Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1994
Tornado Warning 4, NWS Chicago, IL
NWS Chicago, IL issued this tornado warning at Jul 5, 1994, 4:43 PM CDT for Kankakee County, Illinois. It was in force for 32 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 5, 1994, 4:43 PM CDT (21:43 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 5, 1994, 5:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 32 min
- Issued by
- NWS Chicago, IL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Kankakee County, IL
The nearest sounding before it
Dayton/James M C, OH (KDAY), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 339 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1028 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -28 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1046 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 11 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 21 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 33 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KCHI 052143 TORCHI ILC091-052215- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 443 PM CDT TUE JUL 5 1994 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHICAGO HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 515 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTHEAST ILLINOIS ...CENTRAL KANKAKEE COUNTY DOPPLER RADAR AND SPOTTER REPORTS A FUNNEL CLOUD JUST NORTH KANKAKEE. THE FUNNEL WAS WAS REPORTED NEAR ROUTE 50 ON THE NORTH SIDE OF TOWN AND MOVING SLOWLY EASTWARD. 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 4POSSIBLE. GET AWAY FROM WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOME FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT. KML
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, Jul 5, 2:15 PM CDT, 2 hours 28 minutes before
ILZ003-004-011-061949- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCKFORD IL 215 PM CDT TUE JUL 5 1994 THOSE THUNDERSTORMS COVERING A LARGE PART OF LEE COUNTY ILLINOIS WERE DRIFTING SLOWLY TO THE NORTH INTO SOUTHERN OGLE COUNTY. OTHER STORMS WERE STARTING TO DEVELOP OVER PARTS OF CARROLL AND DE KALB COUNTIES AS WELL. PRESENTLY...OUR MAIN CONCERN IS FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES. MOVEMENT OF THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE AN INCH OF RAIN IN AN HOURS TIME OR LESS. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THROUGH STANDING WATER. THE BEST BET WOULD BE TO STAY INDOORS AWAY FROM WINDOWS TILL THE STORMS PASS. OTHER STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER MUCH OF THE AREA AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES. FIELDS
Special weather statement, Jul 5, 2:29 PM CDT, 2 hours 14 minutes before
ILZ005-006-012>014-019>023-032-033-039-INZ001-002-052230- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 230 PM CDT TUE JUL 5 1994 ...A HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CHICAGO METROPOLITAN AREA INCLUDING LAKE COUNTY INDIANA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... HEAT INDICES ACROSS THE CHICAGOLAND AREA HAVE EXCEEDED 105 DEGREES AND ARE EXPECTED TO REACH VALUES OF AROUND 110 DEGREES BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THESE EXTREME HEAT INDEX VALUES ARE A RESULT OF TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 90S AND AFTERNOON HUMIDITIES BETWEEN 50 AND 60 PERCENT. SUNSTROKE...HEAT CRAMPS AND HEAT EXHAUSTION ARE LIKELY WITH PROLONGED EXPOSURE AND/OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY UNDER THESE CONDITIONS. PERSONS WHO ARE OUTDOORS SHOULD TAKE APPROPRIATE PRECAUTIONS TO ALLEVIATE THESE SYMPTOMS. CONSIDINE
Special weather statement, Jul 5, 2:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 13 minutes before
ILZ005-006-012>014-019>023-032-033-039-INZ001-002-052230- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 230 PM CDT TUE JUL 5 1994 ...A HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CHICAGO METROPOLITAN AREA INCLUDING LAKE COUNTY INDIANA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... HEAT INDICES ACROSS THE CHICAGOLAND AREA HAVE EXCEEDED 105 DEGREES AND ARE EXPECTED TO REACH VALUES OF AROUND 110 DEGREES BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THESE EXTREME HEAT INDEX VALUES ARE A RESULT OF TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 90S AND AFTERNOON HUMIDITIES BETWEEN 50 AND 60 PERCENT. SUNSTROKE...HEAT CRAMPS AND HEAT EXHAUSTION ARE LIKELY WITH PROLONGED EXPOSURE AND/OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY UNDER THESE CONDITIONS. PERSONS WHO ARE OUTDOORS SHOULD TAKE APPROPRIATE PRECAUTIONS TO ALLEVIATE THESE SYMPTOMS. CONSIDINE
Special weather statement, Jul 5, 3:17 PM CDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before
ILZ005-006-012>014-020>023-INZ001-052120- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 317 PM CDT TUE JUL 5 1994 ...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP SOUTH OF CHICAGO... THE HOT HUMID AIR HAS BOILED UP A NARROW BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS JUST NORTH OF KANKAKEE EXTENDING TOWARD THE SOUTH SUBURBS OF CHICAGO. AT 5 PM THE STRONGEST CELL IS ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH OF KANKAKEE. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS EXTEND NORTH ALONG I57 TOWARD THE SOUTH SHORE OF LAKE MICHIGAN AND WEST OF THE INIANA STATE LINE. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST ABOUT 25 MPH AND WILL LIKELY DEVELOP INTO WESTERN LAKE COUNTY INDIANA BEFORE 4PM. GUSTY WINDS...VERY HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS AND SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE STRONGER CELLS. KML
Special weather statement, Jul 5, 3:18 PM CDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before
ILZ005-006-012>014-020>023-INZ001-052120- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT..COR FOR TYPOS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 317 PM CDT TUE JUL 5 1994 ...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP SOUTH OF CHICAGO... THE HOT HUMID AIR HAS BOILED UP A NARROW BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS JUST NORTH OF KANKAKEE EXTENDING TOWARD THE SOUTH SUBURBS OF CHICAGO. AT 315 PM THE STRONGEST CELL IS ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH OF KANKAKEE. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS EXTEND NORTH ALONG I57 TOWARD THE SOUTH SHORE OF LAKE MICHIGAN AND WEST OF THE INDIANA STATE LINE. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST ABOUT 25 MPH AND WILL LIKELY DEVELOP INTO WESTERN LAKE COUNTY INDIANA BEFORE 4PM. GUSTY WINDS...VERY HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS AND SMALL HAIL CAN .BE EXPECTED WITH THE STRONGER CELLS. KML
Special weather statement, Jul 5, 4:15 PM CDT, 28 minutes before
ILZ001>004-007-008-010-011-062215- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCKFORD IL 415 PM CDT TUE JUL 5 1994 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR BOONE AND DEKALB COUNTIES UNTIL 700 PM CDT... THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH...WHICH HAD BEEN IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN ILLINOIS...HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR MUCH OF THE AREA. THE ONLY COUNTIES REMAINING IN THE WATCH ARE BOONE AND DEKALB COUNTIES. AT 415 PM...NO RAINFALL WAS OCCURRING OVER THE AREA. HOWEVER...AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED IN EASTERN IOWA AND THIS WILL MOVE INTO THE EXTREME NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES OF ILLINOIS BY 500 PM. OTHERWISE...SKIES WILL REMAIN CLOUDY WITH POSSIBLY SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH THE AREA. BRONIARCZYK
The office that day
Everything else NWS Chicago, IL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 5, 3:45 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | Cook | 45 min |
| Jul 5, 4:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | Kankakee | 38 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.