Hail and Lightning Strike in Illinois, March 12, 2006

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
310 PM CST SUN MAR 12 2006

.DISCUSSION...

STAGE APPEARS TO BE SET FOR AN EVENING OF SEVERE WEATHER WITH SHORT
WAVE EJECTING FROM BROAD WESTERN TROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. SURFACE
WARM FRONT DRAPED ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS SHOULD BE THE FOCUS OF
ACTIVITY WHEN DEVELOPMENT GETS GOING IN EARNEST. AMPLE SHEAR AND
INSTABILITY ARE SET IN PLACE AND SHOULD ONLY REQUIRE THE INTERACTION
OF THE WAVE. SURFACE HEATING APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN OUT OF THE
EQUATION TODAY WITH CI BLOWOFF FROM THIS MORNINGS STORMS IN MO
SHIELDING MOST OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS FORM THERMAL DESTABILIZATION.
AS PER SPC DISCUSSIONS MAIN THREAT FOR MOST OF AREA NOW APPEARS TO
BE LARGE HAIL. SOME WRAP AROUND PRECIP, FIRST RAIN THEN RAIN/SNOW
MIX BY LATE MONDAY, TO ACCOMPANY SYSTEM AS IT DEPARTS MONDAY.

TONIGHTS WAVES IS LAST IN A SERIES THAT HAS BROUGHT PRECIP TO THE
FORECAST AREA FOR THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. ENTIRE WESTERN TROUGH
PROGRESSES EAST AND DEEPENS OVER THE EASTERN US LEAVING WEST
NORTHWESTLY H5 FLOW OVER THE MIDWEST FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. RIDGING
BETWEEN DEPARRING EAST COAST TROUGH AND NEXT TROUGH ADVANCING ON
WEST COAST SHOULD KEEP MID PART OF NEXT WEEK DRY. MODELS IN
AGREEMENT ON EJECTING A WAVE FROM WESTERN TROUGH THAT WOULD IMPACT
THE AREA BY LATE WEDNESDAY. H8 TEMPS SUGGEST RAIN IN THE SOUTH, A
MIX OR RAIN AND SNOW IN THE NORTH INITIALLY. THOUGH TEMPS FALL WITH
PASSAGE OF THE SURFACE LOW ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM, PRECIP
SHOULD BE ENDED. CHANGE TO NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT MAY BE MORE
SIGNIFICANT RESULT OF THIS SYSTEM WITH TEMPS BY LATE IN THE WEEK
WELL BELOW NORMAL -- MINS IN TH TEENS AND MAXS ONLY IN THE 30S.

&&

.AVIATION...

18Z TAFS...AREA OF SHOWERS AND EMBEDDED TS ACROSS FAR NORTHERN MO
AND SE IA LIFTING NE. EXPECT SOME THIS ACTIVITY TO DIMINISH DURING
THE AFTERNOON HRS AS CONVECTION DEVELOPS ACROSS CENTRAL MO AND
WESTERN IL. INCLUDED VCSH DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON HRS THEN KEPT
SIMILAR TIMING FOR SHOWERS AND TS THIS EVENING. TIMING OF TS IS A
BIT UNCERTAIN ACROSS NORTHERN IL AND IT MAY ARRIVE SOONER THAN 02Z
SO THIS TIMING WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED. AFTER TS MOVE THROUGH
DURING BY LATE EVENING...EXPECT A PERIOD OF SHOWERS/LIGHT RAIN TO
LINGER OVERNIGHT AND BE OVER BEFORE SUNRISE. CIGS GRADUALLY LOWER
AS PRECIP CONTINUES WITH IFR POSSIBLE WITH THE HEAVIEST SHOWERS/TS.
ENE WINDS 10-15KTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS WILL GRADUALLY TURN EAST THIS
AFTERNOON THEN ESE THIS EVENING BEFORE SHIFTING SSW AND INCREASING
OVERNIGHT. APPROACHING SFC LOW IS EXPECTED TO RAPIDLY DEEPEN
OVERNIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING AND HAVE BUMPED WINDS UP BY MONDAY
MORNING. DON/T WANT TO GO TO HIGH THIS FAR OUT BUT GUSTS TO 30KTS
CERTAINLY POSSIBLE BY THE END OF THE PERIOD.

&&

.LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
.IL...NONE.
.IN...NONE.
.LM...NONE.

&&

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
350 PM CST SUN MAR 12 2006

ILZ003>006-008-010>014-019>022-023-032-033-039-INZ001-002-010-011-
019-131030-
WINNEBAGO-BOONE-MCHENRY-LAKE IL-OGLE-LEE-DE KALB-KANE-DU PAGE-COOK-
LA SALLE-KENDALL-GRUNDY-WILL-KANKAKEE-LIVINGSTON-IROQUOIS-FORD-
LAKE IN-PORTER-NEWTON-JASPER-BENTON-
350 PM CST SUN MAR 12 2006

THIS PORTION OF THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL
AND NORTHEAST ILLINOIS...AND NORTHWEST INDIANA.

.DAY ONE... TONIGHT

...SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK EXPECTED THIS EVENING...

THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING FOR
PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST ILLINOIS. THE GREATEST THREAT
EXISTS SOUTH AND WEST OF A LINE FROM ROUGHLY DIXON IN LEE COUNTY TO
SANDWICH IN SOUTHEAST DEKALB COUNTY TO FAIRBURY IN SOUTHERN
LIVINGSTON COUNTY. A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS TO
THE NORTH OF THIS AREA AND INCLUDES MOST OF THE REMAINDER OF NORTH
CENTRAL ILLINOIS...ALL OF NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND
NORTHWEST INDIANA.

A WARM FRONT DRAPED ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS WILL SERVE AS THE FOCUS
FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THIS EVENING. THE THUNDERSTORMS
ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER INCLUDING VERY
LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND SOME TORNADOES. WHILE THE THREAT
WILL BEGIN IN THE SOUTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA, THE
THREAT WILL MOVE NORTH DURING THE COURSE OF THE EVENING AS THE WARM
FRONT MOVES INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS.

PERSONS ACROSS NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA SHOULD
CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION THROUGHOUT THE
DAY. HAVE A PLAN OF ACTION READY SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER APPROACH
LATER TODAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD PREPARE
FOR ACTIVATION THIS EVENING.

&&

COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE
NWS CHICAGO WEBPAGE: WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO (LOWER CASE)

LMZ740>745-766-131030-
WINTHROP HARBOR IL TO MICHIGAN CITY IN-
LAKE MICHIGAN-
350 PM CST SUN MAR 12 2006

THIS PORTION OF THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ILLINOIS
AND INDIANA WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...  TONIGHT

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH
TUESDAY MORNING. NORTHEAST WINDS WILL BECOME SOUTH AND INCREASE TO
30 KNOTS OVERNIGHT HELPING WAVES BUILD TO 4 TO 6 FEET.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS ARE
POSSIBLE THIS EVENING OVER SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE OPEN WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN
MONDAY AFTERNOON AND MONDAY NIGHT AS WINDS INCREASE TO 40 KNOTS. A
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONTINUES THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR THE
NEARSHORE WATERS.

&&

COMPLETE FORECAST INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE
NWS CHICAGO WEBPAGE: WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO (LOWER CASE)