Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Paducah, KY

February 29, 20124 counties in Illinois

NWS Paducah, KY issued this tornado warning at Feb 29, 2012, 4:08 AM CST for 4 counties in Illinois. It was in force for 22 min. 2 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
Feb 29, 2012, 4:08 AM CST (10:08 UTC)
Expired
Feb 29, 2012, 4:30 AM CST
In force
22 min
Issued by
NWS Paducah, KY
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Jackson County, IL, Johnson County, IL, Union County, IL, Williamson County, IL

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 63 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:10 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
Feb 29, 4:22 AM CSTHAIL 14 S Carbondale, ILQUARTER SIZE HAIL. POWER OUTAGES REPORTED IN THE AREA.
Feb 29, 4:40 AM CSTHAIL 0.756 S Marion, ILDIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED SOUTH OF MARION ILLINOIS.

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
Feb 29, 1:14 AM CSTTornado WatchSPC11 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 275 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 2012-02-29Temperature 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 2012-02-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 171 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
1873 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
171 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
309 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.

356 
WFUS53 KPAH 291008
TORPAH
ILC077-087-181-199-291030-
/O.NEW.KPAH.TO.W.0006.120229T1008Z-120229T1030Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
408 AM CST WED FEB 29 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PADUCAH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN JACKSON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...
  NORTHWESTERN JOHNSON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...
  NORTHERN UNION COUNTY IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...
  SOUTHWESTERN WILLIAMSON COUNTY IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...

* UNTIL 430 AM CST.

* AT 406 AM CST...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A POSSIBLE 
TORNADO 7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GRAND TOWER...OR 11 MILES NORTHWEST OF 
JONESBORO. DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THIS POSSIBLE TORNADO MOVING EAST AT 
55 MPH.  STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS REPORTED IN OAK RIDGE.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNED AREA INCLUDE...
  CEDAR LAKE AREA...COBDEN...GOREVILLE...LAKE OF EGYPT AREA...ALTO
  PASS AND MAKANDA.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 57 BETWEEN EXITS 36 AND 53.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TO REPEAT...A TORNADO IS ON THE GROUND. 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.

TORNADOES ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE AND CONFIRM AT NIGHT. TAKE COVER NOW.

&&

LAT...LON 3749 8884 3748 8948 3764 8948 3773 8896
TIME...MOT...LOC 1007Z 260DEG 49KT 3756 8942

$$
1 follow-up statement
782 
WWUS53 KPAH 291019
SVSPAH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
419 AM CST WED FEB 29 2012

ILC077-087-181-199-291030-
/O.CON.KPAH.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-120229T1030Z/
JACKSON IL-JOHNSON IL-UNION IL-WILLIAMSON IL-
419 AM CST WED FEB 29 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWESTERN WILLIAMSON...
NORTHEASTERN UNION...NORTHWESTERN JOHNSON AND SOUTHEASTERN JACKSON
COUNTIES IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNTIL 430 AM CST...

AT 415 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS
STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR COBDEN...OR 9 MILES NORTH OF ANNA...MOVING 
EAST AT 55 MPH.  THIS STORM CAUSED STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WHILE MOVING 
THROUGH NORTHERN CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY.

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.

TORNADOES ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE AT NIGHT. TAKE COVER NOW.

&&

LAT...LON 3751 8929 3767 8932 3773 8896 3749 8884
TIME...MOT...LOC 1019Z 260DEG 49KT 3760 8920

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 28, 10:36 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHGallatin, White24 min
Feb 29, 3:43 AM CSTTornado WarningPAHUnion32 min
Feb 29, 4:25 AM CSTTornado WarningPAHJackson, Johnson, Saline, Union, Williamson35 min
Feb 29, 4:43 AM CSTTornado WarningPAHGallatin, Saline, Williamson32 min
Feb 29, 4:46 AM CSTTornado WarningPAHAlexander, Pulaski29 min
Feb 29, 5:04 AM CSTTornado WarningPAHGallatin, Saline, White26 min
Feb 29, 5:14 AM CSTTornado WarningPAHMassac, Pulaski31 min
Feb 29, 5:16 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHAlexander29 min
Feb 29, 5:46 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHMassac, Pope29 min
Feb 29, 5:50 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHMassac, Pope16 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.