page_title: Marion, Illinois tornado outbreak
section_title: Meteorological synopsis
hierarchical_section_title: Marion, Illinois tornado outbreak / Meteorological synopsis
caption_attribution_description: Locator Map of counties affected by the Marion, Illinois Tornado outbreak, United States (May 29, 1982)
context_page_description: The Marion, Illinois tornado outbreak was a small, severe tornado outbreak that affected southern portions of the midwestern United States on May 29, 1982.
  Tornadoes touched down in the states of Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana, with Marion, Illinois, being the hardest hit. Ten fatalities occurred there after the town took a direct hit from an F4 tornado. The outbreak also produced an F3 tornado affecting the Conant, Illinois, area and several weaker tornadoes in the surrounding area.
context_section_description: On the 12:00 UTC surface chart, a cold front was draped from Minnesota southwest across Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, and into Texas.  A triple point was found just south of Des Moines, Iowa, with a warm front positioned east across northern Illinois and Indiana.  Morning dew points ranged from 65 °F (18 °C) at Saint Louis, Missouri, and Louisville, Kentucky, to 72 °F (22 °C) at Memphis, Tennessee.  70 °F (21 °C) or 71 °F (22 °C) dew points were found in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Springfield and Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and Fort Campbell, Kentucky.  An outflow boundary was draped over Central Illinois and Missouri from overnight convection that was decaying as it tracked east across the two states. This outflow boundary provided the potential for storms to redevelop.
  By mid-afternoon, temperatures at Carbondale, Illinois, and Marion had risen to the middle and upper 80s°F with dew points near 70 °F (21 °C). At 1:03 p.m., a tornado watch was issued for the region. Later in the afternoon the National Weather Service in Saint Louis, Missouri, issued several severe weather warnings for Williamson County and surrounding counties. At 2:58 p.m. a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Jackson County and Williamson County. At 3:00 p.m, a tornado was observed near Carterville, Illinois, prompting a tornado warning at 3:19 p.m.
caption: Map of counties with confirmed tornadoes on May 29, 1982
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