Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Lincoln, IL

February 26, 1996Christian County, Illinois

NWS Lincoln, IL issued this tornado warning at Feb 26, 1996, 6:44 PM CST for Christian County, Illinois. It was in force for 46 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
Feb 26, 1996, 6:44 PM CST (00:44 UTC)
Expired
Feb 26, 1996, 7:30 PM CST
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Lincoln, IL
Area
Whole counties

County Christian County, IL

The radar

The Lincoln radar (KILX), 67 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:44 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Feb 26, 6:58 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 50Taylorville Muni Arp, IL

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.

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 89 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, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 1996-02-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 590 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 1996-02-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 224 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
590 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-93 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1087 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
224 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
259 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
3.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSPI 270045
TORSPI
ILC021-270130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
644 PM CST MON FEB 26 1996

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LINCOLN HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 730 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS

   ...CHRISTIAN COUNTY
 
RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A POSSIBLE TORNADO 20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
SPRINGFIELD NEAR TAYLORVILLE.  THE STORM CONTINUED TO MOVE MORTHEAST
AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.  RESIDENTS IN THE PATH OF THE THIS STORM
INCLUDE TAYLORVILLE AND STONINGTON.

TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY IN A BASEMENT OR INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR. ABANDON MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES FOR SAFER SHELTER.
ACT NOW TO SAVE YOUR LIFE!
$$

KETCHAM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 26, 6:11 PM CSTTornado WarningILXChristian34 min
Feb 26, 7:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMacon, Moultrie, Piatt61 min
Feb 26, 7:29 PM CSTTornado WarningILXShelby46 min
Feb 26, 7:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXChampaign, Douglas38 min
Feb 26, 11:51 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXFulton39 min
Feb 27, 12:21 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXTazewell54 min
Feb 27, 1:00 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXWoodford30 min
Feb 27, 2:27 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXLogan, Mason33 min
Feb 27, 2:48 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXMcLean, Tazewell32 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 1996Every tornado warning in 1996Tornadoes in 1996

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.