Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 69, NWS Lincoln, IL

August 8, 1987Christian County, Sangamon County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 8, 1987, 8:51 PM CDT for Christian County, Sangamon County, Illinois. It was in force for 69 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 8, 1987, 8:51 PM CDT (01:51 UTC)
Expired
Aug 8, 1987, 10:00 PM CDT
In force
69 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Christian County, IL, 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 00:00Z, 1.9 hours before the alert went out and 114 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 00:00Z on 1987-08-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1337 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 00:00Z on 1987-08-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 160 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
1337 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-23 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
940 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
160 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
318 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.4
Supercell composite
11.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSPI 090151
SVRSPI
ILC167-021-090300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
851 PM CDT SAT AUG 8 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES OF

CENTRAL ILLINOIS...SANGAMON AND SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN

AT 8 45 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING FROM JUST SOUTH OF PEORIA SOUTHWARD INTO THE
SPRINGFIELD AREA.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED FROM THE ATLANTA AREA
40 MILES NORTHEAST OF SPRINGFIELD TO 30 MILES SOUTH OF SPRINGFIELD.

IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA THREATENED BY THE STORM..GO TO A REINFORCED
SHELTER AND PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY
RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE
A TORNADO WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT.

INTENSE LIGHTNING IS REPORTED WITH THIS STORM.  IF OUTDOORS...
STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS.  MOVE INDOOR IF POSSIBLE.  WHEN
INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID USING
TELEPHONES AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT.

 ATTN ISP DIST...9
 DAVIS

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, Aug 8, 7:23 PM CDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
7 20 PM CDT SAT AUG 8 1987

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS

AT 7 15 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST
CENTRAL ILLINOIS.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS JUST SOUTHWEST OF PALMYRA ILLINOIS
...35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SPRINGFIELD.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED 30 WEST OF SPRINGFIELD
ILLINOIS IN THE JACKSONVILLE AREA.

THE STORMS WEREj MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND
SMALL HAIL.
DAVIS
Special weather statement, Aug 8, 8:10 PM CDT, 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
810 PM CDT SAT AUG 8 1987

...THUNDERSTORMS SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH OF PEORIA TO NEAR BLOOMINGTON...

AT 805 PM..RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS
TO THE SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH OF PEORIA TO NEAR BLOOMINGTON..NORMAL.

THUNDERSTORMS WERE BETWEEN HAVANA AND LEWISTOWN..ALSO 5 MILES WEST
OF DELEVAN AND 5 MILES EAST OF DELEVAN AND ONE WAS LOCATED ABOUT
20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BLOOMINGTON ON THE SOUTH EDGE OF LEROY.

DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..BRIEF GUSTY WINDS TO 45 OR 50 MPH..SMALL HAIL
AND HEAVY RAINS ARE LIKELY WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS AS THEY MOVE
EAST AT 35 TO 40 MPH ACROSS NORTHERN MASON..SOUTHERN TAZEWELL AND
SOUTHERN MC LEAN COUNTIES BETWEEN 800 PM AND 900 PM.

PALMER

ATTN ISP DISTS..6..8..AND 9

The office that day

Everything else NWS Lincoln, IL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 8, 8:04 PM CDTTornado WarningILXChristian, Sangamon26 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 1987Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.