Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1987
Tornado Warning 11, NWS Lincoln, IL
NWS Lincoln, IL issued this tornado warning at May 21, 1987, 10:24 PM CDT for Macon County, Piatt County, Illinois. It was in force for 26 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 21, 1987, 10:24 PM CDT (03:24 UTC)
- Expired
- May 21, 1987, 10:50 PM CDT
- In force
- 26 min
- Issued by
- NWS Lincoln, IL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Macon County, IL, Piatt 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 21, 11:00 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Macon, 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 00:00Z, 3.4 hours before the alert went out and 107 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
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KSPI 220324 TORSPI ILC115-147-220350- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL 1024 PM CDT THU MAY 21 1987 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1050 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...MACON AND PIATT AT 10 19 PM CDT A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED ONE MILE EAST OF OREANA ILLINOIS 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF DECATUR ILLINOIS. THE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING THIS TORNADO IS MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. FUNNEL CLOUDS CAN OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE A TORNADO WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING...SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. THIS IS A D\ANGEROUS STORM. TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY. ATTN ISP DIST...10 HILLIARD
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, 4 hours 58 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, 4 hours 51 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, 4 hours 5 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, 3 hours 28 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, 3 hours 5 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 7:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | McDonough, Schuyler | 62 min |
| May 21, 8:27 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Cass, Morgan | 63 min |
| May 21, 8:27 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILX | Fulton, McDonough | 63 min |
| May 21, 9:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Bureau, Stark | 60 min |
| May 21, 9:23 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILX | Peoria | 27 min |
| May 21, 9:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Lee | 47 min |
| May 21, 9:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Cass, Morgan, Sangamon | 62 min |
| May 21, 9:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Menard | 62 min |
| May 21, 9:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | McLean, Mason, Tazewell, Woodford | 58 min |
| May 21, 10:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Logan, Sangamon | 31 min |
| May 21, 10:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | DeWitt, Macon | 66 min |
| May 21, 10:44 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILX | McLean | 41 min |
| May 21, 11:06 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Champaign, Vermilion | 54 min |
| May 21, 11:37 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Winnebago | 23 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.