Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Indianapolis, IN

August 3, 1991Lawrence County, Richland County, Illinois

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this tornado warning at Aug 3, 1991, 6:56 PM CDT for Lawrence County, Richland County, Illinois. It was in force for 34 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
Aug 3, 1991, 6:56 PM CDT (23:56 UTC)
Expired
Aug 3, 1991, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Lawrence County, IL, Richland County, IL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 3, 7:08 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Lawrence, 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, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 196 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 1991-08-03Temperature 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 1991-08-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -52 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
0 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
5 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-52 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
58 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 KEVV 032356
TOREVV
ILC101-159-040030-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EVANSVILLE IN
656 PM CDT SAT AUG 3 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EVANSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS
 
   ...LAWRENCE COUNTY...RICHLAND COUNTY
 
A TORNDADO WAS REPORTED AT OLNEY ILLINOIS AT 646 PM CDT. IT WAS MOVING
EAST AT 30 MPH TOWARD SUMNER AND LAWRENCEVILLE. BE PREPARED TO TAKE
COVER IMMEDIATELY.
 
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.
BLOCK

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, Aug 3, 4:34 PM CDT, 2 hours 22 minutes before
INZ008-012

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
430 PM EST SAT AUG 3 1991

AT 425 PM EST...THERE WAS A CLUSTER OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG
THE GRRENE/KNOX COUNTY LINE OR ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF TERRE HAUTE.
THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

ONE OF THE STRONG STORMS WAS JUST SOUTH OF LINTON AND WILL BE IN THE
NEWBERRY...LYONS AND BLOOMFIELD AREA BY 445 PM. THESE STORMS WERE
PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS.

AS THESE STORMS APPROACH YOU SHOULD MOVE INDOOR..STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS...
AND DO NOT USE TELEPHONES OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNTIL THE STORMS PASS.

BPRUITT
Special weather statement, Aug 3, 4:41 PM CDT, 2 hours 15 minutes before
INZALL-040200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
440 PM EST SAT AUG  3 1991

IN INDIANA THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EST
AND INCLUDES THAT PART OF INDIANA...

SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES SOUTH OF TERRE HAUTE TO 15 MILES NORTH
OF LAWRENCEBURG.

SOME CITIES INCLUDED ARE... SULLIVAN...BEDFORD...PAOLI...
VERSAILLES...EVANSVILLE...TELL CITY...SALEM AND MADISON.

REMEMBER...A WATCH MEANS TDHAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE
WEATHER IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD
BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
STEIGERWALDT
Special weather statement, Aug 3, 5:33 PM CDT, 1 hour 23 minutes before
INZ008>015-032330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
532 PM EST SAT AUG  3 1991

AT 526 PM EST...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER A SMALL PART OF
SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA.

THE STRONGEST STORM WAS 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF TERRE HAUTE NEAR
DENMARK. ANOTHER STRONG STORM WAS 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF BLOOMINGTON
NEAR FREEMAN.

MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...
STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND WINDS GUSTING
UP TO 50 MILES AN HOUR.

PEOPLE IN THE CITIES OF DENMARK...SPENCER...AND THE NORTH SIDE OF
BLOOMINGTON SHOULD MOVE INDOORS AS THESE STORMS APPROACH.
.
THE STORMS WILL MOV|E TO THE NORTH SIDE OF BLOOMINGTON BY 545 PM EST.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EST
AND INCLUDES THAT PART OF INDIANA SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES SOUTH
OF TERRE HAUTE TO 15 MILES NORTH OF LAWRENCEBURG.

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.