Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 34, NWS Lincoln, IL

December 8, 1991McLean County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this tornado warning at Dec 8, 1991, 3:23 PM CST for McLean County, Illinois. It was in force for 37 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
Dec 8, 1991, 3:23 PM CST (21:23 UTC)
Expired
Dec 8, 1991, 4:00 PM CST
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties

County McLean County, IL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Dec 8, 3:28 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 0Mclean, 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 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 381 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 1991-12-08Temperature 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°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 1991-12-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 294 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
0 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
294 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
278 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 KPIA 082125
TORPIA
ILC113-082200-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
323 PM CST SUN DEC 8 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PEORIA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  400 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS
 
   ...SOUTHERN MCLEAN COUNTY
 
AT 3:20 PM... A TORNADO WAS REPORTED EAST OF THE TOWN OF HEYWORTH
IN EXTREME SOUTHERN MCLEAN COUNTY ON ROUTE 136.
 
THE TORNADO WAS MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH AND WILL MOVE NEAR THE
TOWNS OF LEROY AND KUMLER IN SOUTHERN MCLEAN COUNTY.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
ATTN ISP DIST 6
JACOBS

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, Dec 8, 1:53 PM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes before
ILZ010-082100-

SHORT RANGE FORECAST FOR CENTRAL AND EASTCENTRAL ILLINOIS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
1 52 PM CST SUN DEC 8 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR CENTRAL ILLINOIS UNTIL 6 00 PM CST...

AT 1 45 PM...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND
WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS FROM PEORIA TO 35 MILES NORTHWEST OF SPRINGFIELD
NEAR HAVANA TO 20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF QUINCY.  THE LINE OF STORMS WAS
MOVING TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL BE FROM BETWEEN PEORIA
AND BLOOMINGTON TO THE WEST EDGE OF SPRINGFIELD TO NORTHWEST OF ST.
LOUIS BY AROUND 3 PM.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE BRIEF DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL...DEADLY
LIGHTNING AND A BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOUR OF RAIN.  YOU SHOULD TAKE SHELTER
IN A SUBSTANTIAL BUILDING AS THESE STORMS APPROACH.  DO NOT USE THE
TELEPHONE OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES WHEN LIGHTNING IS NEAR.  WAIT A
FEW MINUTES UNTIL THE STORMS HAVE PASSED.
PALMER
Special weather statement, Dec 8, 1:54 PM CST, 1 hour 29 minutes before
ILZ010-082100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
1 52 PM CST SUN DEC 8 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR CENTRAL ILLINOIS UNTIL 6 00 PM CST...

AT 1 45 PM...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND
WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS FROM PEORIA TO 35 MILES NORTHWEST OF SPRINGFIELD
NEAR HAVANA TO 20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF QUINCY.  THE LINE OF STORMS WAS
MOVING TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL BE FROM BETWEEN PEORIA
AND BLOOMINGTON TO THE WEST EDGE OF SPRINGFIELD TO NORTHWEST OF ST.
LOUIS BY AROUND 3 PM.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE BRIEF DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL...DEADLY
LIGHTNING AND A BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOUR OF RAIN.  YOU SHOULD TAKE SHELTER
IN A SUBSTANTIAL BUILDING AS THESE STORMS APPROACH.  DO NOT USE THE
TELEPHONE OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES WHEN LIGHTNING IS NEAR.  WAIT A
FEW MINUTES UNTIL THE STORMS HAVE PASSED.
PALMER
Local storm report, Dec 8, 3:16 PM CST, 7 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
315 PM CST SUN DEC 8 1991

STORM REPORTS FOR THIS AFTERNOON...

AT 2:20 PM CST... BASEBALL SIZED HAIL AT MANITO IN NORTHEAST MASON
COUNTY.

AT 2:21 PM CST... 1 INCH HAIL REPORTED AT PRINCEVILLE IN NORTHERN
PEORIA COUNTY.

AT 2:22 PM CST... GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL 2 MILES SOUTH OF TREMONT IN
TAZEWELL COUNTY.

AT 2:29 PM CST... BASEBALL SIZE HAIL DAMAGING VEHICLES NEAR TREMONT
IN TAZEWELL COUNTY.

JACOBS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Lincoln, IL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 8, 1:48 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXFulton, Mason42 min
Dec 8, 2:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXCass, Menard46 min
Dec 8, 2:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMcLean, Tazewell, Woodford40 min
Dec 8, 2:36 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXLogan39 min
Dec 8, 3:23 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXDeWitt, Logan, Macon67 min
Dec 8, 4:38 PM CSTTornado WarningILXChampaign, Piatt27 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.