Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Watches in 2021

Severe Thunderstorm Watch 435

August 12, 202116 counties in Illinois; 8 counties in Kentucky; 7 counties in Missouri

The Storm Prediction Center issued this severe thunderstorm watch at Aug 12, 2021, 7:37 PM CDT for 16 counties in Illinois; 8 counties in Kentucky; 7 counties in Missouri. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 12, 2021, 7:37 PM CDT (00:37 UTC)
Expired
Aug 12, 2021, 11:24 PM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
1.5 in
Strongest gust expected
55 kt
All 31 counties

Alexander County, IL, Franklin County, IL, Gallatin County, IL, Hamilton County, IL, Hardin County, IL, Jackson County, IL, Jefferson County, IL, Johnson County, IL, Massac County, IL, Perry County, IL, Pope County, IL, Pulaski County, IL, Saline County, IL, Union County, IL, White County, IL, Williamson County, IL, Ballard County, KY, Carlisle County, KY, Crittenden County, KY, Henderson County, KY, Livingston County, KY, McCracken County, KY, Union County, KY, Webster County, KY, Bollinger County, MO, Cape Girardeau County, MO, Mississippi County, MO, New Madrid County, MO, Perry County, MO, Scott County, MO, Stoddard County, MO

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 60 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.

What SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes
5%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
2%
Ten or more severe wind reports
20%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
10%
Ten or more severe hail reports
5%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
5%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
40%

Warnings issued inside it

2 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 12, 8:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHFranklin, Jefferson, Perry38 min
Aug 12, 8:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHJackson49 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 277 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 2021-08-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1786 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 00:00Z on 2021-08-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -25 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1786 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-31 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1455 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-25 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

137 
WWUS20 KWNS 130032
SEL5  
SPC WW 130032
ILZ000-INZ000-KYZ000-MOZ000-130600-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 435
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
735 PM CDT Thu Aug 12 2021

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of 
  southern Illinois
  far southestern Indiana
  parts of western Kentucky
  southeastern Missouri

* Effective this Thursday night and Friday morning from 735 PM
  until 100 AM CDT.

* Primary threats include...
  Isolated damaging wind gusts to 65 mph possible

SUMMARY...A fast-moving band of thunderstorms will continue shifting
southeastward across the Mid-Mississippi Valley region this evening,
accompanied by risk for locally damaging wind gusts.

The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 35
statute miles either side of a line from 25 miles south southwest of
Cape Girardeau MO to 35 miles east southeast of Mount Vernon IL. For
a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline
update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU5).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are
favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.
Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening
weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible
warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce
tornadoes.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 433...WW 434...

AVIATION...A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to
1.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 55 knots. A
few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector
29040.

...Goss

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 12, 7:20 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson and 11 more85 min
Aug 12, 9:55 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Johnson and 7 more95 min
Aug 13, 12:13 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnderson, Bath, Boone, Bourbon, Boyd, Boyle and 55 more2 hr
Aug 12, 10:20 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAndrew, Atchison, Bates, Buchanan, Caldwell, Carroll and 18 more2 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Illinois, 2021Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Kentucky, 2021Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Missouri, 2021Every severe thunderstorm watch 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.