Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 31, NWS St. Louis, MO

May 15, 1990Randolph County, Washington County, Illinois

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 15, 1990, 6:57 PM CDT for Randolph County, Washington County, Illinois. It was in force for 63 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 15, 1990, 6:57 PM CDT (23:57 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 1990, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS St. Louis, MO
Area
Whole counties

Counties Randolph County, IL, Washington 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, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 150 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 160001
SVRSTL
ILC157-189-160100-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
657 PM CDT TUE MAY 15 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST LOUIS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  800 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS
          ...WASHINGTON
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING FROM ST CLAIR INTO WASHINGTON
COUNTY ILLINOIS. THIS STORM IS LIKELY TO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...
GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.  IT WILL MOVE ACROSS
WASHINGTON COUNTY BETWEEN 7 AND 8 PM.
 
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.
 
FELDT

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, 3:12 PM CDT, 3 hours 45 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, 3 hours 17 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, 3 hours 7 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, 2 hours 19 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
Special weather statement, May 15, 5:43 PM CDT, 1 hour 14 minutes before
MOZ011-152330

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

...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL MISSOURI UNTIL
10 PM...
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING CANCELLED FOR SOUTHERN GASCONADE COUNTY.

AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS 35 MILES NORTHEAST OF ROLLA NEAR SULLIVAN
MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER FOR
SOUTHERN GASCONADE COUNTY HAD PASSED AND THE THUNDERSTORM WARNI]NG
WAS NO LONGER IN AFFECT...HOWEVER A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT
FOR MOST OF CENTRAL MISSOURI UNTIL 10 PM TONIGHT.

LA GREE
Local storm report, May 15, 6:50 PM CDT, 7 minutes before
ATTN SELS
PRELIMINARY STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA MO
700 PM CDT TUE MAY 15 1990

TIME                   REPORT
8-9AM  CDT    ONE INCH OF RAIN IN 43 MINUTES REPORTED BY CO-OP OBSERVER
              AT VERSAILLES IN MORGAN COUNTY.
915AM  CDT    ONE INCH HAIL REPORTED AT STOVER IN MORGAN COUNTY.
1000AM CDT    STREET FLOODING REPORTED IN VERSAILLES- MORGAN COUNTY.
1015AM CDT    STREET FLOODING..ROADWAYS UNDER WATER IN MORGAN..COLE
              AND MONITEAU COUNTIES.
1145AM CDT    MORGAN AND MONITEAU COUNTIES...ROADWAYS AND SPILLWAYS
              FLOODED...STREET FLOODING.
1230PM CDT    67 MPH WIND RECORDED BY KMMO RADIO IN MARSHALL-SALINE CNTY.
1PM    CDT    TORRENTIAL RAIN...VISIBILITY REDUCED TO ZERO...GUSTY WIND
              EST. 35 MPH IN BOONVILLE- COOPER COUNTY.
115PM  CDT    HALF INCH HAIL REPORTED AT ROCHEPORT...COOPER-BOONE COUNTY
              LINE.
139PM  CDT    RT. WW AND RANGELINE...BOONE-CALLAWAY COUNTY LINE...TELEPHONE
              POLES DOWN...TREES UPROOTED...24 INCH DIAMETER TREE TRUNK
              TWISTED OFF AT BASE.
139PM  CDT    RT. WW AND LITTLE ROCK ROAD...CALLAWAY COUNTY...TORNADO
              SIGHTED ON THE GROUND.
145PM  CDT    NUMEROUS ROADS IMPASSABLE DUE TO FLOODING IN SALINE...PETTIS
              COOPER AND HOWARD COUNTIES.
3PM    CDT    NUMEROUS ROADS FLOODED...TORRENTIAL RAIN IN BOONE...MONITEAU
              CALLAWAY AND AUDRAIN COUNTIES.
415PM  CDT    1/2 TO 3/4" HAIL JUST WEST OF HERMANN - GASCONADE COUNTY.
520PM  CDT    PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL - 6MI SOUTH OF OWENSVILLE IN
              GASCONADE COUNTY.

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, 5:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXSaint Clair54 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

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.