Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 18, NWS Lincoln, IL

August 8, 1994Vermilion County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this tornado warning at Aug 8, 1994, 4:38 PM CDT for Vermilion County, Illinois. It was in force for 22 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 8, 1994, 4:38 PM CDT (21:38 UTC)
Expired
Aug 8, 1994, 5:00 PM CDT
In force
22 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties

County Vermilion County, IL

The nearest sounding before it

Dayton/James M C, OH (KDAY), launched 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 302 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 12:00Z on 1994-08-08Temperature 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, Dayton/James M C, OH at 12:00Z on 1994-08-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 55 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
1114 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
55 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
53 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 082139
TORSPI
ILC183-082200-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
438 PM CDT MON AUG 8 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SPRINGFIELD HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  500 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS
 
   ...EXTREME NORTHEASTERN VERMILION COUNTY
 
AT 431 PM CDT...VERMILION COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORTED A TORNADO
20 MILES NORTH OF DANVILLE...NEAR THE TOWN OF HOOPESTON. THE TORNADO WAS
MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.
 
RESIDENTS OF NORTHEAST VERMILION COUNTY...INCLUDING THE CITY OF
CHENEYVILLE...SHOULD TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.   MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR
INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. ABANDON MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES
FOR SAFER SHELTER. ACT NOW TO SAVE YOUR LIFE!
 
$$
GEELHART
 
&

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 8, 3:15 PM CDT, 1 hour 23 minutes before
ILZ043>046-053>057-082100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
315 PM CDT MON AUG 8 1994

...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...

AT 310 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS
AND SHOWERS FROM JUST SOUTH OF BLOOMINGTON TO JUST NORTH OF CHAMPAIGN
...URBANA TO DANVILLE.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED 13 MILES NORTHWEST OF CHAMPAIGN...
BETWEEN MAHOMET AND BELLFLOWER.  THIS STORM WILL BE MOVING INTO
THE CHAMPAIGN...URBANA AREA AROUND 330 PM.

BRIEF GUSTY WINDS TO 45 MPH...HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DEADLY
LIGHTNING WILL ACCOMPANY THIS STRONG STORM.  IF THREATENING WEATHER
APPROACHES GO TO A PLACE OF SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

PALMER
Special weather statement, Aug 8, 3:17 PM CDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
ILZ038-082220-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEORIA IL
317 PM CDT MON AUG 8 1994

...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER MCLEAN COUNTY...

RADAR INDICATES THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT HAS BEGUN IN MCLEAN COUNTY...IN
THE VICINITY OF RANDOLPH...7 MILES SOUTH OF BLOOMINGTON..AND JUST
SOUTHEAST OF BELLFLOWER...27 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF BLOOMINGTON.
THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...GUSTING WINDS...LIGHTNING...AND SMALL HAIL
COULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE STORMS.

BUCKINGHAM
Special weather statement, Aug 8, 4:21 PM CDT, 17 minutes before
ILZ042>048-050>057-059>063-082225-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
421 PM CDT MON AUG 8 1994

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR CENTRAL AND EAST
CENTRAL ILLINOIS UNTIL 10 PM CDT...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF CENTRAL AND EAST
CENTRAL ILLINOIS.  THIS WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM THIS EVENING AND
INCLUDES THE SPRINGFIELD...DECATUR...CHAMPAIGN/URBANA...DANVILLE...AND
CHARLESTON AREAS.

AT 410 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE
NORTHERN HALF OF EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...NORTH OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF CHAMPAIGN TO 25 MILES OF DANVILLE.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

NO THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS AT THIS TIME.

IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...MOVE TO A PLACE OF SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF A
STORM APPROACHES.  MOTORISTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR REDUCED
VISIBILITIES DURING DOWNPOURS OF RAIN.  STREETS MAY FLOOD QUICKLY.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR THE
LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.

AUTEN
Special weather statement, Aug 8, 4:22 PM CDT, 16 minutes before
ILZ042>048-050>057-059>063-082225-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPRINGFIELD IL
421 PM CDT MON AUG 8 1994

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR CENTRAL AND EAST
CENTRAL ILLINOIS UNTIL 10 PM CDT...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF CENTRAL AND EAST
CENTRAL ILLINOIS.  THIS WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM THIS EVENING AND
INCLUDES THE SPRINGFIELD...DECATUR...CHAMPAIGN/URBANA...DANVILLE...AND
CHARLESTON AREAS.

AT 410 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE
NORTHERN HALF OF EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS...NORTH OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF CHAMPAIGN TO 25 MILES OF DANVILLE.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

NO THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED ACROSS CENTRAL ILLINOIS AT THIS TIME.

IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...MOVE TO A PLACE OF SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF A
STORM APPROACHES.  MOTORISTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR REDUCED
VISIBILITIES DURING DOWNPOURS OF RAtIN.  STREETS MAY FLOOD QUICKLY.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR THE
LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.

AUTEN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 8, 3:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChampaign49 min
Aug 8, 5:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXPiatt50 min
Aug 8, 6:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXEdgar50 min
Aug 8, 6:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChampaign, Piatt30 min
Aug 8, 6:29 PM CDTTornado WarningILXEdgar31 min
Aug 8, 6:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMacon, Piatt53 min
Aug 8, 6:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXClark40 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes 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.