Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1987
Tornado Warning 1, NWS Quad Cities, IA
NWS Quad Cities, IA issued this tornado warning at May 18, 1987, 6:41 PM CDT for Henry County, Illinois. It was in force for 34 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- May 18, 1987, 6:41 PM CDT (23:41 UTC)
- Expired
- May 18, 1987, 7:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 34 min
- Issued by
- NWS Quad Cities, IA
- Area
- Whole counties
County Henry County, IL
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 7:00 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Henry, IL |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.
The nearest sounding before it
Peoria Regional, IL (KPIA), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 88 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 153 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -55 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 691 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 21 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 111 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 109 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KMLI 182341 RRA TORMLI ILC073-190045- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOLINE IL 641 PM CDT MON MAY 18 1987 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 745 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF NORTHWEST ILLINOIS...EASTERN HENRY AT 630 PM CDT THE ANNAWAN POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD NORTH OF ANNAWAN WITH LITTLE MOVEMENT. ANNAWAN IS 28 MILES EAST OF THE QUAD CITIES. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY. A BASEMENT...INTERIOR HALLWAY...OR A ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR IS THE SAFEST PLACE. TAKE COVER IN A STORM SHELTER OR LIE IN A NEARBY DITCH OR DEPRESSION. IF TIME PERMITS..ASK THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT DAGENCY TO RELAY YOUR REPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. ATTN ISP 7 AND 1 KRAEMER
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado 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, May 18, 2:40 PM CDT, 4 hours 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DUBUQUE IA 240 PM CDT MON MAY 18 1987 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL AND WESTERN CLAYTON COUNTY... AT 235 PM CDT STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE CONTINUING TO DRIFT SLOWLY ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTAL PORTION OF CLAYTON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST IOWA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE NEAR ELKADER...50 MILES NORTHWEST OF DUBUQUE. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING VERY SLOWLY TO THE EAST AT 5 TO 10 MILES AN HOUR. THE CLAYTON COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT REPORTED VERY HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL AS THE STORMS APPROACHED ELKADER. NO SEVERE WEATHER HAD BEEN REPORTED AS OF 235 PM CDT FROM THESE STORMS. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS...FREQUmENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL AS THEY MOVE ACROSS THE COUNTY. THE HEAVY RAINS COULD PRODUCE SOME FLOODING. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...TAKE NECCESARY PRECAUTIONS. ASMUS
Special weather statement, May 18, 3:40 PM CDT, 3 hours 1 minute before
TTAAOO KDBQ 182040??ALL SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DUBUQUE IA 340 PM CDT MON MAY 18 1987 ...MORE HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS FOR CLAYTON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST IOWA... AT 335 PM CDT STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACTIVITY CONTINUED IN EASTERN CLAYTON COUNTY NEAR GARNIVILLO. MORE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED IN FAYETTE COUNTY AND THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO WESTERN CLAYTON COUNTY BETWEEN 400 AND 430 THIS AFTERNOON. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING VERY SLOWLY TO THE EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 MILES AN HOUR. THE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS NEAR GARNIVILLO...35 MILES NORTHWEST OF DUBUQUE...HAD PRODUCED MARBLE SIZE HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN SINCE 300 PM. THE STORMS IN FAYETTE COUNTY...15 MILES WEST OF ELKADER WERE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN AND WERE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL AS WELL. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL AS THEY MOVE ACROSS CLAYTON COUNTY. THE HEAVY RAINS COULD? PRODUCE SOME FLODDING. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...TAKE NECCESARY PRECAUTIONS. ASMUS
Special weather statement, May 18, 5:10 PM CDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before
