Alert archive / Illinois / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1994

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 1, NWS Lincoln, IL

March 23, 1994Stephenson County, Winnebago County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 23, 1994, 8:42 PM CST for Stephenson County, Winnebago County, Illinois. It was in force for 36 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 23, 1994, 8:42 PM CST (02:42 UTC)
Expired
Mar 23, 1994, 9:18 PM CST
In force
36 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Stephenson County, IL, Winnebago County, IL

The nearest sounding before it

Green Bay/Straub, WI (KGRB), launched 00:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 260 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, Green Bay/Straub, WI at 00:00Z on 1994-03-24Temperature 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, Green Bay/Straub, WI at 00:00Z on 1994-03-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 529 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
1121 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
529 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
1079 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KRFD 240242
SVRRFD
ILC177-201-240330-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCKFORD IL
842 PM CST WED MAR 23 1994

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 930 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE NORTH CENTRAL PART OF ILLINOIS
      STEPHENSON...WINNEBAGO

AT 8 35 PM...A POSSIBLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED ON RADAR
TO BE INTENSIFING NEAR SHANNON IN NORTHEAST CARROLL COUNTY. THE
STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH...AND COULD PRODUCE LARGE
HAIL AS IT MOVES SOUTH OF FREEPORT TOWARD THE ROCKFORD METRO AREA.

SOME COMMUNITIES THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM...
FREEPORT...RIDOTT...PECATONICA...THE GREATER ROCKFORD METRO AREA...
ROCTON...ROSCOE

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM...MOVE OUT OF AREAS THAT ARE
PRONE TO FLOODING AND TAKE SHELTER.  DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL
AND VERY HEAVY RAIN IS IMMINENT! REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
CAN ALSO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING!

SANDERS

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, Mar 23, 7:05 PM CST, 1 hour 37 minutes before
ILZ037-041-240205-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
703 PM CST WED MAR 23 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER THE AREA...

AT 700 PM...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE BEGINNING TO DEVELOP OVER
NORTHERN MASON AND EASTERN TAZEWELL COUNTIES. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 MPH AND WILL AFFECT THE TOWNS OF
MACKINAW AND DELAVAN...IN TAZEWELL COUNTY...BY 730 PM.

HIGH WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HAIL MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS.

WATERHOUSE
Special weather statement, Mar 23, 7:43 PM CST, 59 minutes before
ILZ0042>048-050>057-059>063-240245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
743 PM CST WED MAR 24 1994

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM CST...

AT 740 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL
ILLINOIS.  THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED 30 MILES SOUTH OF
SPRINGFIELD...NEAR HILLSBORO AND MORRISONVILLE.  ANOTHER STORM WAS
LOCATED 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF SPRINGFIELD...NEAR LINCOLN.  THE STORMS
WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 TO 40 MILES AN HOUR.

MORE STORMS MAY DEVELOP OVER THE AREA LATER THIS EVENING...SO BE
PREPARED FOR HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND DEADLY
LIGHTNING WITH THE PASSAGE OF THESE STORMS.

BYRD
Special weather statement, Mar 23, 7:51 PM CST, 51 minutes before
ILZ017-018-025>031-034>038-040-041-240300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
750 PM CST WED MAR 23 1994

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL ILLINOIS UNTIL
100 AM THIS MORNING...

AT 745 PM CST...ONLY LIGHT RAIN WAS DETECTED OVER PORTIONS OF WOODFORD
COUNTY. THIS PRECIPITATION IS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 MPH.

ALTHOUGH THERE ARE PRESENTLY NO THUNDERSTORMS IN THE WATCH AREA...
CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS. STAY
TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO AND T.V. STATIONS FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

WATERHOUSE
Special weather statement, Mar 23, 8:25 PM CST, 17 minutes before
ILZ0042>048-050>057-059>063-240300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
825 PM CST WED MAR 24 1994

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM CST...

AT 800 PM CST...A SPOTTER IN MORRISONVILLE...29 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
SPRINGFIELD REPORTED HALF INCH HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN.

AT 820 PM CST...RADAR INDICATED A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM LOCATED
30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SPRINGFIELD...JUST EAST OF MORRISONVILLE.  ALSO
...ANOTHER STRONG STORM WAS LOCATED 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DECATUR...
NEAR TAYLORVILLE.  OTHER STORMS WERE LOCATED FROM JUST WEST OF
CHAMPAIGN TO 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF CHAMPAIGN.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING
TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 TO 40 MPH.

MORE STORMS MA&Y DEVELOP OVER THE AREA LATER THIS EVENING...SO BE
PREPARED FOR HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND DEADLY LIGHTNING
WITH THE PASSAGE OF THESE STORMS.

BYRD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 23, 9:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXVermilion27 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Illinois, 1994Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1994

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.