Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Presented here are two WLS Channel 7 Chicago news segments about "what went wrong" in the warning process at the National Weather Service, an evening weathercast in between and some historical area tornado information from the 11 p.m. show on August 29, 1990. The first segment features the only known tornado/funnel cloud video this archivist is aware of while the storm initially intensified west of Rockford, well prior to it striking Aurora, Plainfield and Crest Hill.
A lack of any operational WSR 88D Doppler Radar in the Chicagoland region, of which would not be put into commission until 1996, a minimal spotter network nor any official tornado warning led this deadly and later well studied event to become known as "The Plainfield Syndrome" amongst National Weather Service offices. It eventually resulted in a better understanding of northwest flow high-precipitation tornadic supercell thunderstorms, increased warning lead time and greater public awareness of such storms.
Note the thumbnail image is not that of the Plainfield, Illinois tornado, rather the earlier observed brief tornado west of Rockford. No known videotape exists of the Plainfield tornado or parent supercell thunderstorm in progress.
Additional information on the August 28, 1990 Plainfield, Illinois F5 tornado: weather.gov/lot/1990_08_28_PlainfieldTornado
Video © 1990 WLS Channel 7 Chicago, All Rights Reserved.
Presented here are two WLS Channel 7 Chicago news segments about "what went wrong" in the warning process at the National Weather Service, an evening weathercast in between and some historical area tornado information from the 11 p.m. show on August 29, 1990. The first segment features the only known tornado/funnel cloud video this archivist is aware of while the storm initially intensified west of Rockford, well prior to it striking Aurora, Plainfield and Crest Hill.
A lack of any operational WSR 88D Doppler Radar in the Chicagoland region, of which would not be put into commission until 1996, a minimal spotter network nor any official tornado warning led this deadly and later well studied event to become known as "The Plainfield Syndrome" amongst National Weather Service offices. It eventually resulted in a better understanding of northwest flow high-precipitation tornadic supercell thunderstorms, increased warning lead time and greater public awareness of such storms.
Note the thumbnail image is not that of the Plainfield, Illinois tornado, rather the earlier observed brief tornado west of Rockford. No known videotape exists of the Plainfield tornado or parent supercell thunderstorm in progress.
Additional information on the August 28, 1990 Plainfield, Illinois F5 tornado: weather.gov/lot/1990_08_28_PlainfieldTornado
Video © 1990 WLS Channel 7 Chicago, All Rights Reserved.
