Alert archive / Indiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Indianapolis, IN

May 30, 1987Elkhart County, Saint Joseph County, Indiana; Cass County, Michigan

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 30, 1987, 4:22 PM EST for Elkhart County, Saint Joseph County, Indiana; Cass County, Michigan. It was in force for 38 min. 2 reports 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 30, 1987, 4:22 PM EST (21:22 UTC)
Expired
May 30, 1987, 5:00 PM EST
In force
38 min
Issued by
NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Elkhart County, IN, Saint Joseph County, IN, Cass County, MI

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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 30, 4:26 PM ESTHail 1Cass, MI
May 30, 4:45 PM ESTThunderstorm Wind 52Cass, MI

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

Detroit, MI (KFNT), launched 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 243 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Detroit, MI at 12:00Z on 1987-05-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1153 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Detroit, MI at 12:00Z on 1987-05-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -34 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
1153 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-78 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1197 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-34 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 KSBN 302124
SVRSBN
INC141-039-MIC027-302200-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SOUTH BEND IN
422 PM EST SAT MAY 30 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 500 PM EST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES OF

NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA...NORTHERN ST JOSEPH AND NORTHERN ELKHART
SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN...CASS

AT 415PM EST RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHERN CASS
COUNTY OF SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN AND WESTERN ST JOSEPH COUNTY OF
NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA.

THIS STORM IS CAUSING INTENSE LIGHTNING AND STRONG GUSTY WIND. YOU
SHOULD SEEK INDOOR SHELTER AND STAY AWAY FROM PLUMBING OR APPLIANCES.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM GET INTO A REIN-
FORCED SHELTER AND PREPARE FOR STRONG DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...
VERY HEAVY RAIN AND LIGHTNING.

THIS SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORM MAY CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND
UNDERPASSES.

REMEMBER THESE STORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY TO PRODUCE A TORNADO WITH
LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.

SAVAGE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 29, 7:17 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDHendricks28 min
May 29, 7:42 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDBoone33 min
May 30, 3:42 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDHancock, Madison48 min
May 30, 3:51 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDDecatur59 min
May 30, 3:58 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDMarshall, Saint Joseph47 min
May 30, 4:06 PM ESTTornado WarningINDRush44 min
May 30, 4:34 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDHenry, Wayne46 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Indiana, 1987Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Michigan, 1987Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1987

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.