Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1987

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Lincoln, IL

May 21, 1987Peoria County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this tornado warning at May 21, 1987, 9:23 PM CDT for Peoria County, Illinois. It was in force for 27 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 21, 1987, 9:23 PM CDT (02:23 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 1987, 9:50 PM CDT
In force
27 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties

County Peoria 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, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 19 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 1987-05-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2351 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Peoria Regional, IL at 00:00Z on 1987-05-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 55 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
2351 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1819 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
55 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
98 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KPIA 220223
TORPIA
ILC143-220330-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
923 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

CENTRAL ILLINOIS...NORTHWEST PEORIA

AT 920 PM CDT THERE HAVE NUMEROUS SIGHTINGS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS AND
POSSIBLE TOUCHDOWNS NEAR FARMINGTON AND YATES CITY.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...GO TO A BASEMENT SHELTER
IF AVAILABLE...OTHERWISE TO A CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.

ATTN ISP DIST 8

NADOLSKI

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 21, 5:26 PM CDT, 3 hours 57 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
525 PM CDT FRI MAY 21 1987

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM TONIGHT....

AT 525 PM CDT NO PRECIPITATION WAS INDICATED OVER ILLINOI?S...HOWEVER
ISOLATED VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER NORTHEAST AND
EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

STUMETZ
Special weather statement, May 21, 5:33 PM CDT, 3 hours 50 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
525 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1987

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM TONIGHT....

AT 525 PM CDT NO PRECIPITATION WAS INDICJATED OVER ILLINOIS...HOWEVER
ISOLATED VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER NORTHEAST AND
EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

...DAY SHOULD BE THU INSTEAD OF FRI...

STUMETZ
Special weather statement, May 21, 6:19 PM CDT, 3 hours 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
618 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1987

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM TONIGHT....

AT 615 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED AN ISOLATED VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM
ABOUT 15 MILES WEST OF RUSHVILLE IN SCHUYLER COUNTY.  MOVEMENT OF THIS
THUNDERSTORM WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

SOME VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE APPROACHING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
SOUHTWEST OF QUINCY.  LARGE HAIL HAD BEEN REPORTED W_EST OF HANNIBAL
MISSOURI.  THESE STORMS WERE ALSO MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

NADOLSKI
Special weather statement, May 21, 6:56 PM CDT, 2 hours 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
750 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1987

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM TONIGHT....

AT 645 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS BEGINNING TO BLOSSOM
ACROSS WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS.  THE HEAVIEST ACTIVITY WAS LOCATED AGAIN
ABOUT 15 MILES WEST OF RUSHVILLE IN SCHUYLER COUNTY...15 NORTH OF
QUINCY AND ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM IN THE QUINCY AREA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HEAVY
RAIN...STRONG WINDS AND POSSIBLE HAIL.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

NADOLSKI
Special weather statement, May 21, 7:19 PM CDT, 2 hours 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
718 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1987

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...
...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES UNTIL 10 PM FOR WEST CENTRAL AND
   NORTHWEST ILLINOIS...

AT 715 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED THE LEADING EDGE OF A LARGE AREA OF
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM JUST WEST OF BURLINGTON IOWA
TO QUINCY ILLLINOIS TO LOUISANA ILLINOIS. AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM
OF STRONG INTENSITY WAS JUST NORTH OF RUSHVILLE. OTHER STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS WERE ABOUT 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF QUINCY.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS MAY ACCOMPANY
THESE THUNDERSTORMS.  SEEK SHELTER IF THESE CONDITIONS OCCUR IN
YOUR AREA.
REEDY

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 7:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMcDonough, Schuyler62 min
May 21, 8:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXCass, Morgan63 min
May 21, 8:27 PM CDTTornado WarningILXFulton, McDonough63 min
May 21, 9:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXBureau, Stark60 min
May 21, 9:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXLee47 min
May 21, 9:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXCass, Morgan, Sangamon62 min
May 21, 9:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMenard62 min
May 21, 9:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMcLean, Mason, Tazewell, Woodford58 min
May 21, 10:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXLogan, Sangamon31 min
May 21, 10:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXDeWitt, Macon66 min
May 21, 10:24 PM CDTTornado WarningILXMacon, Piatt26 min
May 21, 10:44 PM CDTTornado WarningILXMcLean41 min
May 21, 11:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChampaign, Vermilion54 min
May 21, 11:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXWinnebago23 min

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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.