Alert archive / Indiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 60, NWS Indianapolis, IN

May 15, 1986Union County, Indiana

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 15, 1986, 5:23 PM EST for Union County, Indiana. It was in force for 22 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 15, 1986, 5:23 PM EST (22:23 UTC)
Expired: May 15, 1986, 5:45 PM EST
In force: 22 min
Issued by: NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area: Whole counties

County Union County, IN

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Dayton/James M C, OH (KDAY), launched 12:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 69 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1136 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 49 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 15 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.

000 
TTAA00 KIND 152223
SVRIND
INC161-152245-

BULLETIN...IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
523 PM EST THU MAY 15 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 545 PM EST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

EAST CENTRAL INDIANA...UNION. THIS WARNING INCLUDES THE CITY OF
LIBERTY.

AT 522 PM EST A SEVERE THUNDETSTORM WAS MOVING INTO UNION COUNTY.
THE STORM WAS ABOUT 50 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF INDIANAPOLIS AND WAS
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
.
REMEMBER A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCES DAMAGING WINDS IN
EXCESS OF 60 MILES AN HOUR..LARGE HAIL..FREQUENT LIGHTNING
AND POSSIBLE HEAVY RAIN THAT CAN QUICKLY FLOOD LOW AREAS.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE POLICE..SHERIFF..OR STATE POLICE
FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
EDWARDS

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 15, 2:23 PM EST, 3 hours before

INZ000-DDHHMM-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
220  PM EST THU MAY 16 1986

IN INDIANA THIS TORNADO         WATCH IS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 900  PM EST AND INCLUDES THAT PART OF INDIANA...
SOUTH OF LINE FROM 5 MILES NORTH OF CRAWFORDSVILLE TO DECATUR.
THE EXTREME SOUTHWEST CORNER OF INDIANA IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE WATCH.

SOME CITIES INCLUDED ARE... MUNCIE...INDIANAPOLIS...TERRE HAUTE...
BLOOMINGTON...COLUMBUS...SEYMOUR AND RICHMOND.

JEH

Special weather statement, May 15, 2:30 PM EST, 2 hours 53 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
230  PM EST THU MAY 15 1986

IN INDIANA THIS    TORNADO         WATCH IS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 900  PM EST AND INCLUDES THAT PART OF INDIANA...
SOUTH OF LINE FROM 5 MILES NORTH OF CRAWFORDSVILLE TO DECATUR.

SOME CITIES INCLUDED ARE... MUNCIE...INDIANAPOLIS...TERRE HAUTE...
BLOOMINGTON...COLUMBUS...SEYMOUR AND RICHMOND.

JH

Special weather statement, May 15, 2:54 PM EST, 2 hours 29 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
250  PM EST THU MAY 15 1986

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN INDIANA EXCEPT FOR
EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN INDIANA...

AT 245 PM EST INDIANAPOLIS RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN
JASONVILLE AND SPENCER IN WEST CENTRAL INDIANA AND 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
BLOOMINGTON IN SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA.

ALSO A LARGE AREA OF LIGHT RAIN EXTENDED FROM CAYUGA TO GREENCASTLE TO
SHERIDAN IN THE NORTH..BACK THROUGH BEDFORD..AND ON SOUTHWARD TO NEAR
EVANSVILLE.

THE RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

DD

The office that day

Everything else NWS Indianapolis, IN issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 14, 7:15 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Gibson, Knox	45 min
May 15, 2:00 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Vanderburgh	30 min
May 15, 3:19 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Lawrence	41 min
May 15, 4:16 PM EST	Tornado Warning	IND	Gibson, Pike	44 min
May 15, 4:29 PM EST	Tornado Warning	IND	Posey, Vanderburgh	46 min
May 15, 4:31 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Madison	29 min
May 15, 5:05 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Randolph, Wayne	25 min
May 15, 5:40 PM EST	Tornado Warning	IND	Vanderburgh, Warrick	35 min
May 15, 6:15 PM EST	Tornado Warning	IND	Dubois	45 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Indiana, 1986 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1986

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.