Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 25, NWS Lincoln, IL
NWS Lincoln, IL issued this tornado warning at May 17, 1991, 11:09 PM CDT for Mason County, Illinois. It was in force for 66 min. 1 report 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 17, 1991, 11:09 PM CDT (04:09 UTC)
- Expired
- May 18, 1991, 12:15 AM CDT
- In force
- 66 min
- Issued by
- NWS Lincoln, IL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Mason County, IL
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 11:35 PM CDT | Hail 1 | Mason, 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, 4.2 hours before the alert went out and 368 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
- 1491 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -208 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1263 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 34 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 145 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 192 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 2.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KPIA 180409
TORPIA
ILC125-180515-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
1109 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1991
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1215 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY
IN THE CENTRAL PART OF ILLINOIS
MASON
AT 1105 PM A TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY RADAR IN WESTERN MASON
COUNTY ILLINOIS BETWEEN THE CITIES OF BATH AND HAVANA MOVING
EAST AT 25 MPH.
TOWNS IN THE PATH OF THE TORNADO ARE EASTON AND MASON CITY.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...GO TO A BASEMENT SHELTER
IF AVAILABLE...OTHERWISE TO A CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING.
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.
ATTN ISP 9
STUMETZWhat 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 17, 5:19 PM CDT, 5 hours 50 minutes before
ILZ005>007-009-172315- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL 515 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1991 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS TILL 9 PM CDT... AT 510 PM...RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN SOUTHERN HENRY COUNTY NEAR THE TOWN OF ALPHA. THIS STORM IS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT AROUND 30 MPH. THIS WILL AFFECT THE NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF BUREAU COUNTY BY 6 PM. TOWNS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY THIS STORM ARE THOMAS...NEW BEDFORD AND MANLIUS. ANOTHER STORM LOCATED 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BURLINGTON WILL CROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AROUND 6 PM AFFECTING NORTHERN HENDERSON AND WARREN COUNTIES. THESE ARE STRONG STORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN FALL...LARGE HADIL AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES. MOGGED
Special weather statement, May 17, 6:05 PM CDT, 5 hours 4 minutes before
ILZ009-010-180000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL 6 00 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1991 ...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN ILLINOIS... AT 600 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NORTHEASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY NEAR NEWMAN...EASTWARD ALONG THE VERMILION...EDGAR COUNTY LINES. THE CELLS CONTINUED TO DEVELOP IN THESE AREAS AND MOVE EASTWARD AT 25 MPH. THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO OVER NORTHWESTERN AND SOUTHWESTERN ILLINOIS. OTHERWISE...NO THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER CENTRAL OR EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN IN THE 80S THIS EVENING...WINDS WILL BE SOUTH 10 TO 20 MPH EXCEPT OVER PORTIONS OuF EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...THEY WILL BE EAST TO NORTHEAST 10 TO 20 MPH...AND TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE 70S. DB
Special weather statement, May 17, 8:01 PM CDT, 3 hours 8 minutes before
ILZ009-010-180200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL 8 00 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1991 ...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS... ...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR MOST OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS... AT 800 PM CDT NO PRECIPITATION WAS FALLING ACROSS CENTRAL OR EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN MOVING ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWESTERN ILLINOIS. IT IS EXPECTED THESE STORMS WILL 3MOVE OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS BY MIDNIGHT. DB
Special weather statement, May 17, 8:59 PM CDT, 2 hours 10 minutes before
ILZ009-010-180300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL 9 00 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1991 ...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR MOST OF CENTRAL AND PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS... AT 900 PM CDT WEATHER RADARS SHOWS AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS NORTH OF A LINE FROM QUINCY TO PEORIA TO 30 MILES SOUTH OF PONTIAC ILLINOIS. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWESTERN ILLINOIS. IT IS EXPECTED THESE STORMS WILL MOVE OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS BETWEEN 10 AND 11 PM. HILLIARD
The office that day
Everything else NWS Lincoln, IL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 7:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Putnam | 64 min |
| May 17, 7:38 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | McDonough, Warren | 67 min |
| May 17, 7:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | McLean | 34 min |
| May 17, 8:11 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILX | Fulton, Knox, Peoria | 64 min |
| May 17, 8:50 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILX | Fulton, Peoria | 55 min |
| May 17, 9:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | McLean, Mason, Tazewell, Woodford | 66 min |
| May 17, 9:28 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Cass, Menard | 47 min |
| May 17, 9:56 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Logan, Sangamon | 49 min |
| May 17, 10:41 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | DeWitt, Macon, Piatt | 49 min |
| May 17, 10:48 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | ILX | Macon | 42 min |
| May 17, 11:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Champaign, Douglas | 49 min |
| May 17, 11:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILX | Coles, Moultrie | 49 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.