Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 19, NWS Lincoln, IL
NWS Lincoln, IL issued this tornado warning at May 16, 1991, 2:17 PM CDT for Champaign County, Illinois. It was in force for 28 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 16, 1991, 2:17 PM CDT (19:17 UTC)
- Expired
- May 16, 1991, 2:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 28 min
- Issued by
- NWS Lincoln, IL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Champaign County, IL
The nearest sounding before it
Dayton/James M C, OH (KDAY), launched 12:00Z, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 342 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 152 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -58 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1481 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 22 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 69 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 89 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KSPI 161917
TORSPI
ILC019-161945-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
217 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 245 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY
IN THE EAST CENTRAL PART OF ILLINOIS
NORTHWEST CHAMPAIGN
AT 207 PM CDT...A TORNADO WAS REPORTED BY THE PUBLIC 4 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF FARMER CITY WHICH IS 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF CHAMPAIGN
ILLINOIS.
THE TORNADO WAS MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
TOWNS IN AND NEAR THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO ARE OSMAN AND FOOSLAND
IN NORTHWEST CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...GO TO A B,ASEMENT SHELTER
IF AVAILABLE...OTHERWISE TO A CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING.
ATTN ISP DIST...6 AND 10
PALMERWhat forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado 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, 8:54 AM CDT, 5 hours 23 minutes before
ILZ005-006-007-009-161545- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL 845 AM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 AT 845 AM...RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED SHOWERS OVER MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. THESE SHOWERS MOVING TO THE NORTH AT AROUND 35 MPH. SOME OF THESE SHOWERS WERE PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS AND PONDING ON ROADWAYS. PEORIA HAD RECEIVED .99 OF AN INCH BETWEEN 6 AND 9 AM. THESE SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 10 AM. MOGGED
Special weather statement, May 16, 12:02 PM CDT, 2 hours 15 minutes before
ILZ009-161800- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL 1200 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 AT 1200 PM CDT WEATHER RADARS SHOWS AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED IN EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS FROM SOUTHWEST CLARK COUNTY NORTHWEST TO NEAR SULLIVAN ILLINOIS TO JUST SOUTH OF CHAMPAIGN ILLINOIS. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE NEAR VILLA GROVE IN DOUGLAS COUNTY AND 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF AUTHER ILLINOIS IN MOULTRIE COUNTY. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS CAUSING LOCAL FLOODING...HAIL... STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. AT 1158 AM CDT DOUGLAS COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE REPORTED PEA-SIZE HAIL AND LIGHTNING AT VILLA GROVE ILLINOIS. THE STORMS WAS MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH. HILLIARD ATTN...ISP 10 AND 12
Special weather statement, May 16, 1:25 PM CDT, 52 minutes before
ILZ009-161900- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL 1 20 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR EASTERN ILLINOIS UNTIL 8 PM CDT... AT 115 PM CDT WEATHER RADARS SHOWS A LARGE AREA OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. THE STORMS WERE EAST OF A LINE FROM 20 MILES EAST OF MACOMB ILLINOIS TO VANDALIA ILLINOIS. THE STORMS WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THE STRONGEST STORMS WAS NEAR MARTINSVILLE ILLINOIS IN CLARK COUNTY AND JUST SOUTHEAST OF CHAMPAIGN ILLINOIS. THE STORMS MAY PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL CAUSING LOCAL FLOODING...HAIL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. HILLIARD ATTN...ISP 9...10...12
Special weather statement, May 16, 2:04 PM CDT, 13 minutes before
ILZ009-162000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL 2 00 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR EASTERN ILLINOIS UNTIL 8 PM CDT... AT 150 PM CDT..WEATHER RADARS SHOWS A BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM 3 MILES EAST OF CLINTON ILLINOIS TO BETWEEN DECATUR AND CHAMPAIGN TO 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF CHARLESTON. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND WILL PRODUCE FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING... HAIL...HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN AND BRIEF GUSTY WINDS. MARBLE SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED AT HENNING ILLINOIS WHICH IS 12 MILES NORTH OF DANVILLE. THIS STORM HAS SINCE DIMINISHED IN INTENSITY. OTHER SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS EAST OF A LINE FROM NEAR PEORIA TO DECATUR TO EFFINGHAM. THESE WERE ALSO MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. ATTN ISP DISTS 6...9...10 AND 12. PALMER
Special weather statement, May 16, 2:05 PM CDT, 12 minutes before
ILZ005-006-007-009-162005- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL 205 PM CDT THU MAY 16 1991 AT 155 PM...RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS 7 MILES EAST OF CLINTON IN DEWITT COUNTY. ANOTHER AREA OF STORMS WAS IN A LINE FROM GALESBURG TO CANTON. ALL THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH. THE MAIN CONCERN IS THE STORM IN DEWITT COUNTY WHICH WILL BE MOVING INTO MCLEAN COUNTY BY 220 PM AND AFFECT THE TOWN OF LEROY. MCLEAN COUNTY IS JUST ON THE OUTSIDE OF A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA. THIS IS A STRONG STORM BUT SHOWS NO SEVERE CHARCTERISTICS HOWEVER CAUTION IS ADVISED DUE TO THE EXPLOSIVE NATURE OF THUNDERSTORMS. HEAVY RAINS AND GUSTY WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. MOGGED ATTN ISP 6
The office that day
Everything else NWS Lincoln, IL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2:19 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILX | McLean | 26 min |
| May 16, 2:51 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILX | McLean | 54 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes in 1991
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.