Alert archive / Kentucky / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Indianapolis, IN

July 17, 1988Logan County, Todd County, Kentucky

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 17, 1988, 6:18 PM CDT for Logan County, Todd County, Kentucky. It was in force for 57 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: Jul 17, 1988, 6:18 PM CDT (23:18 UTC)
Expired: Jul 17, 1988, 7:15 PM CDT
In force: 57 min
Issued by: NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area: Whole counties

Counties Logan County, KY, Todd County, KY

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
Jul 17, 6:20 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 52	Todd, KY
Jul 17, 6:25 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 56	Logan, KY

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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 89 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: NaN m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 5 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 10 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 KEVV 172318
SVREVV
KYC141-213-219-227-180015-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EVANSVILLE IN
618 PM CDT SUN JUL 17 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 715 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL PART OF KENTUCKY
      LOGAN...SIMPSON...TODD...WARREN

AT 610 PM CDT THIS SUNDAY EVENING RADAR INDICATED SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL LOGAN AND TODD COUNTY AND ANOTHER
OVER NORTHERN WARREN COUNTY.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.

IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA THREATENED BY THE STORM..GO TO A REINFORCED
SHELTER AND PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY
RAIN AND LIGHTNING.

INTENSE LIGHTNING IS REPORTED WITH THIS STORM.  IF OUTDOORS...
STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS.  MOVE INDOORS IF POSSIBLE.  WHEN
INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID USING
TELEPHONES AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT.

 HOCKER

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, Jul 17, 3:53 PM CDT, 2 hours 25 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR EXCESSIVE HEAT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
345 PM EST SUN JUL 17 1988

...EXCESSIVE HEAT AND HUMIDITY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY OVER
   SOUTHERN INDIANA...

THE COMBINATION OF TEMPERATURES IN THE MID TO UPPER 90S AND HIGH
HUMIDITIES IN SOUTHERN INDIANA ON MONDAY WILL PUSH THE HEAT INDEX TO
AROUND 110 DEGREES.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT TO PREVENT SUNSTROKE...HEAT CRAMPS OR
HEAT EXHAUSTION...PEOPLE WHO MUST BE OUTDOORS DURING THE HEAT OF THE DAY
SHOULD DRESS LIGHTLY AND DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS. ALSO...ANY ACTIVITIES
SHOULD BE PERFORMED IN A SLOW MANNER...AND TRY TO STAY OUT OF THE SUN IF
AT ALL POSSIBLE.

THE HEAT INDEX IS A MEASURE +OF THE CONTRIBUTION HUMIDITY MAKES WITH THE
HIGH TEMPERATURES.  IT IS A WAY OF GAUGING HOW HOT IT ACTUALLY FEELS.
STEIGERWALDT

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 17, 6:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Simpson, Warren	57 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kentucky, 1988 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1988

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.