Alert archive / Indiana / Tornado Warnings in 1986
Tornado Warning 10, NWS Indianapolis, IN
NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this tornado warning at May 15, 1986, 4:16 PM CDT for Gibson County, Pike County, Indiana. It was in force for 44 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 15, 1986, 4:16 PM CDT (21:16 UTC)
- Expired
- May 15, 1986, 5:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 44 min
- Issued by
- NWS Indianapolis, IN
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Gibson County, IN, Pike County, IN
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 4:40 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 52 | Gibson, IN |
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. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.
The nearest sounding before it
Salem-Leckrone, IL (KSLO), launched 12:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 134 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 10 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -77 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 593 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 36 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 303 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 342 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KEVV 152116 TOREVV INC051-125-152200- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EVANSVILLE IN 416 PM CDT THU MAY 15 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 500 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST INDIANA...GIBSON AND PIKE WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN SOUTHERN GIBSON COUNTY..ALSO FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTS WERE RECIEVED FROM THE FORT BRANCH AREA IN SOUTHERN GIBSON COUNTY OF INDIANA. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY! IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES GO TO A SAFE PLACE IMMEDIATELY. TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER CONTACT THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMHENT AGENCY AND ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. WILLIAMS
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado 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, 10:31 AM CDT, 5 hours 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 1033 AM EST THU MAY 15 1986 ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN INDIANA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY TONIGHT. HENDRICKSON
Special weather statement, May 15, 2:23 PM CDT, 1 hour 53 minutes 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 CDT, 1 hour 46 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 CDT, 1 hour 22 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 CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IND | Gibson, Knox | 45 min |
| May 15, 2:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IND | Vanderburgh | 30 min |
| May 15, 3:19 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IND | Lawrence | 41 min |
| May 15, 4:29 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | IND | Posey, Vanderburgh | 46 min |
| May 15, 4:31 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IND | Madison | 29 min |
| May 15, 5:05 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IND | Randolph, Wayne | 25 min |
| May 15, 5:23 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IND | Union | 22 min |
| May 15, 5:40 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | IND | Vanderburgh, Warrick | 35 min |
| May 15, 6:15 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | IND | Dubois | 45 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Indiana, 1986Every tornado warning in 1986Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.