Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 76, NWS Lincoln, IL

September 26, 1986Sangamon County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 26, 1986, 1:25 PM CDT for Sangamon County, Illinois. It was in force for 30 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 26, 1986, 1:25 PM CDT (18:25 UTC)
Expired
Sep 26, 1986, 1:55 PM CDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties

County Sangamon County, IL

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Peoria Regional, IL (KPIA), launched 12:00Z, 6.4 hours before the alert went out and 102 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, Peoria Regional, IL at 12:00Z on 1986-09-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1609 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, Peoria Regional, IL at 12:00Z on 1986-09-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 102 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
1609 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-83 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
936 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
102 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
133 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
3.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KSPI 261825
SVRSPI
ILC167-261915-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
125 PM CDT FRI SEP 26 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 215 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTY OF

CENTRAL ILLINOIS...SANGAMON

AT 110 PM CDT A SEVERETHUNDERSTORM PRODUCING A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS
REPORTED BY THE PUBLIC ABOUT 12 MILES WEST OF SPRINGFIELD ILLINOIS.
THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

REMEMBER..A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCES DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS
OF 60 MPH...LARGE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAINS THAT CAN
QUICKLY FLOOD A LOW LYING AREA.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...YOU SHOULD GO TO A SAFE PLACE.
ASK THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY TO RELAY YOUR REPORT OF
SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

 ATTN ISP DIST..9
 HUGHES

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.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 26, 9:09 AM CDT, 4 hours 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
905 AM CDT FRI SEP 25 1986

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

AT 900 AM CDT RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN WEST
CENTRAL ILLINOIS EXTENDING FROM 40 MILES NORTHWEST OF SPRINGFIELD
ILLINOIS TO 35 MILES NORTHWEST OF ST LOUIS MISSOURI.

THE STRONGEST STORMS IN THIS AREA WERE LOCATED NEAR PITTSFIELD...
10 MILES WEST OF JACKSONVILLE...AND 10 WEST OF BEARDSTOWN ILLINOIS.
THESE STORMS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SOME HAIL...
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVE NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL BE MOVING
THROUGH CASS AND MORGAN COUNTIES BETWEEN 915 AM AND 1015 AM CDT.

HUGHES
Special weather statement, Sep 26, 10:01 AM CDT, 3 hours 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
1000 AM CDT FRI SEP 26 1986

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

AT 945 AM CDT RADAR INDICATED A 30 MILE WIDE AREA OF STRONG THUNDER-
STROMS OVER WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS.  THE LEADING EDGE OF THESE
STORMS EXTENDED FROM 35 MILES NORTHWEST OF SPRINGFIELD ILLINOIS...
NEAR HAVANA...TO 25 MILES NORTH OF ST LOUIS MISSOURI...NEAR CARROLTON.

STRONGEST STORMS IN THE AREA WERE NEAR CHANDLERVILLE...JUST NORTHWEST
OF JACKSONVILLE...AND 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF JACKSONVILLE ILLINOIS.
THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...SOME HAIL...DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS.

THE THUNDERSTROMS WERE 6MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL
BE MOVING INTO MENARD...SANGAMON...AND MACOUPIN COUNTIES BETWEEN
1000 AM AND 1100 AM CDT.

HUGHES
Special weather statement, Sep 26, 12:43 PM CDT, 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
1235 PM CDT FRI SEP 26 1986

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS WESTERN SANGAMON COUNTY...

AT 1230 PM CDT RADAR INDICATD SEVERAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN
WESTERN SANGAMON COUNTY EXTENDING FROM 10 MILE WEST NORTHWEST OF
SPRINGFIELD ILLINOIS TO 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SPRINGFIELD ILLINOIS.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND
POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL CAvN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL PASS
THROUGH THE SPRINGFIELD AREA BETWEEN 1245 PM AND 130 PM CDT.

HUGHES

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 1986Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1986

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.