Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 52, NWS St. Louis, MO

May 16, 1990Clinton County, Washington County, Illinois

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 16, 1990, 5:52 PM CDT for Clinton County, Washington County, Illinois. It was in force for 53 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 16, 1990, 5:52 PM CDT (22:52 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 1990, 6:45 PM CDT
In force
53 min
Issued by
NWS St. Louis, MO
Area
Whole counties

Counties Clinton 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, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 169 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 1990-05-16Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Paducah/Barkley, KY at 12:00Z on 1990-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 291 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
NaN m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
291 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
279 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSTL 162257
SVRSTL
ILC027-189-162345-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
552 PM CDT WED MAY 16 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST LOUIS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  645 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS
          ...CLINTON...WASHINGTON
 
1 INCH HAIL WAS REPORTED AT COLUMBIA ILLINOIS IN
MONROE COUNTY AT 549 PM. 3/4 INCH HAIL WAS REPORTED
AT DUPO ILLINOIS IN ST CLAIR COUNTY AT 551 PM.
 
THIS STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS CLINTON AND WASHINGTON
COUNTIES BETWEEN 6 AND 7 PM.
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE 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.
 
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 16, 3:41 PM CDT, 2 hours 11 minutes before
MOZ009-010-011-013-014-162200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA MO
345 PM CDT WED MAY 16 1990

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING UNTIL 545PM FOR WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI...
...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST PARTS OF CENTRAL MISSOURI TIL
8PM AND EASTERN PARTS OF CENTRAL MISSOURI UNTIL 11PM...

AT 3PM...NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL WERE
OVER CENTRAL MISSOURI AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

MANY ROADS WERE UNDER WATER OR IMPASSABLE.  MOTORISTS ARE WARNED NOT TO
TRY AND CROSS OR DRIVE THROUGH THESE ROADS.  HEAVY RAINS...DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL IS LIKELY FROM THESE STORMS FOR THE REST OF
THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING

CONTRA!RY TO A EARLIER REPORT...INTERSTATE 70 WEST OF SWEET SPRINGS IS
NOT CLOSED.  WATER FROM DAVIS CREEK IS THREATENING THE HIGHWAY BUT IT
IS NOT CLOSED AT THIS TIME.
Special weather statement, May 16, 3:45 PM CDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
MOZALL-ILZ009>012-161230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
340 PM CDT WED MAY 16 1990

..A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11PM CDT TONIGHT FOR PARTS OF
EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI..

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS POSTED TODAY FOR MOST OF MISSOURI EXCEPT
THE NORTHWEST AND BOOTHEEL...

AT 330 PM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL WITH
THE POSSIBLE STRONG WINDS AND HAIL NEAR JEFFERSON CITY..WARRENTON AND
WENTZVILLE MISSOURI.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE BETWEEN STOCKTON LAKE AND COLUMBIA MISSOURI
AND THE SOUTH TIP OF ILLINOIS BETWEEN MT VERNON AND PADUCAH KENTUCKY.

THE STORMS WERE IN AN AREA OF RAINSHOWERS S)TRETCHING FROM WEST CENTRAL
MISSOURI INTO SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS.

THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.
FMD
Special weather statement, May 16, 4:40 PM CDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before
MOZ007-010-011-012-017-018-ILZ009>012-162230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
440 PM CDT WED MAY 16 1990

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 11PM CDT FOR PARTS OF EAST CENTRAL
AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS...
...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS POSTED FOR MOST OF MISSOURI EXCEPT
THE NORTHWEST AND BOOTHEEL FOR TODAY...

AT 429 PM CDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WITH
POSSIBLE STRONG WINDS AND HAIL WERE OCCURRING IN A CLUSTER FROM 50 MILES
WEST OF ST LOUIS INTO ST LOUIS MISSOURI.
AND JUST NORTHWEST OF QUINCY TO 35 MILES NORTHEAST OF QUINCY NEAR
HAVANA ILLINOIS.
OTHER STORMS WERE OCCURRING IN MOST OF THE CENTRAL TO NORTHEAST MISSOURI
AND THE SOUTH HALF OF ILLINOIS.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 40 MPH.
Special weather statement, May 16, 4:46 PM CDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before
MOZ011-012-ILZ011-162300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
433 PM CDT WED MAY 16 1990

...HEAVY RAIN IS MOVING ACROSS ST LOUIS AND WILL MAKE A MESS OF RUSH
HOUR...

