Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1993

Tornado Warning 28, NWS Lincoln, IL

August 16, 1993Champaign County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this tornado warning at Aug 16, 1993, 10:10 PM CDT for Champaign County, Illinois. It was in force for 25 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 16, 1993, 10:10 PM CDT (03:10 UTC)
Expired
Aug 16, 1993, 10:35 PM CDT
In force
25 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 00:00Z, 3.2 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Dayton/James M C, OH at 00:00Z on 1993-08-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2651 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Dayton/James M C, OH at 00:00Z on 1993-08-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 64 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2651 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
768 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
64 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
154 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.8
Supercell composite
9.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSPI 170310
TORSPI
ILC019-170345-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
1010 PM CDT MON AUG 16 1993

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1045 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE EAST CENTRAL PART OF ILLINOIS
      EXTREME SOUTHERN CHAMPAIGN

AT 1004 PM CDT...CHAMPAIGN COUNTY ENERGENCY SERVICES REPORTED A
TORNADO 12 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CHAMPAIGN...OR 2 MILES SOUTH OF
SADORUS.

THE TOWNS OF SADORUS...TOLONO...PARKVILLE AND PESOTUM ARE IN THE
PATH OF THIS TORNADO.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE...AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH CUSHIONS OR PILLOWS.
IF YOU ARE IN A MOBILE HOME OR VEHICLE...OR IF YOU ARE CAUGHT
OUTSIDE AND A TORNADO IS APPROACHING...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY
REINFORCED BUILDING.  IF NONE IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN A
CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

MCCOY

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 16, 9:28 PM CDT, 42 minutes before
ILZ005-006-007-170330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
930 PM CDT MON AUG 16 1993

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CAN98O
Local storm report, Aug 16, 9:30 PM CDT, 40 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT ...PRELIMINARY...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
930 PM CDT MON AUG 16 1993

REPORTS FOR COUNTY WARNING AREA...BEGINNING 2050 CDT...AUGUST 15 1993

COUNTY     TIME CDT

WOODFORD.. 2050 CDT SPRING BAY 11 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF PEORIA:
                    6 INCH TREE DOWN BY WINDS AT WOODFORD COUNTY CONSERVATION
                    AREA. REPORT FROM WOODFORD COUNTY ESDA.

MOGGED/MILLER/STUMETZ
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 9:35 PM CDT, 35 minutes before
ILZ005-006-007-170330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
935 PM CDT MON AUG 16 1993

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

AT 930 PM CDT...THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAD PASSED FOR ALL OF
WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. NO PRECIPITATION WAS DETECTED ACROSS THE REGION
AT 930 PM. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP
OVERNIGHT BUT NONE ARE EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE.

BREESER
/INCLUDE TEXT/
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 9:38 PM CDT, 32 minutes before
ILZ005-006-007-170330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
935 PM CDT MON AUG 16 1993

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

AT 930 PM CDT...THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAD PASSED FOR ALL OF
WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. NO PRECIPITATION WAS DETECTED ACROSS THE REGION
AT 930 PM. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP
OVERNIGHT BUT NONE ARE EXPECTED NTO BE SEVERE.

BREESER
/INCLUDE TEXT/
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 9:41 PM CDT, 29 minutes before
ILZ009-010-170335

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
941 PM CDT MON AUG 16 1993

...CANCEL TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHWEST SANGAMON AND CENTRAL DEWITT
COUTNIES..

EFFECTIVEX IMMEDIATELY...CANCEL THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EASTERN DEWITT
AND SOUTHWEST SANGAMON COUNTIES.

THIS WARNING WAS INTENDED FOR CENTRAL PIATT AND SOUTHWEST CHAMPAIGN
COUNTIES.

MCCOY
Special weather statement, Aug 16, 9:53 PM CDT, 17 minutes before
ILZ009-010-170345

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
945 PM CDT MON AUG 16 1993

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR CENTRAL ILLINPIS...
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS
UNTIL 2 AM CDT...

...AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS OVER EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...
18 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CHAMPAIGN...OR JUST EAST OF BEMENT.

ELSEWHERE...ONLY WIDELY LIGHT SHOWERS WERE DETECTED OVER CENTRAL AND
EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS.

CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE STORMS
TONIGHT OVER EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS.

MCCOY

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 16, 7:15 PM CDTTornado WarningILXMcLean, Tazewell30 min
Aug 16, 7:45 PM CDTTornado WarningILXDeWitt, McLean30 min
Aug 16, 8:20 PM CDTTornado WarningILXDeWitt25 min
Aug 16, 8:47 PM CDTTornado WarningILXDeWitt, Piatt28 min
Aug 16, 9:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChampaign, Piatt21 min
Aug 16, 9:40 PM CDTTornado WarningILXChampaign, Piatt20 min
Aug 16, 10:02 PM CDTTornado WarningILXDouglas28 min
Aug 17, 4:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXColes, Cumberland, Shelby35 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 1993Every tornado warning in 1993Tornadoes in 1993

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.