Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1995
Tornado Warning 5, NWS Chicago, IL
NWS Chicago, IL issued this tornado warning at May 13, 1995, 9:10 PM CDT for Iroquois County, Illinois. It was in force for 35 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
- May 13, 1995, 9:10 PM CDT (02:10 UTC)
- Expired
- May 13, 1995, 9:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 35 min
- Issued by
- NWS Chicago, IL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Iroquois County, IL
The radar
The Chicago radar (KLOT), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 9:25 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Papineau, IL | A tornado damaged barns and tree limbs between Papineau and Martinton. Siding was ripped off a home. |
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
Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 2.2 hours before the alert went out and 93 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
- 2056 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -80 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 699 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 58 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 289 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 320 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 3.2
- Supercell composite
- 18.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KCHI 140212 RRA TORCHI ILC075-140245- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 910 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1995 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHICAGO HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 945 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS ...NORTHERN IROQUOIS COUNTY DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR ASHKUM...15 MILES NORTHWEST OF WATSEKA. THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. TOWNS IN THE PATH OF THE STORM ARE MARTINTON AND DONOVAN AND BEAVERVILLE. GO TO THE BASEMENT OR A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR! ALLSOPP
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
Local storm report, May 13, 3:34 PM CDT, 5 hours 36 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORTS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
330 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1995
TIME(CDT) .....LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
1025 AM SAUNEMIN IL 1.75 INCH DIAMETER HAIL.
05/13/95 LIVINGSTON GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED AT
SAUNEMIN (11 E PONTIAC) BY
CULLOM FD.
1105 AM CHEBANSE IL .88 INCH DIAMETER HAIL.
05/13/95 IROQUOIS NICKEL SIZE HAIL REPORTED AT
CHEBANSE (8 SW KANKAKEE) BY
NWS COOP OBSERVER.
SEELEYSpecial weather statement, May 13, 4:43 PM CDT, 4 hours 27 minutes before
ILZ003>006-008-010-011>014-019>023-032-033-039-INZ001-140400- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 440 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1995 ...THE NORTH HALF OF ILLINOIS IS UNDER A TORNADO WATCH THIS EVENING... TORNADO WATCHES ARE IN EFFECT FOR FAR WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS UNTIL 900 PM AND FOR THE REST OF NORTH AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS UNTIL 1100 PM. THE WATCH AREA IS NORTH OF A LINE FROM NEAR HANIBAL MISSOURI TO NEAR TERRE HAUTE INDIANA. THE QUAD CITIES...ROCKFORD...CHICAGO...PEORIA...SPRINGFIELD... QUINCY AND CHAMPAIGN ARE INCLUDED IN THE WATCH. AT 435 PM DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM DUBUQUE IOWA TO JUST WEST OF THE QUAD CITIES TO BURLINGTON IOWA TO JUST NEAR QUINCY. SOME OF THE STORMS IN THE LINE ARE SEVERE AND ONE PRODUCED A TORNADO IN WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS SOUTH OF BURLINGTON. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR A ROCKFORD TO PEORIA LINE BY AROUND 600 PM AND FROM THE WEST SUBURBS OF CHICAGO TO NEAR SPRINGFIELD AROUND 730 PM. REVIEW TORNADO PREPAREDNESS PLANS. BE READY TO REACT QUICKLY IF WARNINGS ARE ISSUED OR IF WEATHER THREATENS. LISTEN FOR LARER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. ALLSOPP
Special weather statement, May 13, 5:27 PM CDT, 3 hours 43 minutes before
ILZ003>006-008-010-011>014-019>023-032-033-039-INZ001-140400- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 525 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1995 ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTH HALF OF ILLINOIS UNTIL 1100 PM.... THE WATCH IS FOR AN AREA NORTH OF A LINE FROM NEAR HANIBAL MISSOURI TO NEAR TERRE HAUTE INDIANA. ROCKFORD...CHICAGO...OTTAWA...DEKALB... KANKAKEE AND GARY INDIANA ARE INCLUDED IN THE WATCH. AT 520 PM DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM JUST EAST OF DUBUQUE IOWA TO GALESBURG TO 30 MILES EAST OF QUINCY. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR A ROCKFORD TO PEORIA LINE BY AROUND 630 PM AND FROM THE WEST SUBURBS OF CHICAGO TO BLOOMINGTON BY AROUND 730 PM. REVIEW TORNADO PREPAREDNESS PLANS. BE READY TO REACT QUICKLY IF WARNINGS ARE ISSUED OR IF WEATHER THREATENS. LISTEN FOR LARER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. ALLSOPP
Special weather statement, May 13, 8:57 PM CDT, 13 minutes before
ILZ001>094-IAZ065>068-INZ001-141000- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL 855 PM CDT SAT MAY 13 1995 ...THE TORNADO WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR PART OF NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS... A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS EAST OF A LINE FROM BELVIDERE TO PEORIA TO SPRINGFIELD UNTIL 1100 PM CDT. CHICAGO...BLOOMINGTON AND CHAMPAIGN ARE STILL UNDER THE TORNADO WATCH. A TORNADO WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS UNTIL 100 AM CDT WEST OF AN EFFINHAM TO MURPHYSBORO LINE INCLUDING THE ST LOUIS METRO AREA. ALLSOPP
The office that day
Everything else NWS Chicago, IL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 7:24 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | Livingston | 51 min |
| May 13, 7:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | LaSalle | 54 min |
| May 13, 8:20 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | Livingston | 55 min |
| May 13, 8:37 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOT | Ford, Iroquois, Kankakee | 68 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 1995Every tornado warning in 1995Tornadoes in 1995
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.