Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2019

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 22, NWS Chicago, IL

May 16, 2019Lee County, Illinois

NWS Chicago, IL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 16, 2019, 9:57 PM CDT for Lee County, Illinois. It was in force for 33 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 16, 2019, 9:57 PM CDT (02:57 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 2019, 10:30 PM CDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Chicago, IL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.25 in
Wind
50.0 mph

County Lee County, IL

The radar

The Chicago radar (KLOT), 102 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:00 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 16, 7:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 00:00Z, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 101 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 00:00Z on 2019-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2335 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2019-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 44 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2335 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1972 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
64 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.8

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 May 16, 6:57 PM CDT, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 16, 6:57 PM CDT, 3 hours before
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Hazardous weather outlook, May 16, 3:40 PM CDT, 6 hours 17 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville IL
340 PM CDT Thu May 16 2019

ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>023-032-033-039-INZ001-002-010-011-019-
172045-
Winnebago-Boone-McHenry-Lake-Ogle-Lee-De Kalb-Kane-DuPage-Cook-
La Salle-Kendall-Grundy-Will-Kankakee-Livingston-Iroquois-Ford-
Porter-Newton-Jasper-Benton-
340 PM CDT Thu May 16 2019 /440 PM EDT Thu May 16 2019/

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of North Central
Illinois...Northeast Illinois and Northwest Indiana.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Weather hazards expected...

  Elevated Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
     Elevated hail risk...up to quarter size.
     Elevated damaging wind risk...up to 60 mph.
  Limited Flooding Risk.
  Limited Fog Risk.

DISCUSSION...

A conditional severe thunderstorm threat remains for mid to late evening
and into the early overnight hours. The atmosphere is stable in wake
of earlier storms, but should quickly recover again tonight. Initial storms
would be capable of strong winds and large hail. The threat may shift
to very heavy rainfall and localized flooding potential overnight.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday.

Friday and Saturday...
  Limited Severe Thunderstorm Risk.
  Limited Flooding Risk.
Sunday...
  Limited Severe Thunderstorm Risk.
Monday...
  Limited Thunderstorm Risk.
Tuesday...
  Elevated Thunderstorm Risk.
Wednesday...
  Limited Thunderstorm Risk.

DISCUSSION:

Thunderstorms should be ongoing Friday morning, with the axis of
the strongest, and potentially severe, storms should be roughly
along and north of the I-80 corridor. The area of thunderstorms should
lift north through the day and into southern Wisconsin Friday evening.
Training thunderstorms may produce areas of heavy rainfall, with
flooding possible. Some storms may be strong to severe, producing
large hail and damaging winds.

Periods of thunderstorms are expected through the weekend and into
next week. There may be additional periodic chances for severe
thunderstorms, with the greatest chances on Sunday and then Tuesday
into Tuesday night.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

  Spotters may be needed late this evening.

GENERAL STORM MOTION OF THE DAY:

  Moving toward the southeast at 40 mph.

LMZ740>745-172045-
Winthrop Harbor to Wilmette Harbor IL-
Wilmette Harbor to Northerly Island IL-
Northerly Island to Calumet Harbor IL-
Calumet Harbor IL to Gary IN-Gary to Burns Harbor IN-
Burns Harbor to Michigan City IN-
340 PM CDT Thu May 16 2019

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of the Illinois
nearshore waters of Lake Michigan and the Indiana nearshore
waters of Lake Michigan.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Weather hazards expected...

  Elevated Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
     Elevated hail risk...up to quarter size.
     Elevated thunderstorm wind gust risk...up to 40 knots.
  Elevated Fog Risk.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday.

Friday...
  Limited Severe Thunderstorm Risk.
Saturday...
  Limited Thunderstorm Risk.
Sunday...
  Hazardous conditions for small craft are likely.
  Elevated Thunderstorm Risk.
Tuesday and Wednesday...
  Hazardous conditions for small craft are likely.
  Limited Thunderstorm Risk.

KMD

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In the hours before

Local storm report, May 16, 4:20 PM CDT, 5 hours 37 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 16, 7:24 PM CDT, 2 hours 33 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 16, 8:08 PM CDT, 1 hour 49 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 16, 9:35 PM CDT, 22 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
935 PM CDT THU MAY 16 2019

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

0923 PM     HAIL             FRANKLIN GROVE          41.84N 89.30W
05/16/2019  M1.50 INCH       LEE                IL   PUBLIC

&&
Local storm report, May 16, 9:46 PM CDT, 11 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
946 PM CDT THU MAY 16 2019

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

0929 PM     HAIL             1 SSE ASHTON            41.86N 89.22W
05/16/2019  M1.75 INCH       LEE                IL   PUBLIC

            I-88 NEAR ASHTON.

&&

MB
Local storm report, May 16, 9:49 PM CDT, 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
949 PM CDT THU MAY 16 2019

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

0948 PM     HAIL             1 S STEWARD             41.83N 89.02W
05/16/2019  M1.00 INCH       LEE                IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 8:13 PM CDTRiver Flood AdvisoryLOTKankakee3 days
May 16, 8:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTLee46 min
May 16, 9:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTDeKalb, Lee40 min
May 16, 9:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTDeKalb, Kane, Kendall36 min
May 16, 10:04 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTKendall26 min
May 16, 10:15 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTKendall15 min
May 16, 10:33 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLOTLee3 hr
May 16, 10:35 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTCook25 min
May 16, 10:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTCook36 min
May 16, 11:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTLee43 min
May 16, 11:14 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLOTLee4 hr
May 16, 11:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTDeKalb, Lee43 min
May 16, 11:31 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTDuPage14 min
May 16, 11:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTDeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Will61 min
May 16, 11:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTCook23 min
May 16, 11:53 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLOT97 min
May 17, 12:27 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTCook, DuPage50 min
May 17, 12:42 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTLee36 min
May 17, 12:45 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLOT2 hr
May 17, 3:51 AM CDTSmall Craft AdvisoryLOT18 hr
May 17, 9:22 AM CDTRiver Flood AdvisoryLOTKane, Kendall31 hr
May 16, 8:13 PM CDTRiver Flood AdvisoryLOTNewton5 days
May 16, 11:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTLake, Porter40 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 2019Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2019

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.