Alert archive / Illinois / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1492

August 11, 20215 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Aug 11, 2021, 7:35 PM CDT for 5 states. It was in force for 85 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 11, 2021, 7:35 PM CDT (00:35 UTC)
Expired
Aug 11, 2021, 9:00 PM CDT
In force
85 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch possible
Chance of a watch
40%
All 38 counties

Clinton County, IA, Jackson County, IA, Scott County, IA, Boone County, IL, Bureau County, IL, Carroll County, IL, Cook County, IL, DeKalb County, IL, DuPage County, IL, Grundy County, IL, Henry County, IL, Kane County, IL, Kendall County, IL, Knox County, IL, Lake County, IL, LaSalle County, IL, Lee County, IL, Marshall County, IL, McHenry County, IL, Mercer County, IL, Ogle County, IL, Putnam County, IL, Rock Island County, IL, Stark County, IL, Stephenson County, IL, Warren County, IL, Whiteside County, IL, Will County, IL, Winnebago County, IL, Lake County, IN, LaPorte County, IN, Porter County, IN, Saint Joseph County, IN, Berrien County, MI, Cass County, MI, Van Buren County, MI, Kenosha County, WI, Walworth County, WI

The radar

The Chicago radar (KLOT), 96 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:37 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 watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 114 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 2021-08-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3462 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 2021-08-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 103 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
3462 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-49 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1034 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
103 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
233 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

478 
ACUS11 KWNS 120036
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 120035 
MIZ000-INZ000-ILZ000-WIZ000-IAZ000-120200-

Mesoscale Discussion 1492
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0735 PM CDT Wed Aug 11 2021

Areas affected...Eastern IA...Northern IL...Far Southern
WI...Northwest IN...Southwest Lower MI

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch possible 

Valid 120035Z - 120200Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...40 percent

SUMMARY...Storm coverage is expected to increase this evening, with
at least an isolated severe threat into late tonight. New watch
issuance is possible by 01-02Z.

DISCUSSION...Earlier supercells over eastern IA, southwest WI, and
northwest IL have weakened over the last hour, likely due to
generally weak large-scale ascent and modest capping noted in 00Z
DVN sounding. However, regional soundings and VWPs also depict a
rather strong southwesterly low-level jet across the area, which is
generally forecast to intensify further tonight as it veers to a
more westerly direction. Storm coverage is expected to increase with
time later this evening within this warm advection regime, as
airmass recovery continues across northern IL/IN and a surface
boundary moves southeastward across the region. 

Even if storms remain somewhat elevated tonight, steep midlevel
lapse rates and rich low-level moisture will still support large
MUCAPE, with sufficient deep-layer shear for some organized storm
structures. A mix of cells and clusters will be possible, posing a
threat of at least isolated hail and damaging wind. A conditional
tornado threat will also be present with any storm that can become
rooted in the boundary layer, which would be most likely for a few
hours this evening before MLCINH becomes increasingly prohibitive
late tonight. 

While some uncertainty remains regarding the convective evolution
and coverage of the severe threat later tonight, watch issuance is
possible by 01-02Z, in advance of the expected increase in storm
coverage.

..Dean/Goss.. 08/12/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...IWX...GRR...LOT...ILX...MKX...DVN...

LAT...LON   42149072 42459001 42748844 42788754 42408622 41758578
            40968857 40739068 41069116 41759107 42149072

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 11, 8:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBureau, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Ford, Grundy and 11 more8 hr
Aug 11, 11:06 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage and 15 more84 min
Aug 12, 3:16 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBureau, Ford, Fulton, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee and 16 more119 min
Aug 12, 2:22 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBond, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay and 26 more83 min
Aug 12, 5:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCCalhoun, Clinton, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison and 7 more5 hr
Aug 12, 6:06 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCalhoun, Jersey, Madison, Monroe, Saint Clair84 min
Aug 11, 9:17 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGenesee, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, Saint Clair and 3 more88 min
Aug 12, 5:38 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCHillsdale, Jackson, Lenawee, Monroe, Oakland, Washtenaw and 1 more97 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Illinois, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Indiana, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Iowa, 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.