Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Lincoln, IL

May 25, 1989Sangamon County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this tornado warning at May 25, 1989, 1:54 AM CDT for Sangamon County, Illinois. It was in force for 36 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 25, 1989, 1:54 AM CDT (06:54 UTC)
Expired
May 25, 1989, 2:30 AM CDT
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties

County 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, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 102 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 1989-05-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1989-05-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 230 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
NaN m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
230 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
347 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSPI 250654
TORSPI
ILC167-250730-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
154 AM CDT THU MAY 25 1989

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 230 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE CENTRAL PART OF ILLINOIS
      EASTERN SANGAMON

AT 1:45AM THE SANGAMON COUNTY ESDA REPORTED A TORNADO IN THE
SOUTHEAST PART OF SPRINGFIELD MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST.
INJURIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THIS TORNADO.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A 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...
 9

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 24, 10:22 PM CDT, 3 hours 32 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
1020 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989

..TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS UNTIL 400 AM...

AT 1015 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM WESTERN WISCONSIN SOUTHWEST TO NORTHERN
MISSOURI.  TORNADOES HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
IN SOUTHERN IOWA AND NORTHERN MISSOURI.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST
AT 35 MILES AN HOUR...AND WILL BE AFFECTING EXTREME WEST CENTRAL
ILLINOIS WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR...AND THE PEORIA AREA AFTER 100 AM.

AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE INTO THE AREA...BE PREPARED FOR VERY STRONG
WINDS...HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HAIL AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES.
STAY TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO...TELEVISION...OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER
STATEMENTS ON THIS DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION.

J LAST
Special weather statement, May 25, 1:05 AM CDT, 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
1255 AM CDT THU MAY 25 1989

...TORNADO WATCH CANCELLED FOR HENDERSON...WARREN...KNOX...HANCOCK...AND
MCDONOUGH COUNTIES...
...TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES TO BE IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

AT 1245 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A 30 MILE WIDE
BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS SOUTHWEST TO
NORTHEASTERN MISSOURI. THE HEAVIEST ACTIVTY WAS ASSOCIATED WITH AN
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM NEAR CHENOA IN EXTREME NORTHERN MCLEAN COUNTY.
OTHER HEAVY ACTIVITY EXTENDED FROM NEAR TOLUCA...30 MILES NORTHEAST OF
PEORIA IN EASTERN MARSHALL COUNTY TO NEAR KILBOURNE...45 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF PEORIA IN SOUTHERN IMASON COUNTY. MOVEMENT OF THESE STORMS WAS EAST AT
30 MPH.

AS THE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE INTO THESE AREAS...BE PREPARED FOR STRONG
WINDS...HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HAIL AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES.
MILLER
Special weather statement, May 25, 1:50 AM CDT, 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
150 AM CDT THU MAY 25 1989

...TORNADO WATCH CANCELLED FOR BUREAU...PUTNAM...PEORIA...FULTON...
SCHUYLER...MARSHALL AND MASON COUNTIES...
...TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES TO BE IN EFFECT FOR MOST TAZEWELL AND
WOODFORD COUNTIES UNTIL 400 AM CDT...
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MCLEAN COUNTY UNTIL
600 AM CDT...

AT 145 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AND AREA OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS THAT EXTENDED SOUTHWEST FROM CHICAGO TO EAST OF PEORIA
THEN TO SPRINGFIELD TO NORTHWEST OF ST. LOUIS.  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
WERE INDICATED WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN NEAR SPRINGFIELD...WITH STRONGER
STORMS BETWEEN HERMAN MISSOURI AND JACKS|ONVILLE ILLINOIS.

MOVEMENT OF THESE STORMS WAS TO THE EAST AT 45 MPH.

NADOLSKI
Special weather statement, May 25, 1:53 AM CDT, 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL...CORRECTED...
150 AM CDT THU MAY 25 1989

...TORNADO WATCH CANCELLED FOR BUREAU...PUTNAM...PEORIA...FULTON...
SCHUYLER...MARSHALL AND MASON COUNTIES...
...TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES TO BE IN EFFECT FOR MOST TAZEWELL AND
WOODFORD COUNTIES UNTIL 400 AM CDT...
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MCLEAN COUNTY UNTIL
600 AM CDT...

AT 145 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AND AREA OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS THAT EXTENDED SOUTHWEST FROM CHICAGO TO EAST OF PEORIA
THEN TO SPRINGFIELD TO NORTHWEST OF ST. LOUIS.  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
WERE INDICATED WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN NEAR SPRINGFIELD...WITH STRONGER
STORMS BETWEEN HERMAN MISSOURI AND JACKSONVILLE ILLINOIS.

MOVEMENT OF THESE STORMS WAS TO THE EAST AT 45 MPH.

...CORRECTED FOR TIME OF IN BODY OF MESSAGE...     NADOLSKI

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, 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, 1:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChristian, Montgomery, Sangamon64 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

Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.