Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2025

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 138, NWS Lincoln, IL

May 20, 2025Edgar County, Vermilion County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 2025, 7:20 PM CDT for Edgar County, Vermilion County, Illinois. It was in force for 40 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, 2025, 7:20 PM CDT (00:20 UTC)
Expired
May 20, 2025, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.0 in
Wind
60.0 mph

Counties Edgar County, IL, Vermilion County, IL

The radar

The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 127 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:24 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, 1:42 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 77 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 00:00Z on 2025-05-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 23 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2025-05-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 98 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
23 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1347 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
98 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
124 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

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 Lincoln, IL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 20, 6:13 PM CDT, 1 hour 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 20, 6:13 PM CDT, 1 hour 7 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, May 20, 2:53 PM CDT, 4 hours 27 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
253 PM CDT Tue May 20 2025

ILZ027>031-036>038-040>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-212000-
Knox-Stark-Peoria-Marshall-Woodford-Fulton-Tazewell-McLean-Schuyler-
Mason-Logan-De Witt-Piatt-Champaign-Vermilion-Cass-Menard-Scott-
Morgan-Sangamon-Christian-Macon-Moultrie-Douglas-Coles-Edgar-Shelby-
Cumberland-Clark-Effingham-Jasper-Crawford-Clay-Richland-Lawrence-
253 PM CDT Tue May 20 2025

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Illinois, east
central Illinois, southeast Illinois and west central Illinois.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Scattered thunderstorms will progress west to east across the area
this evening, posing a threat of tornadoes, large hail, damaging
winds, and locally heavy rainfall. Storms should exit eastern
Illinois by 8 PM this evening, after which point the rest of the
night should be free of hazardous weather.

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

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will likely be needed this afternoon through 8 PM.

Expected storm motion is toward the northeast around 40 mph.

Erwin

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 20, 5:27 PM CDT, 1 hour 53 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 20, 5:28 PM CDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 20, 5:40 PM CDT, 1 hour 40 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 20, 6:16 PM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 20, 6:21 PM CDT, 59 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 20, 6:22 PM CDT, 58 minutes before
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Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 2025Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2025

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.