Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 327, NWS Lincoln, IL

July 26, 2026Clay County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 26, 2026, 5:27 PM CDT for Clay County, Illinois. It was in force for 48 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
Jul 26, 2026, 5:27 PM CDT (22:27 UTC)
Expired
Jul 26, 2026, 6:15 PM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
0.88 in
Wind
60.0 mph

County Clay County, IL

The radar

The Evansville,IN radar (KVWX), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:28 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
Jul 26, 5:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 156 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 2026-07-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2909 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 2026-07-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 117 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
2909 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-92 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
648 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
117 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
181 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
11.8

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 Jul 26, 1:49 PM CDT, 3 hours 38 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 26, 1:49 PM CDT, 3 hours 38 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 26, 2:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 57 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
230 PM CDT Sun Jul 26 2026

ILZ027>031-036>038-040>043-047>053-271930-
Knox-Stark-Peoria-Marshall-Woodford-Fulton-Tazewell-McLean-Schuyler-
Mason-Logan-De Witt-Cass-Menard-Scott-Morgan-Sangamon-Christian-
Macon-
230 PM CDT Sun Jul 26 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central Illinois and west
central Illinois.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Heat index values of 105 to 110 degrees are likely into this
evening.

Clusters of thunderstorms will drop southeast out of the Upper
Mississippi Valley tonight. While it is uncertain how far west they
may get, they would most likely arrive overnight and produce gusty
winds.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday.

Additional storm clusters will drop southeast into the area through
Monday evening. The best chance of severe weather would be further
east, but strong winds will be possible with any storms.

Heat index values around 115 degrees are likely on Monday.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may be needed after 12 am.

ILZ044>046-054>057-061>063-066>068-071>073-271930-
Piatt-Champaign-Vermilion-Moultrie-Douglas-Coles-Edgar-Shelby-
Cumberland-Clark-Effingham-Jasper-Crawford-Clay-Richland-Lawrence-
230 PM CDT Sun Jul 26 2026

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

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Heat index values of 100 to 105 degrees are likely into this
evening.

Clusters of thunderstorms will drop southeast out of the Upper
Mississippi Valley tonight. They would most likely arrive in eastern
Illinois toward daybreak and may be locally strong to severe.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday.

Additional storm clusters will drop southeast into the area through
Monday evening. These may also be strong to severe, with damaging
winds the main concern.

Heat index values around 110 degrees are likely on Monday, though
they will be lower if storms end up being numerous through the day.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may be needed overnight tonight into the early
morning hours.

Copple

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 26, 12:23 AM CDTExtreme Heat WarningILXCass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay, Coles and 29 more45 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 2026Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2026

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.