Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 70, NWS Lincoln, IL

August 16, 1987Stephenson County, Winnebago County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 16, 1987, 6:15 PM CDT for Stephenson County, Winnebago County, Illinois. It was in force for 45 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
Aug 16, 1987, 6:15 PM CDT (23:15 UTC)
Expired
Aug 16, 1987, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Stephenson County, IL, Winnebago 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 16, 6:30 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Winnebago, 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, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 187 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 1987-08-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1711 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 1987-08-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 56 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1711 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-92 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
818 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
56 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-15 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KRFD 162315
SVRRFD
ILC177-203-170000-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCKFORD IL
615 PM CDT SUN AUG 16 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 700 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES OF

NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...STEPHENSON AND WINNEBAGO

AT 605 PM A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING THROUGH
STEPHENSON COUNTY OF NORTHWEST ILLINOIS.  TREE AND POWER
LINE DAMAGE WAS REPORTED IN LENA ILLINOIS.  LENA IS 10
MILES NORTHWEST OF FREEPORT ILLINOIS.  THE DAMAGE WAS REPORTED
AT 605 PM BY THE STATE POLICE.

IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA THREATENED BY THE STORM... GO TO A REINFORECED
SHELTER.  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE WINDS OF 60 MPH OR
GREATER... LARGE HAIL... DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAIN THAT
CAN QUICKLY FLOOD A LOW LYING AREA.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO POLICE... SHERIFF OR STATE POLICE AND ASK
THEM TO RELAY THIS INFORMATION TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

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 16, 3:51 PM CDT, 2 hours 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
350 PM CDT SUN AUG 16 1987

...TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES FOR WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT FOR
HENDERSON AND HANCOCK COUNTINES IN WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS.

NO SEVERE WEATHER HAD BEEN REPORTED IN THESE COUNTIES UP
UNTIL 345 PM.

WARM..UNSTABLE AIR OVER NORTHERN MISSOURI..EASTERN IOWA AND
WESTERN ILLINOIS WAS AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT MOVING EAST THROUGH
IOWA.  THIS CONDITION COULD SEE A RAPID DEVELOPEMENT OF
THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS BETWEEN 400 PM AND 600 PM.

KEEP AN EYE ON THE SKY FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPEMENT AND WATCH
TELEVISION OR LISTEN TO RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATsEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

PALMER

ATTN ISP DIST 14
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 5:42 PM CDT, 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
540 PM CDT SUN AUG 16 1987

...THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS SOUTH OF
BURLINGTON IOWA...

AT 535 PM..RADAR INDICATED A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS
IN AN AREA FROM KIRKSVILLE MISSOURI TO OTTUMA IOWA TO BURLINGTON
IOWA AND BACK TO KIRKSVILLE.

THE BAND OF STORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 20 TO 25 MPH TOWARD THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND SHOULD BE EDGING INTO WESTERN ILLINOIS BY
AROUND 630 PM.

HANCOCK AND HENDERSON COUNTIES IN WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS ARE IN A
TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 1000 PM CDT.

PEOPLE IN THESE COUNTIES SHOULD STAY ALERT FOR THE APPROACH OF THESE
THUNDERSTORMS AND HAVE A PLAN OF SAFETY IN MIND SHOULD YOU NEED TO
QUICKLY MOVE TO A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER.

THESE STORMS WILL BRING DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..POSSIBLE BRIEF
GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH..HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN.

PALMER

ATTN ISP DIST 14

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 16, 6:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXCarroll52 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.