNADO MAY
  DEVELOP AT ANY TIME! DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THIS TORNADIC STORM
  MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNED AREA INCLUDE...
  DU QUOIN...CHRISTOPHER...BENTON...ELKVILLE...VALIER...WEST CITY...
  SESSER...DOWELL...NORTH CITY AND BUCKNER.

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 3812 8915 3805 8884 3780 8924 3784 8938
TIME...MOT...LOC 1719Z 216DEG 33KT 3784 8924

$$
2 follow-up statements
921 
WWUS53 KPAH 231734
SVSPAH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1234 PM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012

ILC055-077-145-231800-
/O.CON.KPAH.TO.W.0057.000000T0000Z-120323T1800Z/
JACKSON IL-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN IL-
1234 PM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN FRANKLIN AND
SOUTHEASTERN PERRY COUNTIES IN SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...AND
NORTHEASTERN JACKSON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNTIL 100 PM CDT...

AT 1230 PM CDT...THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR ELKVILLE...OR 7 MILES 
SOUTH OF DU QUOIN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.  AT 1231 PM...A 
BRIEF TORNADO TOUCH DOWN WAS REPORTED JUST OUTSIDE OF DOWELL.

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 3789 8922 3792 8931 3812 8915 3805 8884
TIME...MOT...LOC 1732Z 203DEG 25KT 3792 8923

$$
282 
WWUS53 KPAH 231749
SVSPAH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1249 PM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012

ILC055-077-145-231800-
/O.CON.KPAH.TO.W.0057.000000T0000Z-120323T1800Z/
JACKSON IL-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN IL-
1249 PM CDT FRI MAR 23 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN FRANKLIN AND
SOUTHEASTERN PERRY COUNTIES IN SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...AND
NORTHEASTERN JACKSON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNTIL 100 PM CDT...

AT 1246 PM CDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A TORNADO.  THIS 
TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR DU QUOIN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.  
THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS REPORTS OF TORNADO TOUCH DOWNS AND FUNNEL 
CLOUDS WITH THIS STORM.

IN ADDITION...GOLF BALL WAS REPORTED IN DU QUOIN WITH THIS STORM.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TO REPEAT...A TORNADO IS ON THE GROUND AT TIMES WITH THIS STORM. 
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 3789 8922 3792 8931 3812 8915 3805 8884
TIME...MOT...LOC 1748Z 212DEG 23KT 3802 8917

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 23, 11:14 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHJackson, Union46 min
Mar 23, 11:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHJohnson, Massac, Pope26 min
Mar 23, 11:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHJohnson, Pope, Saline, Williamson30 min
Mar 23, 11:51 AM CDTTornado WarningPAHJackson24 min
Mar 23, 12:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHHamilton, Saline, Williamson30 min
Mar 23, 12:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHMassac, Pope23 min
Mar 23, 12:55 PM CDTTornado WarningPAHFranklin, Jefferson, Perry35 min
Mar 23, 1:29 PM CDTTornado WarningPAHJefferson46 min
Mar 23, 1:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHEdwards, Wabash, Wayne, White28 min
Mar 23, 1:52 PM CDTTornado WarningPAHWayne23 min
Mar 23, 2:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHEdwards, Wabash33 min
Mar 23, 2:46 PM CDTTornado WarningPAHWayne14 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.