Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 90, NWS Lincoln, IL

October 17, 1990Christian County, Macon County, Shelby County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Oct 17, 1990, 6:16 PM CDT for Christian County, Macon County, Shelby County, Illinois. It was in force for 59 min. 2 reports 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
Oct 17, 1990, 6:16 PM CDT (23:16 UTC)
Expired
Oct 17, 1990, 7:15 PM CDT
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Christian County, IL, Macon County, IL, Shelby 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
Oct 17, 7:00 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Christian, IL
Oct 17, 7:00 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Shelby, 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

Paducah/Barkley, KY (KPAH), launched 12:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 283 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 1990-10-17Temperature 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, Paducah/Barkley, KY at 12:00Z on 1990-10-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 205 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
0 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
205 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
244 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 172316
SVRSPI
ILC021-115-173-180015-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
616 PM CDT WED OCT 17 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 715 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE CENTRAL PART OF ILLINOIS
      NORTHERN CHRISTIAN...SOUTHERN MACON...NORTHERN SHELBY

AT 610 PM...RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS 30 MILES SOUTH
SOUTHEAST OF SPRINGFIELD ILLINOIS NEAR THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY BORDER.

THE SEVER STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

COMMUNITIES IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS ARE KINCAID...EDINBURG...
TAYLORVILLE...MACON...MOWEAQUA...AND DECATUR.
0
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.

 ATTN ISP DISTS...9 AND 10
 PALMER

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, Oct 17, 2:40 PM CDT, 3 hours 36 minutes before
ILZ009-010-172215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
235 PM CDT WED OCT 17 1990

...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 8 PM CDT FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE BUILDING OVER NORTHERN AND EASTERN
MISSOURI THIS AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT
35 MPH. THE BULK OF THESE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN ILLINOIS TO
THE WEST OF THE ILLINOIS RIVER. HOWEVER THE COUNTIES WEST AND NORTH/
WEST OF SPRINGFIELD THAT BORDER THE RIVER MAY ALSO BE EFFECTED.

PERSONS IN CENTRAL AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS ARE ADVISED TO KEEP ALERT
TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY
BUILDING IF SEVERE WEATHER THREATENS.

CF
Special weather statement, Oct 17, 4:13 PM CDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before
ILZ005-006-007-009-172215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
415 PM CDT WED OCT 17 1990

...TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS TO 8PM...

AT 4:10 PM... RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM
THE PEORIA AREA DOWN TO NEAR MASON CITY.  THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRODUCING
HEAVY RAIN OVER MASON COUNTY AND ALONG THE RIVER SOUTH OF PEORIA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS HAVE BEEN MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH
AND WILL BE MOVING INTO PEORIA AND WOODFORD COUNTIES BY 5PM.

ANOTHER AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS CROSSING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER INTO
WETERN ILLINOIS... FROM QUINCY TO NEAR BURLINGTON.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS
WERE ALSO MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER IF A TORNADO WARNING OR A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA.
.
JACOBS
Special weather statement, Oct 17, 5:17 PM CDT, 59 minutes before
ILZ005-006-007-009-172315-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
515 PM CDT WED OCT 17 1990

...TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR WEST AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

AT 5:10 PM... RADAR INDICATED A BROAD BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY
RAIN EXTENDING ACROSS WESTERN ILLINOIS FROM MOLINE DOWN THROUGH MACOMB
TO ST LOUIS MISSOURI.  THE LEADING EDGE OF THE AREA WAS ABOUT 25 MILES
WEST OF PEORIA.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING INTO EASTERN SCHUYLER COUNTY...
AND NEAR MACOMB.  THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

A SECOND AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS NORTHEAST OF PEORIA OVER
WOODFORD AND MARSHALL COUNTIES... ALSO MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

MOST REPORTS FROM WEST ILLINOIS INDICATED 35 TO 40 MPH WINDS AND OCCASIONAL
HEAVY RAINFALL.  THE AREA IS BEING CLOSELY MONITORED FOR SEVERE WEATHER
DEVELOPMENT AND A WARNING COULD BE ISSUED IF THIS THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY
BECOMES STRONGER.  PERSONTS IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS SHOULD
MONITOR TV AND RADIO ... OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO... FOR LATEST WEATHER
INORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

JACOBS
Special weather statement, Oct 17, 6:01 PM CDT, 15 minutes before
ILZ005-006-007-009-180000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
600 PM CDT WED OCT 17 1990

...TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR WEST AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

AT 5:55 PM... A LARGE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS AND RAIN OVER WEST CENTRAL
ILLINOIS.  THE HEAVIEST RAIN AND STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WAS
OCCURRING IN A BAND FROM HAVANNA UP ALONG THE ILLINOIS RIVER THROUGH PEKIN
TO CHILLICOTHE. THE RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 35 MPH.

MOST REPORTS FROM THE AREA INDICATED 35 TO 40 MPH WINDS AND OCCASIONAL
HEAVY RAINFALL.  SMALL HAIL WAS REPORTED IN EXTREME NORTHERN PEORIA NEAR
PIONEER PARK AT 5:43 PM AND AT KICKAPOO AT 5:38 PM.  THIS PARTICULAR
THUNDERSTORM WEAKENED AS IT MOVED UP INTO WESTERN WOODFORD COUNTY.

THE BACK EDGE OF THE PRECIPITATION REACHES FROM RUSHVILLE TO GALESBURG
AND REPRESENTS AN ADVANCING COLD FRONT.  WESTERN ILLINOIS WILL HAVE
STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS AFTER THE FRONT PASSES AND TEMPERATURES WILL
TUMBLE RAPIDLY TO AROUND 40 DEGREES BY THURSDAY MORNING.

PERSONS IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR
TV AND RADIO ... OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO... FOR LATEST THE WEATHER
INORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

JACOBS

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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.