Alert archive / Illinois / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1384

July 29, 20219 counties in Illinois; 6 counties in Wisconsin

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Jul 29, 2021, 1:34 AM CDT for 9 counties in Illinois; 6 counties in Wisconsin. It was in force for 86 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 29, 2021, 1:34 AM CDT (06:34 UTC)
Expired
Jul 29, 2021, 3:00 AM CDT
In force
86 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe thunderstorm watch 399...400

Counties Boone County, IL, Cook County, IL, DeKalb County, IL, DuPage County, IL, Kane County, IL, Kendall County, IL, Lake County, IL, McHenry County, IL, Winnebago County, IL, Kenosha County, WI, Milwaukee County, WI, Racine County, WI, Rock County, WI, Walworth County, WI, Waukesha County, WI

The radar

The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:32 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 nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 00:00Z, 6.6 hours before the alert went out and 201 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 2021-07-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4022 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 2021-07-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 52 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
4022 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-33 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1022 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
52 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
90 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.0
Supercell composite
6.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

846 
ACUS11 KWNS 290634
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 290634 
INZ000-ILZ000-WIZ000-290800-

Mesoscale Discussion 1384
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0134 AM CDT Thu Jul 29 2021

Areas affected...Portions of southeastern WI and northeastern
IL...including Chicago

Concerning...Severe Thunderstorm Watch 399...400...

Valid 290634Z - 290800Z

The severe weather threat for Severe Thunderstorm Watch 399, 400
continues.

SUMMARY...The greatest threat for 60-75 mph wind gusts and perhaps a
tornado will likely focus across portions of southeastern Wisconsin
and northeastern Illinois in the short term.

DISCUSSION...Radar imagery from KMKX has recently shown a bookend
vortex with at least one prior CC minimum moving from Jefferson into
Waukesha counties in southeastern WI around 0615-0630Z. With ample
low-level shear still present ahead of the ongoing MCS across
southern WI and to the south of a warm front located over Lake
Michigan and Lower MI, a threat for a tornado or two embedded within
the MCS will likely persist in the short term. Otherwise, scattered
severe/damaging winds of 60-75 mph will impact a greater portion of
southeastern WI into northeastern IL, as 1500-2500 J/kg of MLCAPE
and a rich low-level airmass are present across this area. The apex
of the bow appears to be moving southward around 35-45 kt, and the
overall severe threat is expected to increase across northeastern
IL, including the Chicago metro, over the next couple of hours (by 3
AM CDT).

..Gleason.. 07/29/2021

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...LOT...MKX...

LAT...LON   42808935 41968929 41568849 41568753 41848747 42308771
            42728768 42958767 43178824 42948870 42808935

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 29, 12:32 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoone, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy and 11 more88 min
Jul 29, 1:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBoone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage and 18 more5 hr
Jul 29, 3:18 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee and 4 more87 min
Jul 29, 2:19 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Brown, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark and 34 more116 min
Jul 28, 7:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Watch PDSSPCAdams, Barron, Brown, Buffalo, Burnett, Calumet and 61 more7 hr
Jul 28, 8:59 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCChippewa, Clark, Eau Claire, Jackson, Monroe, Trempealeau61 min
Jul 28, 9:51 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCEau Claire, Jackson, Monroe54 min
Jul 28, 10:17 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBuffalo, Dunn, Pepin, Pierce, Saint Croix58 min
Jul 28, 11:24 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Buffalo, Calumet, Columbia, Crawford, Dane and 34 more96 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Illinois, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Wisconsin, 2021Every mesoscale discussion in 2021

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.