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING COVERS ALL OF THE ST LOUIS METRO AREA.

HEAVY RAIN WILL PERSIST IN ST LOUIS THROUGH MUCH OF THE EVENING HOURS
WITH OVER 2 INCHES OF RAIN POSSIBLE.  THIS WILL NOT ONLY DISRUPT RUSH
HOUR BUT ALSO AGGRIVATE URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING.

A SERIES OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LINED UP TO THE WEST OF ST
LOUIS. THE FIRST STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN ST CHARLES
COUNTY...THE NEXT WAS 40 MILES WEST OF ST LOUIS...AND THE LAST WAS
NEAR COLUMBIA.

ALL THREE OF THESE BANDS OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE PUSHING
ACROSS THE ST LOUIS AREA BETWEEN 445 AND 9 PM THIS EVENING.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS A FLOODED CREEK OR STREAM TONIGHT.

FELDT
Special weather statement, May 16, 5:17 PM CDT, 35 minutes before
MOZ-010-011-162300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA MO
500 PM CDT WED MAY 16 1990

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING UNTIL 545PM FOR WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI...
...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST PARTS OF CENTRAL MISSOURI TIL
8PM AND EASTERN PARTS OF CENTRAL MISSOURI UNTIL 11PM...

AT 5PM...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS PASSING
THROUGH EASTERN AND SOUTHEAST PARTS OF CENTRAL MISSOURI FROM 40 MILES
EAST OF JEFFERSON CITY TO 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ROLLA MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 40 MPH.

ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINS WILL PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING IN THAT PART OF
CENTRAL MISSOURI AND FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED UNTIL 8PM.
ADDITIONALLY...THE MISSOURI RIVER LEVEE AT RHINELAND...IN SOUTHERN
MONTGOMERY COUNTY...IS WEAKENED AND IS BEING WATCHED FOR POSSIBLE
BREAKS.  A LEVEE BREAK WOULD THREATEN THE CITY OF RHINELAND AND
EMERGENCY PLANS ARE BEING CONSIDERED.

ELSEWHERE AROUND CENTRAL MISSOURI...RAINSHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WERE DIMINISHING IN WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI BUT ROADWAYS WILL CONTINUE
TO BE UNDER WATER FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS AT LEAST.  STREAMS
WILL NOT BE DOWN FOR SEVERAL DAYS.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS SWOLLEN CREEKS OR ANY ROAD WHERE WATER IS OVER
THE ROADWAY.

LARM
Special weather statement, May 16, 5:31 PM CDT, 21 minutes before
MOZ006-009-010-011-013-014-162330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA MO
530 PM CDT WED MAY 16 1990

ATTN TO MEDIA...PLEASE BROADCAST THIS AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE...

CONTRARY TO A EARLIER REPORT...INTERSTATE 70 WEST OF SWEET SPRINGS IS
NOT CLOSED.  WATER FROM DAVIS CREEK IS THREATENING THE HIGHWAY BUT IT
IS NOT CLOSED AT THIS TIME.

LARM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 15, 7:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXJefferson, Marion60 min
May 15, 11:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXAdams, Pike42 min
May 16, 12:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXGreene, Scott47 min
May 16, 12:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXCalhoun47 min
May 16, 1:14 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXCalhoun, Jersey, Madison46 min
May 16, 4:45 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningLSXCalhoun4 hr
May 16, 3:47 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningLSXCalhoun, Jersey, Madison7 hr
May 16, 5:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXMonroe, Saint Clair51 min
May 16, 6:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXRandolph53 min
May 16, 6:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLSXJefferson, Perry51 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.