Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1994
Tornado Warning 19, NWS St. Louis, MO
NWS St. Louis, MO issued this tornado warning at Apr 28, 1994, 1:00 PM CDT for Randolph County, Illinois. It was in force for 23 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
- Apr 28, 1994, 1:00 PM CDT (18:00 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 28, 1994, 1:23 PM CDT
- In force
- 23 min
- Issued by
- NWS St. Louis, MO
- Area
- Whole counties
County Randolph County, IL
The radar
The St Louis radar (KLSX), 104 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:04 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 1:18 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Steeleville, IL | The county sheriff reported a brief tornado touchdown in Steeleville with damage mainly confined to large trees. |
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, 6.0 hours before the alert went out and 147 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
- 17 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -408 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1344 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 24 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 215 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 314 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 KSTL 281801 TORSTL ILC145-157-281845- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO 100 PM CDT THU APR 28 1994 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST LOUIS HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 145 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS ...PERRY COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS ...EASTERN RANDOLPH COUNTY AT 1258 PM...RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 2 MILES WEST OF STEELEVILLE...OR 5 MILES SOUTH OF SPARTA MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. IF YOU IN STEELEVILLE...CUTLER...AND PICKNEYVEILLE TAKE COVER NOW! 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. FG
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, Apr 28, 7:06 AM CDT, 5 hours 54 minutes before
MOZ072-083-062-084-065-071-099-061-075-074-063-064-060-073-ILZ098- 099-100-102-101-281300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO 704 AM CDT THU APR 28 1994 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF EAST CENTRAL MISSOURI AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS UNTIL 800 AM... AT 700 AM...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINS EXTENDED FROM JUST WEST OF ST LOUIS THROUGH WASHINGTON COUNTY MISSOURI AND INTO SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 45 MILES AN HOUR. THESE STORMS ARE PART OF A LARGE AREA OF LIGHTER RAIN SHOWERS THAT COVERS ALMOST THE ENTIRE BI-STATE REGION EARLY THIS MORNING. ALTHOUGH NO REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL OR DAMAGING WIND HAVE BEEN RECEIVED FROM THESE STORMS...VERY HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUES TO CAUSE FLASH FLOOD PROBLEMS. THESE STORMS STILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE HAIL OR DAMAGING WIND THOUGH SO LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS. IF A THREATENING STORM MOVES INTO YOUR AREA...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND REMAIN INDOORS. BE AWARE OF POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODING AS WELL. MOTORISTS SHOULD AVOID FLOODED STRETCHES OF HIGHWAYS. SHEA
Special weather statement, Apr 28, 7:23 AM CDT, 5 hours 37 minutes before
MOZ047-048-055>057-068>070-281315- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO 719 AM CDT THU APR 28 1994 ...A SECTION OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #165 HAS BEEN CANCELLED... SEVERAL COUNTIES IN CENTRAL MISSOURI HAVE BEEN CANCELLED FROM THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 AM FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MISSOURI. THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ARE NO LONGER IN A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH: MONITEAU COLE MORGAN BENTON HICKORY CAMDEN MILLER PULASKI A FLASH FLOOD WATCH DOES REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THIS ENTIRE AREA THOUGH FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE MORNING. ALTHOUGH LARGE HAIL AND GUSTY WIND ARE NO LONGER A THREAT...HEAVY RAIN MAY PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING. USE EXTRA CAUTION NEAR LOW WATER BRIDGES AND AROUND CREEKS THAT MAY BE CLOSE TO BANKFUL. SHEA
Special weather statement, Apr 28, 8:08 AM CDT, 4 hours 52 minutes before
MOZ045>108-ILZ098>102-281415- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO 806 AM CDT THU APR 28 1994 ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MISSOURI HAS
Special weather statement, Apr 28, 8:33 AM CDT, 4 hours 27 minutes before
MOZ072>076-082>115-281530- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO 828 AM CDT THU APR 28 1994 ...A NEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR SOUTHERN MISSOURI AND SECTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR MOST OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI AND SECTIONS OF SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS UNTIL 200 PM. THIS WATCH INCLUDES THE CITIES OF CAPE GIRARDEAU...POPLAR BLUFF...SPRINGFIELD...JOPLIN...WEST PLAINS AND THE ENTIRE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL. MORE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING INTO SOUTHERN MISSOURI AS OF 820 AM. CONDITIONS REMAIN RIGHT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT...INCLUDING POSSIBLE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND. FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED IF STORMS MOVE INTO YOUR AREA. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES THIS MORNING FOR PARTS OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI AS WELL. LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SHEA
Special weather statement, Apr 28, 8:38 AM CDT, 4 hours 22 minutes before
MOZ072>076-082>115-281530- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO 828 AM CDT THU APR 28 1994 ...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT WAS ISSUED FOR SOUTHERN MISSOURI AND SECTIONS OF SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS SHOULD BE A TORNADO WATCH... THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #168 SHOULD BE A TORNADO WATCH INSTEAD. IT WAS ERRONEOUSLY SENT OUT AS A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH. THIS TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 PM...AND INCLUDES THE CITIES OF CAPE GIRARDEAU...POPLAR BLUFF...SPRINGFIELD...JOPLIN...WEST PLAINS AND THE ENTIRE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL. MORE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING INTO SOUTHERN MISSOURI AS OF 820 AM. CONDITIONS REMAIN RIGHT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT...INCLUDING POSSIBLE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND. TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED IF STORMS MOVE INTO YOUR AREA. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES THIS MORNING FOR PARTS OF SOUTHERN MISSOURI AS WELL. LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SHEA
Special weather statement, Apr 28, 10:08 AM CDT, 2 hours 52 minutes before
MOZ001>115-KSZ102>105-ILZ095>102-281900- MISSOURI SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO 1000 AM CDT THU APR 28 1994 THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MISSOURI. THIS AREA IS SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM NEAR SPRINGFIELD TO ST LOUIS. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT OVER THE REMAINDER OF MISSOURI...EXCEPT THE NORTHWEST PORTION. STORM SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS ARE URGED TO KEEP ADVISED OF THE LATEST FORECAST AND WATCH INFORMATION. SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
The office that day
Everything else NWS St. Louis, MO issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 7:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LSX | Monroe | 40 min |
| Apr 28, 3:03 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LSX | Madison | 5 hr |
| Apr 28, 5:55 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LSX | Madison | 4 hr |
| Apr 28, 6:35 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LSX | Monroe, Saint Clair | 4 hr |
| Apr 28, 10:45 AM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | LSX | Monroe, Saint Clair | 3 hr |
| Apr 28, 12:22 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LSX | Randolph | 38 min |
| Apr 28, 12:40 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LSX | Washington | 50 min |
| Apr 28, 12:40 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LSX | Saint Clair | 24 min |
| Apr 28, 1:00 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LSX | Perry | 45 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.