Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Lincoln, IL

May 15, 1990Douglas County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this tornado warning at May 15, 1990, 8:44 PM CDT for Douglas County, Illinois. It was in force for 31 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 15, 1990, 8:44 PM CDT (01:44 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 1990, 9:15 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties

County Douglas 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 00:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 303 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 00:00Z on 1990-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1196 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 00:00Z on 1990-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 88 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1196 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-25 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1228 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
88 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
286 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
7.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSPI 160144
TORSPI
ILC041-160215-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
844 PM CDT TUE MAY 15 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 915 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE EAST CENTRAL PART OF ILLINOIS
      DOUGLAS

AT 843PM CDT A TORNADO WAS SPOTTED ON THE GROUND NEAR TUSCOLA
MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST. RNCE OF STORM LOCATION TO MAJOR CITY.)
IT IS HEADING FOR THE TOWNS OF WEST RIDGE AND VILLA GROVE.

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... 10
 NELLEN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 15, 11:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChristian, Macon, Sangamon40 min
May 16, 1:12 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChristian, Macon, Sangamon48 min
May 16, 3:07 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningILXMacon, Sangamon6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 1990Every tornado warning in 1990Tornadoes 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.