Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 41, NWS Lincoln, IL

June 17, 1990DeWitt County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 17, 1990, 5:12 PM CDT for DeWitt County, Illinois. It was in force for 63 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 17, 1990, 5:12 PM CDT (22:12 UTC)
Expired
Jun 17, 1990, 6:15 PM CDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties

County DeWitt 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

Paducah/Barkley, KY (KPAH), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 346 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, Paducah/Barkley, KY at 12:00Z on 1990-06-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1821 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, Paducah/Barkley, KY at 12:00Z on 1990-06-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 14 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
1821 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-32 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
979 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
14 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
74 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 KSPI 172212
SVRSPI
ILC039-172315-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
512 PM CDT SUN JUN 17 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 615 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTY

   IN THE CENTRAL PART OF ILLINOIS
      DE WITT

AT 508PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN WESTERN
DEWITT COUNTY 40N MKLES NORTHEAST OF SPRINGFIELD. IT WAS MOVING
TOWARD THE EAST AT 30 TO 35 MPH.

THE SHERIFF OF DEWITT COUNTY REPORTED GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL AT
MIDLAND CITY.

PERSONS IN CLINTON AND WELDON SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY
CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

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.

INTENSE LIGHTNING IS REPORTED WITH THIS STORM. IF OUTDOORS...
STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS. MOVE INDOORS IF POSSIBLE. WHEN
INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS. AVOID USING TELEPHONES
AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPIMENT.

 ATTN ISP DIST... 6
 FS

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, Jun 17, 11:32 AM CDT, 5 hours 40 minutes before
ILZ005-006-007-009-171500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
1135 AM CDT SUN JUN 17 1990

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHERN AND
CENTRAL ILLINOIS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.

A COLD FRONT ACROSS IOWA IS MOVING SLOWLY EAST INTO VERY WARM AND
UNSTABLE AIR. SKIES ARE MOSTLY CLEAR OVER CENTRAL ILLINOIS WHICH
WILL ALOW FOR ADDITIONAL HEATING...WITH TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO
RISE INTO THE 90S THIS AFTERNOON.

THE HOT...MOIST AIR WILL BE LIFTED BY THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT AND
WILL SET THE STAGE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOPE RAPIDLY THIS
AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE INTO EARLY EVENING.  SOME OF THE STORMS
COULD BE SEVERE AS THEY MOVE THROUGH IELLINOIS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR LOCAL TELEVISION AND RADIO
STATIONS FOR UPDATES ON THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER.

STUMETZ
Special weather statement, Jun 17, 11:36 AM CDT, 5 hours 36 minutes before
ILZ005-006-007-009-171500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
1135 AM CDT SUN JUN 17 1990

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHERN AND
CENTRAL ILLINOIS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.

A COLD FRONT ACROSS IOWA IS MOVING SLOWLY EAST INTO VERY WARM AND
UNSTABLE AIR. SKIES ARE MOSTLY CLEAR OVER CENTRAL ILLINOIS WHICH
WILL ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL HEATING...WITH TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO
RISE INTO THE 90S THIS AFTERNOON.

THE HOT...MOIST AIR WILL BE LIFTED BY THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT AND
WILL SET THE STAGE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOPE RAPIDLY THIS
AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE INTO EARLY EVENING.  SOME OF THE STORMS
COULD BE SEVERE AS THEY MOVE THROLUGH ILLINOIS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR LOCAL TELEVISION AND RADIO
STATIONS FOR UPDATES ON THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER.

STUMETZ
Special weather statement, Jun 17, 3:28 PM CDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
ILZ005-006-007-009-172130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
325 PM CDT SUN JUN 17 1990

...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS UNTIL
1000 PM CDT...

AT 320 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
DEVELOPING OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS
WERE DEVELOPING WEST OF A LINE FROM MOLINE TO 25 MILES NORTH OF SPRINGFIELD.
THE STRONGEST STORM WAS IN EASTERN MASON COUNTY NEAR MASON CITY...25
MILES NORTH OF SPRINGFIELD. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS...
LARGE HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES.
PEOPL>E ACROSS CENTRAL AND WESTERN ILLINOIS SHOULD BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY
CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND STAY TUNED TO RADIO...TELEVISION OR NOAA
WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
.
MILLER
Special weather statement, Jun 17, 4:30 PM CDT, 42 minutes before
ILZ005-006-007-009-172230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
430 PM CDT SUN JUN 17 1990

...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS UNTIL
1000 PM CDT...

AT 425 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE
DEVELOPING WEST OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES EAST OF MOLINE TO PEORIA TO
ST. LOUIS. IN ADDITION AN ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN
EXTREME NORTHEAST LOGAN COUNTY NEAR INTERSTATE 55 APPROACHING SOUTHERN
MCLEAN COUNTY. MOVEMENT OF ALL OF THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WAS NORTHEAST
AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS...
LARGE HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES.
PEOPLE ACROSS CENTRAL AND WESTERN ILLINOIS SHOULD BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY
CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND STAY TUNED TO RADIO...TELEVISION OR NOAA
WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTpS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

MILLER
Special weather statement, Jun 17, 4:58 PM CDT, 14 minutes before
ILZ009-010-172300      (UGC LINE HAVE TO ENTER DDHHMM )
                        1 TO 6 HOURS DEPENDING ON EVENT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
453 PM CDT SUN JUN 17 1990

...HEAVY THUNDERSTORM IN DE WITT COUNTY...
AT 450PM CDT A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN...PEA SIZED HAIL AND
DANGEROUS LIGHTING WAS IN WESTERN DE WITT COUNTY. IT WAS MOVING TOWARD
THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST AT 20 TO 30 MPH.

PERSONS IN MIDLAND CITY...CLINTON AND WELDON SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT
FOR WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS UNTIL THIS STORM PASSES THE COUNTY BY 6PM.

FS
Special weather statement, Jun 17, 4:59 PM CDT, 13 minutes before
ILZ009-010-172300

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED FOR HEADING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
453 PM CDT SUN JUN 17 1990

...HEAVY THUNDERSTORM IN DE WITT COUNTY...
AT 450PM CDT A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN...PEA SIZED HAIL AND
DANGEROUS LIGHTING WAS IN WESTERN DE WITT COUNTY. IT WAS MOVING TOWARD
THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST AT 20 TO 30 MPH.

PERSONS IN MIDLAND CITY...CLINTON AND WELDON SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT
FOR WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS UNTIL THIS STORM PASSES THE COUNTY BY 6PM.

FS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 17, 3:53 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXLee, Ogle52 min
Jun 17, 4:31 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXDeKalb29 min
Jun 17, 6:07 PM CDTTornado WarningILXDeWitt, Piatt38 min
Jun 17, 6:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMacon62 min
Jun 17, 6:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMacoupin, Montgomery62 min
Jun 17, 6:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChristian69 min
Jun 17, 6:47 PM CDTTornado WarningILXChampaign, Piatt58 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 1990Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1990

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.