TTAAOO KDBQ 182210??ALL SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DUBUQUE IA 510 PM CDT MON MAY 18 1987 ...HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS FOR SOUTHERN CLAYTON COUNTY AND NORTHERN DELAWARE SOUTNYIN NORTHEAST IOWA... AT 505 PM CDT A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM SOUTHERN CLAYTON...IN NORTHEAST IOWA...INTO PORTIONS OF EASTERN IOWA. THE NORTHERN END OF THE LINE WAS NEAR ELKPORT IN SOUTHERN CLAYTON COUNTY...35 MILES NORTHWEST OF DUBUQUE. THE LINE EXTENDED TO THE SOUTHWEST TO NEAR INDEPENDENCE AND THEN TO NEAR CEDAR RAPIDS. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY TO THE EAST-SOUTHEAST AT 20 TO 25 MILES AN HOUR. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL AS THEY MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN CLAYTON COUNTY AND INTO WESTERN DELAWARE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST IOWA. THE HEAVY RAINS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE SOME FLOODING ESPECIALLY ALONG SMALL CREEKS AND IN LOW LYING AREAS. STREET FLOODING IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THESE SLOW MOVING STORMS. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS COVER NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWESTERN WISCONSIN. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...TAKE NECCESARY PRECAUTIONS. ASMUS
Special weather statement, May 18, 5:45 PM CDT, 56 minutes before
TTAAOO KDBQ 182245??ALL SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DUBUQUE IA 545 PM CDT MON MAY 18 1987 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE TRISTATE AREA... AT 540 PM CDT A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM CASSVILLE WISCONSIN...20 MILES NORTHWEST OF DUBUQUE...TO NEAR DYERSVILLE IOWA...20 MILES WEST OF DUBUQUE...TO NEAR CEDAR RAPID. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 20 TO 25 MILES AN HOUR. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL AS THEY MOVE ACROSS THE TRI-STATE AREA. THE HEAVY RAINS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE SOME FLOODING ESPECIALLY ALONG SMALL CREEKS AND IN LOW LYING AREAS. STREET FLOODING IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THESE SLOW MOVING STORMS. AS OF 540 PM CDT NO SEVERE WEATHER HAD BEEN REPORTED FROM THIS LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS COVER NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWESTERN WISCONSIN. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...TAKE NECCESARY PRECAUTIONS. ASMUS
Special weather statement, May 18, 6:20 PM CDT, 21 minutes before
TTAAOO KDBQ 182320??ALL SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DUBUQUE IA 620 PM CDT MON MAY 18 1987 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS THE TRISTATE AREA... AT 615 PM CDT SEVERAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING ACROSS MUCH OF THE TRI-STATE AREA. THE LEADING EDGE OF THE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM ABOUT 15 MILES NORTH OF DUBUQUE TO NEAR ANAMOSA...40 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DUBUQUE. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 30 TO 35 MILES AN HOUR. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL AS THEY MOVE ACROSS THE TRI-STATE AREA. THE HEAVY RAINS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE SOME FLOODING ESPECIALLY ALONG SMALL CREEKS AND IN LOW LYING AREAS. STREET FLOODING IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THESE SLOW MOVING STORMS. AS OF 615 PM CDT NO SEVERE WEATHER HAD BEEN REPORTED FROM THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS. REPORTS OF VERY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS TO AROUND 30 MILES AN HOUR...AND PEA SIZE HAIL HAD BEEN RECEIVED HOWEVER. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS COVER NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWESTERN WISCONSIN. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...TAKE NECCESARY PRECAUTIONS. ASMUS
Special weather statement, May 18, 6:32 PM CDT, 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOLINE IL 625 PM CDT MON MAY 18 1987 STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN ALL DIRECTIONS OF THE QUAD CITIES. AT 620 PM CDT THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN NORTHEAST HENRY COUNTY IL. THIS STORM WAS SHOWING LITTLE MOVEMENT AND WAS INDICATING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND A GOOD POSSIBLITY OF SOME HAIL. PERSONS IN NORTHEAST HENRY COUNTY SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR THE POSSIBLITY OF SOME FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS. KRAEMER
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 1987Every tornado warning in 1987Tornadoes in 1987
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.