Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 11, NWS Indianapolis, IN

May 9, 1990Edwards County, Wayne County, White County, Illinois

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 9, 1990, 8:46 PM CDT for Edwards County, Wayne County, White County, Illinois. It was in force for 29 min. 3 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
May 9, 1990, 8:46 PM CDT (01:46 UTC)
Expired
May 9, 1990, 9:15 PM CDT
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Edwards County, IL, Wayne County, IL, White 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 9, 8:50 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Wayne, IL
May 9, 9:05 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0White, IL
May 9, 9:10 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 87Edwards, 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 00:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 144 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 1990-05-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 602 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 1990-05-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 158 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
602 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-52 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
710 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
158 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
181 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
2.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KEVV 100147
SVREVV
ILC047-191-193-100215-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EVANSVILLE IN
846 PM CDT WED MAY 9 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EVANSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  915 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS
          ...EDWARDS...WAYNE...WHITE
 
AT 845 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS JUST WEST OF
MILL SHOALS ILLINOIS...40 MILES WEST OF EVANSVILLE. THE STORM IS
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH...AND WILL MOVE INTO THE TOWNS OF ALBION
AND GRAYVILLE ILLINOIS BY 900 PM. IF YOU LIVE IN THE PATH OF THIS
STORM TAKE COVER IMMEDIATLEY.
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
RUNNELS

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, May 9, 7:35 PM CDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
INZALL-100130-

PRECIPITATION NOWCAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
735 PM EST WED MAY 9 1990

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN
INDIANA UNTIL 1 AM EST.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ABOUT TO ENTER EXTREME NORTHWEST INDIANA.

AT 725 PM EST...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE FROM ABOUT 10 MILES WEST
OF GARY TO ABOUT 15 MILES WEST OF CHAMPAIGN ILLINOIS TO NEAR
CARBONDALE ILLINOIS.

THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE LINE WAS MOVING EAST AT 25 TO 30 MILES PER
HOUR WHILE THE NORTHERN PART WAS MOVING EAST AT A SLIGHTLY SLOWER
SPEED. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ENTERING THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF INDIANA
BY 8 PM EST...WHILE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO INDIANA NEAR
TERRE HAUTE BEFOREB 9 PM.
.
SEVERE STORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS...AND POSSIBLY HAIL...MAY ARRIVE
WITH THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS.

MPD
Special weather statement, May 9, 7:37 PM CDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
INZALL-100130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
735 PM EST WED MAY 9 1990

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN
INDIANA UNTIL 1 AM EST.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE ABOUT TO ENTER EXTREME NORTHWEST INDIANA.

AT 725 PM EST...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE FROM ABOUT 10 MILES WEST
OF GARY TO ABOUT 15 MILES WEST OF CHAMPAIGN ILLINOIS TO NEAR
CARBONDALE ILLINOIS.

THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE LINE WAS MOVING EAST AT 25 TO 30 MILES PER
HOUR WHILE THE NORTHERN PART WAS MOVING EAST AT A SLIGHTLY SLOWER
SPEED. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ENTERING THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF INDIANA
BY 8 PM EST...WHILE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO INDIANA NEARP
TERRE HAUTE BEFORE 9 PM.
.
SEVERE STORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS...AND POSSIBLY HAIL...MAY ARRIVE
WITH THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS.

MPD
CORRECTED TITLE.
Special weather statement, May 9, 8:44 PM CDT, 2 minutes before
INZALL-100300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
843 PM EST WED MAY 9 1990

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN INDIANA
UNTIL 1 AM EST.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND
TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS...WERE INTO NORTHWEST INDIANA AT 830 PM EST.

AT 830 PM...THUNDERSTORMS WERE FROM 10 MILES EAST OF GARY TO ABOUT
45 MILES NORTHWEST OF LAFAYETTE TO ABOUT 45 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
TERRE HAUTE. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES PER HOUR.

AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS AHEAD OF THE LINE HAD DISSIPATED TO LIGHT
SHOWERS. SOME OF THEM MAY MOVE INTO THE TERRE HAUTE AREA AROUND
915 PM...OTHERWISE THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE
LAFAYETTE AND TERRE HAUTE AREAS BY AROUND 10 PM. THEY WILL MOVE INTO
THE INDIANAPOLIS AREA SOMETIME AROUND 1130 PM.

SEVERE STORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLY HAIL MAY ARRIVE
WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. AREAS OF TORRENTIAL RAIN AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING ARE A CERTAINTY.

MPD

The office that day

Everything else NWS Indianapolis, IN issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 9, 9:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDLawrence, Richland, Wabash50 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.