Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 143, NWS St. Louis, MO

May 16, 2026Adams County, Illinois

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 16, 2026, 12:57 PM CDT for Adams County, Illinois. It was in force for 14 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 16, 2026, 12:57 PM CDT (17:57 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 2026, 1:11 PM CDT
In force
14 min
Issued by
NWS St. Louis, MO
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.0 in
Wind
60.0 mph

County Adams County, IL

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 150 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:59 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, 6.0 hours before the alert went out and 221 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 2026-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 351 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 2026-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -79 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
351 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-69 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1001 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-79 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
2 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-0.3

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 St. Louis, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 16, 12:20 PM CDT, 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 16, 12:20 PM CDT, 37 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, May 16, 5:55 AM CDT, 7 hours 2 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service St Louis MO
555 AM CDT Sat May 16 2026

ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ018-019-026-027-
034>036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084-085-099-171100-
Greene IL-Macoupin IL-Montgomery IL-Bond IL-Fayette IL-Clinton IL-
Marion IL-Washington IL-Randolph IL-Adams IL-Brown IL-Pike IL-
Calhoun IL-Jersey IL-Madison IL-Saint Clair IL-Monroe IL-Knox MO-
Lewis MO-Shelby MO-Marion MO-Monroe MO-Ralls MO-Pike MO-Boone MO-
Audrain MO-Moniteau MO-Cole MO-Osage MO-Callaway MO-Montgomery MO-
Lincoln MO-Gasconade MO-Warren MO-Saint Charles MO-Franklin MO-
Saint Louis MO-Saint Louis City MO-Jefferson MO-Crawford MO-
Washington MO-Saint Francois MO-Sainte Genevieve MO-Iron MO-
Madison MO-Reynolds MO-
555 AM CDT Sat May 16 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of eastern and
central Missouri as well as west central and southwest Illinois.

.DAYS ONE THROUGH SEVEN...Today through Friday.

More detailed information can be accessed at:
https://www.weather.gov/media/lsx/DssPacket.pdf

The Area Forecast Discussion is available at:
https://forecast.weather.gov/
product.php?issuedby=LSX&product=AFD&site=lsx

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Showers and scattered thunderstorms are expected this morning
  with coverage forecast to gradually fade by this afternoon. The
  strongest storms could produce hail up to 1" and damaging wind
  gusts.

- Thunderstorms are possible (20-30%) this afternoon and evening.
  The main risk is large hail with a lower potential for damaging
  winds.

- Additional thunderstorm chances return early this week with a
  more widespread severe weather threat possible along a slow
  moving cold front Monday night into Tuesday.

NOTE: Starting May 29, 2026, this outlook product will be
discontinued. Please see the above products for more detailed
forecast information.

WFO LSX

The office that day

Everything else NWS St. Louis, MO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 10:02 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLSXCalhoun3 hr
May 16, 12:10 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLSXPike3 hr
May 16, 3:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXSaint Clair40 min
May 16, 3:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXClinton60 min
May 16, 3:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXMarion39 min
May 16, 3:56 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXClinton15 min
May 16, 4:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXFayette, Marion57 min
May 16, 4:17 PM CDTTornado WarningLSXMarion43 min

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.