Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Lincoln, IL

May 25, 1989Christian County, Montgomery County, Sangamon County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 25, 1989, 1:41 PM CDT for Christian County, Montgomery County, Sangamon County, Illinois. It was in force for 64 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 25, 1989, 1:41 PM CDT (18:41 UTC)
Expired
May 25, 1989, 2:45 PM CDT
In force
64 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Christian County, IL, Montgomery 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 25, 1:53 PM CDTHail 2.5Montgomery, 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, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 129 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 1989-05-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 14 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 1989-05-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -26 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
14 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-743 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1108 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-26 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
35 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSPI 251841
SVRSPI
ILC167-021-135-251945-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
141 PM CDT THU MAY 25 1989

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 245 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE CENTRAL PART OF ILLINOIS
      SOUTHERN SANGAMON...CHRISTIAN...MONTGOMERY

AT 132 PM CDT PUBLIC REPORTED GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS WITH SOME PROPERTY DAMAGE IN CARLINVILLE ILLINOIS..ABOUT)
35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SPRINGFIELD.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING THIS SEVERE WEATHER WAS MOVING EA
ST AT 40 MPH.

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.

 ATTN IS P DIST...9 AND 18
 HUGHES

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

Local storm report, May 25, 8:25 AM CDT, 5 hours 16 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
825AM CDT THU MAY 25 1989

ADDITIONAL REPORTS FROM STORMS OF THURSDAY MORNING MAY 25 1989

TIME              EVENT

300AM CDT ....COLES COUNTY ESDA REPORTED A CONFIRMED TORNADO 21/2 MILES
              NORTHWEST OF ASHMORE...PICKED UP ROOF OFF OF HOME, BLEW
              OUT WINDOWS, DESTROYED 2 HORSE BARNS, TWISTED AND BLEW
              DOWN TREES. NO REPORTS OF INJURIES.
336AM CDT ....AN UNCONFIRMED REPORT BY PUBLIC RELAYED BY A LOCAL RADIO
              STATION OF A FUNNEL CLOUD IN CLARK COUNTY.

NELLEN
Special weather statement, May 25, 9:41 AM CDT, 4 hours before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
940 AM CDT THU MAY 25 1989

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS...

AT 935 PM CDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR PITTSFIELD
ILLINOIS...65 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SPRINGFIELD ILLINOIS.THIS SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

THIS THUNDERSTORM MAY PRODUCE DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..DAMAGING WINDS AND
LARGE HAIL.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM CDT FOR
MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

HILLIARD
Special weather statement, May 25, 10:26 AM CDT, 3 hours 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
1025 AM CDT THU MAY 25 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS.....

AT 1022 AM CDT WEATHER RADARS SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WEST
OF A LINE FROM NEAR BRADFORD ILLINOIS TO JUST NORTHEAST OF BELLEVILLE
ILLINOIS.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN NORTHWEST MACOUPIN AND
SOUTHERN MORGAN COUNTIES. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL
...STRONG GUSTY W:INDS..HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

HILLIARD
Special weather statement, May 25, 10:50 AM CDT, 2 hours 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
1045 AM CDT THU MAY 25 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHERN SANGAMON AND NORTHER MACOUPIN
   COUNTIES.

AT 1042 AM CDT MACOUPIN COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORTED PEA-SIZE
HAIL AT GIRARD ILLINOIS...25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SPRINGFIELD. ALSO
VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTEND NORTHWARD TO JUST WEST OF SPRINGFIELD
ILLINOIS.

MACOUPIN AND SANGAMON COUNTIES CAN EXPECT VERY HEAVY RAINFRALL...HAIL
...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3PM CDT FOR MUCH
OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS.
HILLIARD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 24, 11:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXWarren35 min
May 25, 1:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMacon, Sangamon30 min
May 25, 1:54 AM CDTTornado WarningILXSangamon36 min
May 25, 2:38 AM CDTTornado WarningILXDeWitt, Logan37 min
May 25, 3:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChampaign, Douglas, Piatt34 min
May 25, 11:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChristian, Macon, Shelby67 min
May 25, 1:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMacoupin, Morgan42 min
May 25, 2:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXShelby63 min
May 25, 4:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXColes, Douglas, Edgar61 min
May 25, 5:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXEdgar30 min
May 25, 6:04 PM CDTTornado WarningILXSangamon26 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 1989Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1989

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.