Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 22, NWS St. Louis, MO

May 15, 1990Saint Clair County, Illinois

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 15, 1990, 5:06 PM CDT for Saint Clair County, Illinois. It was in force for 54 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 15, 1990, 5:06 PM CDT (22:06 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 1990, 6:00 PM CDT
In force
54 min
Issued by
NWS St. Louis, MO
Area
Whole counties

County Saint Clair 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, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 189 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 1990-05-15Temperature 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 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 1990-05-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 107 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
0 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
107 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
107 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSTL 152204
SVRSTL
ILC163-152300-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
506 PM CDT TUE MAY 15 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST LOUIS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  600 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS
          ...ST CLAIR
 
AT 500 PM CDT...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING IN ST LOUIS
COUNTY.
GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF I-70 AND
I-270.
 
THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AROUND 40 MPH.  THE STORMS WILL
BE MOVING INTO ST CLAIR COUNTY ILLINOIS BETWEEN 500 PM AND 515 PM.
 
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE I#NSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

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 15, 2:48 PM CDT, 2 hours 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
240 PM CDT TUE MAY 15 1990

..A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND EAST MISSOURI
AND MOST OF THE SOUTH THIRD OF ILLINOIS UNTIL 9PM CDT THIS EVENING..

..A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF MISSOURI EXCEPT THE
BOOTHEEL AREA UNTIL 6PM CDT THIS EVENING..

AT 234 PM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL
..STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLE HAIL WAS JUST NORTH OF COLUMBIA
MISSOURI..AND ONE JUST EAST OF MEXICO MISSOURI.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS
WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY..WITH THE POSSIBLITY OF STRONG WIND AND HAIL.

AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM WAS IN SOUTH ILLINOIS JUST TO THE EAST OF
SALEM.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE TORNADOS..STAY ALERT
AND UP TO DATE ON THE LATEST FORECAST.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING MAINLY TO THE EAST AT 35 TO
40 MILES AN HOUR.
FMD
Special weather statement, May 15, 2:53 PM CDT, 2 hours 13 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
250 PM CDT TUE MAY 15 1990

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL ENTER PIKE AND LINCOLN COUNTIES...

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI UNTIL 9PM.

AT 250 PM A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS ENTERING WEST
PIKE COUNTY.  THIS STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS PIKE AND WEST LINCOLN
COUNTIES BEFORE 345 PM INCLUDING THE CITY OF BOWLING GREEN.

A PERIOD OF HEAVY RAIN...LIGHTNING...STRONG WINDS AND PERHAPS SOME
HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED AS THE STORMS PASS.

PEOPLE IN PIKE AND LINCOLN COUNTIES SHOULD KEEP ALERT TO THIS RAPIDLY
CHANGING WEATHER SITUATION AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IF
SEVERE WEATHER THREATENS.

FELDT
Special weather statement, May 15, 3:12 PM CDT, 1 hour 54 minutes before
MOZ011-012-152100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
310 PM CDT TUE MAY 15 1990

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING INTO EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI...

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI AND SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS UNTIL 9PM.

AT 305 PM...STRONG THUNDERSORMS WERE LOCATED 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF ST.
LOUIS EXTENDING FROM BOWLING GREEN IN PIKE COUNTY TO WEST OF WARRENTON
IN WARREN COUNTY.

BETWEEN 3 AND 4PM...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF GUSTY WINDS..VERY
HEAVY RAIN...LIGHTNING AND PERHAPS HAIL...WILL BE MOVING THROUGH
PIKE..LINCOLN...AND WARREN COUNTIES IN MISSOURI AND PIKE AND CALHOUN
COUNTIES IN ILLINOIS.

THIS AREA OF STORMS SHOULD MOVE JUST N=ORTH OF ST. LOUIS HOWEVER OTHER
STRONG STORMS COULD STILL DEVELOP LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR NIGHT.

FELDT
Special weather statement, May 15, 3:40 PM CDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
340 PM CDT TUE MAY 15 1990

..A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND EAST MISSOURI
AND MOST OF THE SOUTH THIRD OF ILLINOIS UNTIL 9PM CDT THIS EVENING..

..A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF MISSOURI EXCEPT THE
BOOTHEEL AREA UNTIL 6PM CDT THIS EVENING..

AT 333 PM CDT...A NARROW LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY
RAIN..STRONG WINDS..AND THE POSSIBILITY OF HAIL EXTENDED FROM THE
COLUMBIA/JEFFERSON CITY AREA TO JUST SOUTH OF BOWLING GREEN MISSOURI.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS WERE NEAR SPRINGFIELD AND
PITTSFIELD.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE ON THE SOUTH EDGE OF AN AREA OF RAINSHOWERS
STRETCHING FROM COLUMBIA MISSOURI TO DECATUR ILLINOIS.
THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 35 TO 40 MILES
AN HOUR.
FMD
Special weather statement, May 15, 3:50 PM CDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
MOZ006-009-010-011-013-014-152145

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA MO
345 PM CDT TUE MAY 15 1990

...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL MISSOURI THROUGH
THIS EVENING...

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL MISSOURI THROUGH
THIS EVENING.  SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COVERED MOST OF MID-MISSOURI
NORTH OF A LINE FROM SEDALIA TO JEFFERSON CITY TO MONTGOMERY CITY.
THE STORMS WILL PRODUCE STRONG WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING ALONG WITH
VERY HEAVY RAIN.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.
STAY INDOORS IF STORMS ARE OCCURRING IN YOUR AREA.
GOEBEL
Special weather statement, May 15, 4:38 PM CDT, 28 minutes before
MOZ011-152200

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA MO
435 PM CDT TUE MAY 15 1990

...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL MISSOURI THROUGH
THIS EVENING...
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING CANCELLED FOR MONTGOMERY AND
GASCONADE COUNTIES...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAD MOVED OUT OF MONTGOMERY AND GASCONADE COUNTIES.
OTHER THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI AND WILL PRODUCE
VERY HEAVY RAINS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL AND
GUSTY WINDS.

A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL MISSOURI TONIGHT.

LARM

The office that day

Everything else NWS St. Louis, MO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 15, 4:45 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLSXCalhoun4 hr
May 15, 1:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXClinton, Marion40 min
May 15, 3:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXCalhoun, Greene, Jersey51 min
May 15, 4:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXMadison45 min
May 15, 5:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXSaint Clair36 min
May 15, 6:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXMonroe53 min
May 15, 6:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXClinton, Washington38 min
May 15, 6:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXBond38 min
May 15, 6:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXRandolph, Saint Clair68 min
May 15, 6:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXEffingham, Fayette45 min
May 15, 6:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXMarion41 min
May 15, 6:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXRandolph, Washington63 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.