blog navigation

blog posts

  • A pioneer in tracking tornadoes by radar

    The Illinois State Water Survey played a key role in developing tornado-tracking technology used today to issue warnings of impending severe storms. While testing radar equipment to measure rainfall rates in 1953, ISWS meteorologists were the first to photograph and document a hook echo, a classic sign of tornado development.

  • Weather radars: measuring rain and detecting storms

    Radar is routinely used to provide early warnings for tornadoes and storms, but that wasn't always the case. Fifty years ago the Illinois State Water Survey played a key role in developing this technology.

  • 1914 Illinois State Fair

    In 1914, the Illinois State Water Survey's exhibit at the Illinois State Fair aimed to educate the public about the connection between proper sanitation and safe drinking water.