Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 2023

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Chicago, IL

January 3, 2023Ford County, Illinois

NWS Chicago, IL issued this tornado warning at Jan 3, 2023, 5:46 PM CST for Ford County, Illinois. It was in force for 44 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: Jan 3, 2023, 5:46 PM CST (23:46 UTC)
Expired: Jan 3, 2023, 6:30 PM CST
In force: 44 min
Issued by: NWS Chicago, IL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.0 in

County Ford County, IL

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 107 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:47 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

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 59 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 541 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 231 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 199 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at Jan 3, 2:49 PM CST, 2 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 3, 2:49 PM CST, 2 hours 57 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 3, 3:24 PM CST, 2 hours 22 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville IL
324 PM CST Tue Jan 3 2023

ILZ003>006-008-010>013-019>021-023-032-033-039-103>108-INZ001-002-
010-011-019-042130-
Winnebago-Boone-McHenry-Lake IL-Ogle-Lee-De Kalb-Kane-DuPage-
La Salle-Kendall-Grundy-Kankakee-Livingston-Iroquois-Ford-
Northern Cook-Central Cook-Southern Cook-Northern Will-
Southern Will-Eastern Will-Lake IN-Porter-Newton-Jasper-Benton-
324 PM CST Tue Jan 3 2023 /424 PM EST Tue Jan 3 2023/

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

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Weather hazards expected...

  Limited Severe Thunderstorm Risk southeast of I-55.
  Elevated Fog Risk mainly north of I-80.

DISCUSSION...

Areas of fog may become dense through this evening. Locations
north of I-80 are most favored for persistent dense fog.

Scattered thunderstorms are possible across the area through early
evening, any of which could have small hail. One or two of these
may reach marginal severe limits south of the Kankakee River
Valley, with the primary threat being wind gusts to 60 mph. A
brief tornado is also possible.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.

  No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

  Spotters may be needed through early evening.

GENERAL STORM MOTION OF THE DAY:

  Moving toward the northeast at 50 mph

LMZ740>745-042130-
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-
324 PM CST Tue Jan 3 2023

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...

  Limited Thunderstorm Risk through early evening.
  Elevated Fog Risk.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.

  No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

Yack

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 3, 3:06 PM CST, 2 hours 40 minutes before

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Local storm report, Jan 3, 3:09 PM CST, 2 hours 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
309 PM CST TUE JAN 3 2023

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

0235 PM     HAIL             PALATINE                42.14N 88.02W
01/03/2023  E0.70 INCH       COOK               IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            HAIL COATING THE GROUND WITH THE LARGEST
            HAILSTONES APPROXIMATELY DIME SIZED.

&&

RO

Local storm report, Jan 3, 3:14 PM CST, 2 hours 32 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
314 PM CST TUE JAN 3 2023

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

0215 PM     HAIL             1 N ELGIN               42.06N 88.28W
01/03/2023  U0.50 INCH       KANE               IL   PUBLIC

            REPORT FROM MPING: HALF-INCH (0.50 IN.).

0219 PM     HAIL             6 WNW HOFFMAN ESTATES   42.07N 88.22W
01/03/2023  U0.50 INCH       COOK               IL   PUBLIC

            REPORT FROM MPING: HALF-INCH (0.50 IN.).

0230 PM     HAIL             1 N BARRINGTON          42.17N 88.13W
01/03/2023  U0.50 INCH       LAKE               IL   PUBLIC

            REPORT FROM MPING: HALF-INCH (0.50 IN.).

&&

RO

Local storm report, Jan 3, 3:22 PM CST, 2 hours 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
322 PM CST TUE JAN 3 2023

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

0214 PM     HAIL             1 NE ELGIN              42.05N 88.27W
01/03/2023  M1.00 INCH       KANE               IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            MOST HAILSTONES WERE HALF AN INCH OR LESS IN
            DIAMETER, BUT PHOTOS SHOW THAT THE LARGEST
            HAILSTONES WERE ROUGHLY ONE INCH IN
            DIAMETER.

&&

RO

Local storm report, Jan 3, 3:28 PM CST, 2 hours 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
328 PM CST TUE JAN 3 2023

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

0253 PM     HAIL             1 SSE WAUKEGAN          42.35N 87.84W
01/03/2023  E1.00 INCH       LAKE               IL   PUBLIC

            PHOTOS SHARED SHOWING HAILSTONES
            APPROXIMATELY ONE INCH IN DIAMETER IN
            WAUKEGAN. TIME AND LOCATION ESTIMATED FROM
            RADAR.

&&

RO

Local storm report, Jan 3, 3:35 PM CST, 2 hours 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
335 PM CST TUE JAN 3 2023

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

0214 PM     HAIL             1 NE ELGIN              42.05N 88.27W
01/03/2023  M1.00 INCH       KANE               IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            MOST HAILSTONES WERE HALF AN INCH OR LESS IN
            DIAMETER, BUT PHOTOS SHOW THAT THE LARGEST
            HAILSTONES WERE ROUGHLY ONE INCH IN
            DIAMETER.

0215 PM     HAIL             1 N ELGIN               42.06N 88.28W
01/03/2023  U0.50 INCH       KANE               IL   PUBLIC

            REPORT FROM MPING: HALF-INCH (0.50 IN.).

0219 PM     HAIL             6 WNW HOFFMAN ESTATES   42.07N 88.22W
01/03/2023  U0.50 INCH       COOK               IL   PUBLIC

            REPORT FROM MPING: HALF-INCH (0.50 IN.).

0230 PM     HAIL             1 N BARRINGTON          42.17N 88.13W
01/03/2023  U0.50 INCH       LAKE               IL   PUBLIC

            REPORT FROM MPING: HALF-INCH (0.50 IN.).

0235 PM     HAIL             PALATINE                42.14N 88.02W
01/03/2023  E0.70 INCH       COOK               IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            HAIL COATING THE GROUND WITH THE LARGEST
            HAILSTONES APPROXIMATELY DIME SIZED.

0250 PM     HAIL             1 NW NORTH CHICAGO      42.33N 87.86W
01/03/2023  E0.75 INCH       LAKE               IL   PUBLIC

            HAIL COATING THE GROUND WITH THE LARGEST
            HAILSTONES APPROXIMATELY PENNY SIZED.

0253 PM     HAIL             1 SSE WAUKEGAN          42.35N 87.84W
01/03/2023  E1.00 INCH       LAKE               IL   PUBLIC

            PHOTOS SHARED SHOWING HAILSTONES
            APPROXIMATELY ONE INCH IN DIAMETER IN
            WAUKEGAN. TIME AND LOCATION ESTIMATED FROM
            RADAR.

&&

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jan 3, 9:35 AM CST	Dense Fog Advisory	LOT	Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane and 10 more	16 hr
Jan 3, 12:28 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	LOT	Lee	47 min
Jan 3, 12:58 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	LOT	DeKalb	62 min
Jan 3, 1:43 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	LOT	Kane	47 min
Jan 3, 2:12 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	LOT	Lake	48 min
Jan 3, 2:19 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	LOT	Cook	41 min
Jan 3, 3:07 PM CST	Marine Dense Fog Advisory	LOT		12 hr
Jan 3, 5:58 PM CST	Special Weather Statement	LOT	Livingston	47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 2023 Every tornado warning in 2023 Tornadoes in 2023

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.