Alert archive / Illinois / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 53, NWS St. Louis, MO

May 25, 1998Randolph County, Illinois

NWS St. Louis, MO issued this tornado warning at May 25, 1998, 4:29 AM CDT for Randolph 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
May 25, 1998, 4:29 AM CDT (09:29 UTC)
Expired
May 25, 1998, 5:15 AM CDT
In force
46 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 09:31 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
May 25, 4:45 AM CDTThunderstorm Wind 50Steeleville, 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 25, 3:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 00:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 256 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 1998-05-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 1998-05-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 29 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
859 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
29 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
91 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.

523 
WFUS1 KSTL 250930 RRA
TORSTL
ILC157-251015-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
429 AM CDT MON MAY 25 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ST LOUIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  RANDOLPH COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN ILLINOIS

* UNTIL 515 AM CDT

* AT 429 AM... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 5 MILES SOUTH OF STE GENEVIEVE... MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT
  40 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE PATH...
  ELLIS GROVE
  ROOTS
  SPARTA



DOPPLER RADAR IS SHOWING A STRONG TORNADO SIGNAL. IF YOU ARE IN
THE PATH MOVE TO A SHELTER NOW A BASEMENT IS BEST...BUT IF NOT
AVAILABLE...MOVE TO THE LOWEST LEVEL AND HIDE IN A SMALL INTERIOR
ROOM. GET OUT OF MOBILE HOMES AND CARS IN FAVOR OF A STRONG
BUILDING.

METZE/TRUETT

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Illinois, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes in 1998

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.