Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Watches in 2024

Tornado Watch 201

May 8, 20244 counties in Illinois; 29 counties in Kentucky; 4 counties in Missouri

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 8, 2024, 1:57 AM CDT for 4 counties in Illinois; 29 counties in Kentucky; 4 counties in Missouri. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 8, 2024, 1:57 AM CDT (06:57 UTC)
Expired
May 8, 2024, 5:52 AM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
1.5 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt
All 37 counties

Alexander County, IL, Massac County, IL, Pope County, IL, Pulaski County, IL, Ballard County, KY, Breckinridge County, KY, Butler County, KY, Caldwell County, KY, Calloway County, KY, Carlisle County, KY, Christian County, KY, Crittenden County, KY, Daviess County, KY, Edmonson County, KY, Fulton County, KY, Graves County, KY, Grayson County, KY, Hancock County, KY, Hickman County, KY, Hopkins County, KY, Livingston County, KY, Logan County, KY, Lyon County, KY, Marshall County, KY, McCracken County, KY, McLean County, KY, Muhlenberg County, KY, Ohio County, KY, Simpson County, KY, Todd County, KY, Trigg County, KY, Warren County, KY, Webster County, KY, Mississippi County, MO, New Madrid County, MO, Scott County, MO, Stoddard County, MO

The radar

The Paducah radar (KPAH), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:57 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
40%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
20%
Ten or more severe wind reports
30%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
20%
Ten or more severe hail reports
30%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
20%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
50%

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 8, 4:52 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHChristian, Trigg23 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, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 177 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 2024-05-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1950 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 2024-05-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 197 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1950 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-10 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
886 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
197 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
224 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.9
Supercell composite
16.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 7, 9:20 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCrawford, Edwards, Lawrence, Wabash55 min
May 7, 11:16 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Pope, Saline, Wabash and 1 more119 min
May 8, 1:26 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Gallatin, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope and 2 more2 hr
May 8, 10:29 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCAlexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson and 12 more8 hr
May 8, 11:28 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Hardin, Jackson, Johnson and 9 more92 min
May 8, 11:35 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Hardin, Jackson, Johnson and 9 more85 min
May 8, 12:58 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCEdwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jefferson and 10 more62 min
May 8, 1:13 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCHamilton, White10 hr
May 8, 1:50 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson and 12 more55 min
May 8, 3:41 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Gallatin, Hardin, Jackson, Johnson, Massac and 5 more94 min
May 8, 4:42 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAlexander, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin and 15 more9 hr
May 7, 8:17 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBoyd, Carter, Greenup7 hr
May 8, 7:50 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCalloway, Graves, McCreary, Trigg, Whitley2 hr
May 8, 5:51 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdair, Allen, Barren, Boyle, Butler, Casey and 18 more114 min
May 8, 6:29 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCButler, Caldwell, Christian, Daviess, Hopkins, Lyon and 4 more91 min
May 8, 12:56 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCDunklin, Pemiscot5 hr
May 8, 6:14 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBates, Benton, Camden, Cass, Cole, Cooper and 11 more2 hr
May 8, 6:50 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAndrew, Barton, Bates, Benton, Boone, Buchanan and 39 more10 hr
May 8, 8:58 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBenton, Bollinger, Butler, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Carter and 44 more92 min
May 8, 11:01 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarry, Barton, Cedar, Christian, Dade, Dallas and 17 more89 min
May 8, 11:59 AM CDTTornado WatchSPCBarry, Barton, Camden, Cedar, Christian, Dade and 24 more7 hr
May 8, 1:16 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarry, McDonald, Newton, Stone2 hr
May 8, 3:50 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarry, Camden, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Douglas and 15 more115 min
May 8, 5:59 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarry, Christian, Douglas, Howell, McDonald, Stone and 4 more91 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Kentucky, 2024Tornado Watches in Illinois, 2024Tornado Watches in Missouri, 2024Every tornado watch 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.