Alert archive / Missouri / Severe Thunderstorm Watches in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Watch 21

March 6, 20266 counties in Illinois; 18 counties in Missouri

The Storm Prediction Center issued this severe thunderstorm watch at Mar 6, 2026, 10:28 PM CST for 6 counties in Illinois; 18 counties in Missouri. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Mar 6, 2026, 10:28 PM CST (04:28 UTC)
Expired
Mar 7, 2026, 3:28 AM CST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
1.5 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt
All 24 counties

Calhoun County, IL, Jersey County, IL, Madison County, IL, Monroe County, IL, Randolph County, IL, Saint Clair County, IL, Audrain County, MO, Boone County, MO, Callaway County, MO, City of Saint Louis, MO, Crawford County, MO, Franklin County, MO, Gasconade County, MO, Jefferson County, MO, Lincoln County, MO, Montgomery County, MO, Osage County, MO, Pike County, MO, Saint Charles County, MO, Saint Francois County, MO, Saint Louis County, MO, Sainte Genevieve County, MO, Warren County, MO, Washington County, MO

The radar

The St Louis radar (KLSX), 33 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:32 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
20%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
5%
Ten or more severe wind reports
60%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
20%
Ten or more severe hail reports
40%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
20%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
90%

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 7, 2:31 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXBoone, Callaway19 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

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 4.5 hours before the alert went out and 271 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 2026-03-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 183 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 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 2026-03-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 92 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
183 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-92 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1023 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
92 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
181 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

238 
WWUS20 KWNS 070422
SEL1  
SPC WW 070422
ILZ000-MOZ000-071200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 21
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1025 PM CST Fri Mar 6 2026

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of 
  West-Central Illinois
  East-Central Missouri

* Effective this Friday night and Saturday morning from 1025 PM
  until 600 AM CST.

* Primary threats include...
  Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph likely
  Scattered large hail events to 1.5 inches in diameter possible
  A tornado or two possible

SUMMARY...Squall line is slowly maturing across central Missouri.
Damaging winds may become more common with this line of storms as it
surges across east-central Missouri early this morning. A tornado or
two can not be ruled out, though damaging winds are the primary
concern.

The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 60
statute miles east and west of a line from 55 miles south southwest
of Scott Afb IL to 60 miles northwest of Saint Louis MO. For a
complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline
update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are
favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.
Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening
weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible
warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce
tornadoes.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 18...WW 19...WW 20...

AVIATION...A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to
1.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A
few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector
24035.

...Darrow

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 6, 8:18 PM CSTTornado WatchSPCRock Island6 hr
Mar 7, 2:44 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Bond, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Coles and 30 more2 hr
Mar 7, 5:40 AM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson and 9 more2 hr
Mar 6, 7:43 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarton, Bates, Benton, Cedar, Dade, Henry and 4 more92 min
Mar 6, 9:43 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAndrew, Buchanan, Caldwell, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb and 10 more2 hr
Mar 6, 10:08 PM CSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCallaway, Camden, Cole, Crawford, Dallas, Dent and 14 more67 min
Mar 7, 7:53 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCDunklin, Pemiscot8 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Missouri, 2026Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Illinois, 2026Every severe thunderstorm watch 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.