Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 28, NWS Lincoln, IL

July 5, 1991Douglas County, Moultrie County, Piatt County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this tornado warning at Jul 5, 1991, 7:03 PM CDT for Douglas County, Moultrie County, Piatt County, Illinois. It was in force for 27 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 5, 1991, 7:03 PM CDT (00:03 UTC)
Expired
Jul 5, 1991, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
27 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Douglas County, IL, Moultrie County, IL, Piatt County, IL

The nearest sounding before it

Paducah/Barkley, KY (KPAH), launched 00:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 305 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 00:00Z on 1991-07-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1054 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 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 00:00Z on 1991-07-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 61 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1054 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1738 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
61 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
178 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSPI 060003
TORSPI
ILC147-139-041-060030-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
703 PM CDT FRI JUL 5 1991

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 730 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE CENTRAL PART OF ILLINOIS
      SOUTHERN PIATT...NORTHERN MOULTRIE...

   IN THE EAST CENTRAL PART OF ILLINOIS
      WESTERN DOUGLAS...

AT 656 PM CDT...ISP DIST 10 REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD ALOFT NEAR
CASNER...5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DECATUR.  THE FUNNEL WAS MOVING TO
THE NORTHEAST.

THE STORM ASSOCIATED WITH THE FUNNEL CLOUD WAS MOVING TO THE EAST
AT 30 MPH AND WILL AFFECT THE FOLLOWING TOWNS...LOVINGTON...HAMMOND
...ATWOOD AND ARTHUR.

FUNNEL CLOUDS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE A TORNADO WITH LITTLE
OR NO ADVANCE WARNING...SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE
TO A PLACE OF SAFETY.

IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA THREATEeNED BY THE STORM..GO TO A REINFORCED
SHELTER AND PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY
RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTING.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.

 ATTN ISP DIST...10
 BYRD

What 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, Jul 5, 4:20 PM CDT, 2 hours 43 minutes before
ILZ009-010-052215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
420 PM CDT FRI JUL 5 1991

AT 415 PM CDT...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A VERY STRONG ISOLATED THUNDER/
STORM 50 MILES SOUTH OF CHAMPAIGN...ON THE COLES...CUMBERLAND COUNTY
LINE.  THE STORM WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH.

REMEMBER...VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG WINDS...HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
MAY ACCOMPANY THIS STORM.

SKIES WILL REMAIN PARTLY SUNNY EARLY THIS EVxENING WITH ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE.  HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE WITH
TEMPERATURES AROUND 90 AND HEAT INDICIES IN THE MID TO UPPER 90S.

BYRD
Special weather statement, Jul 5, 5:04 PM CDT, 1 hour 59 minutes before
ILZ009-010-052300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
505 PM CDT FRI JUL 5 1991

AT 500 PM CDT...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER
CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED
30 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF TERRE HAUTE INDIANA...IN CUMBERLAND AND
CLARK COUNTIES.

ALSO ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE 5 MILES NORTHWEST AND 15 MILES EAST OF
SPRINGFIELD...NEAR ATHENS AND ILLIOPOLIS.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH.

REMEMBER...VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG WINDS...HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS.

SKIES WILL REMAIN PARTLY SUNNY EARLY THIS EVENING WITH ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE.  HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE WITH
TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW 90S WITH HEAT INDICIES IN THE MID TO UPPER 90S.

BYRD
Special weather statement, Jul 5, 6:00 PM CDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before
ILZ009-010-060000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
600 PM CDT FRI JUL 5 1991

AT 555 PM CDT...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER
CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS.  THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED
50 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SPRINGFIELD IN SHELBY COUNTY...JUST WEST OF
SHELBYVILLE.

ALSO ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN CHRISTIAN...MACON...PIATT...MOULTRIE
...COLES AND CLARK COUNTIES.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH.

REMEMBER...VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG WINDS...HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS.

SKIES WILL REMAIN PARTLY SUNNY EARLY THIS EVENING WITH ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE.  HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS 	WILL CONTINUE WITH
TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW 90S WITH HEAT INDICIES IN THE MID TO UPPER 90S.

BYRD
Special weather statement, Jul 5, 6:51 PM CDT, 12 minutes before
ILZ009-010-060100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
650 PM CDT FRI JUL 5 1991

AT 645 PM CDT...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER
CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED
15 MILES EAST OF SPRINGFIELD NEAR ILLIOPOLIS AND 15 AND 35 MILES SOUTH/
EAST OF DECATUR NEAR LOVINGTON AND CHARLESTON.

ALSO ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN MACON...SHELBY...PIATT...DOUGLAS...
COLES AMD CUMBERLAND COUNTIES.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH.

REMEMBER...VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG WINDS...HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS.

SKIES WILL REMAIN PARTLY CLOUDY THIS EVENING WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMSX
POSSIBLE.  HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE WITH TEMPERATURES IN
THE UPPER 80S AND HEAT INDICIES IN THE LOW TO MID 90S.

BYRD

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.