Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2024

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Chicago, IL

May 20, 2024Cook County, Lake County, Illinois

NWS Chicago, IL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 2024, 2:04 PM CDT for Cook County, Lake County, Illinois. It was in force for 41 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 20, 2024, 2:04 PM CDT (19:04 UTC)
Expired
May 20, 2024, 2:45 PM CDT
In force
41 min
Issued by
NWS Chicago, IL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.0 in
Wind
60.0 mph

Counties Cook County, IL, Lake County, IL

The radar

The Chicago radar (KLOT), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:07 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 20, 12:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC3 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 230 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, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2024-05-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 598 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, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2024-05-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 9 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
598 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-113 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1343 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
9 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
27 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 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 20, 2:04 PM CDT, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 20, 2:04 PM CDT, 0 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Hazardous weather outlook, May 20, 12:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville IL
1245 PM CDT Mon May 20 2024

ILZ003>006-008-010>013-019>021-023-032-033-039-103>108-INZ001-002-
010-011-019-211745-
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-
1245 PM CDT Mon May 20 2024 /145 PM EDT Mon May 20 2024/

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of north central
Illinois...northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana.

.DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight.

Weather hazards expected...

  Elevated Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
     Limited Hail Risk...up to half dollar size.
     Limited Damaging Wind Risk...up to 60 mph.
  Limited Flooding Risk.

DISCUSSION...

Scattered thunderstorms are expected this afternoon. A few of
these storms could become severe, with the main threats being
large hail and locally damaging winds. While there is a severe
weather threat across the outlook area, the highest probabilities
are north of Interstate 80.

In addition, thunderstorms will be capable of producing torrential
downpours which could lead to some localized flooding, particularly
in more suburban and urban areas.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday.

Tuesday...
  Limited Thunderstorm Risk.
Tuesday night...
  Significant Thunderstorm Risk with an:
    Elevated Severe Thunderstorm Risk.
  Limited Flooding Risk.
Friday through Sunday...
  Limited Thunderstorm Risk.

DISCUSSION...

There is a chance for thunderstorms early Tuesday morning, mainly
across northern Illinois northwest of Interstate 55. There is
also a slight chance of thunderstorms area wide Tuesday afternoon
If any storms do occur during the day Tuesday, the threat of
severe weather appears rather low.

Additional thunderstorms are likely Tuesday evening into Tuesday
night. Some of these storms could become severe, with the
potential for damaging winds and perhaps brief tornadoes. While
there is a threat of severe weather across the entire outlook
area, the severe weather threat appears greatest near and west of
the Interstate 39 corridor.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

  Spotters may be needed this afternoon.

GENERAL STORM MOTION OF THE DAY:

  Moving toward the east to northeast at around 25 mph.

LMZ740>745-211745-
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-
1245 PM CDT Mon May 20 2024

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...Today and Tonight.

Weather hazards expected...

  Elevated Thunderstorm Risk...with an associated:
     Limited Hail Risk...up to half dollar size.
     Limited Thunderstorm Wind Gust Risk...up to 50 knots.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday.

Tuesday...
  Hazardous conditions for small craft are likely.
Tuesday night...
  Hazardous conditions for small craft are likely.
  Elevated Thunderstorm Risk with a:
 Limited Severe Thunderstorm Risk. Friday through Sunday...
Limited Thunderstorm Risk.

Kluber

Visit us at www.weather.gov/chicago

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube at:
www.facebook.com/nwschicago
www.twitter.com/nwschicago
www.youtube.com/nwschicago

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 20, 12:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTBoone, DeKalb, Lee, McHenry, Ogle37 min
May 20, 2:17 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLOT88 min
May 20, 2:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTLake41 min
May 20, 2:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTCook, Will36 min
May 20, 2:56 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningLOT79 min
May 20, 4:10 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTKankakee35 min
May 20, 5:48 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTIroquois27 min
May 20, 6:41 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTGrundy34 min
May 20, 4:45 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTPorter45 min
May 20, 6:04 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementLOTJasper26 min
May 20, 6:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTJasper, Newton, Porter43 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 2024Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2024

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.