Alert archive / Indiana / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Indianapolis, IN

October 17, 1988Parke County, Indiana

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this tornado warning at Oct 17, 1988, 9:22 PM EST for Parke County, Indiana. It was in force for 23 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Oct 17, 1988, 9:22 PM EST (02:22 UTC)
Expired
Oct 17, 1988, 9:45 PM EST
In force
23 min
Issued by
NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area
Whole counties

County Parke 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

Salem-Leckrone, IL (KSLO), launched 00:00Z, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 192 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, Salem-Leckrone, IL at 00:00Z on 1988-10-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 614 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Salem-Leckrone, IL at 00:00Z on 1988-10-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 344 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
614 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-187 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1371 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
344 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
543 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KIND 180223
TORIND
INC121-180245-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
922 PM EST MON OCT 17 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN INDIANAPOLIS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  945 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL INDIANA
          ...PARKE
 
AT 915 PM EST AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR REPORTED A TORNADO IN CLINTO.
A BARN WAS ALSO REPORTED BLOWN DOWN 1 MILE WEST OF CLINTON NEAR NEAR
HIGHWAYS 36 AND 63.  CLINTON IS 12 MILES NORTH OF TERRE HAUTE.
 
RADAR SHOWS THIS STORM TO BE MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.
 
SOME CITIES IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM ARE ROSEDALE AND ROCKVILLE.
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
HENDRICKSON

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, Oct 17, 6:13 PM EST, 3 hours 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
610 PM EST MON OCT 17 1988

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN TWO THIRDS
OF INDIANA UNTIL 900 PM EST.

AT 600 PM...THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST THROUGH WEST CENTRAL
INDIANA. STORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WERE IN
AN AREA...ABOUT 30 MILES WIDE FROM KOKOMO...THROUGH LEBANON AND
GREENCASTLE TO JUST SOUTH OF TERRE HAUTE.

HEAVY RAINFALL IN PARTS OF THE INDIANAPOLIS AREA UNTIL AROUND 7 PM
...MAY CAUSE FLOODING OF UNDERPASSES AND POORLY DRAINED STREETS.

THUNDERSHOWERS WERE MOVING EAST THROUGH EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST
INDIANA FROM AROUND RICHMOND TO DEPUTY.

MORE TH)UNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG A COLD FRONT...MOVING EAST THROUGH
ILLINOIS. THOSE STORMS WERE JUST MOVING INTO FAR NORTHWEST INDIANA AND
WILL BE INTO WEST CENTRAL INDIANA BY 800 PM.

DS
Special weather statement, Oct 17, 6:54 PM EST, 2 hours 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
655 PM EST MON OCT 17 1988

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN TWO THIRDS
OF INDIANA UNTIL 900 PM EST.

AT 645 PM...THUNDERSTORMS...A FEW WITH HEAVY RAINFALL...WERE MOVING
THROUGH CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST INDIANA.

IN CENTRAL INDIANA...AN AREA OF STORMS WAS FROM NEAR DANVILLE...SOUTH
TO SPENCER AND WORTHINGTON. THEY WERE MOVING EAST AT 50 MILES PER
HOUR AND WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE INDIANAPOLIS AREA UNTIL AROUND
730 PM. SOME STREET FLOODING MAY OCCUR.

IN NORTHWEST INDIANA...AN AREA OF STORMS WAS FROM NEAR SOUTH BEND
TO OXFORD. THAT AREA WAS ALSO MOVING EAST AT 50 MILES PER HOUR AND
EXTUENDED SOUTHWEST INTO ILLINOIS.

SHOWERS WERE ALONG THE INDIANA AND OHIO BORDER...MOVING EAST.

DS
Special weather statement, Oct 17, 7:04 PM EST, 2 hours 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
705 PM EST MON OCT 17 1988

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN TWO THIRDS
OF INDIANA UNTIL 900 PM EST.

A THUNDERSTORM WITH HEAVY RAIN WAS SOUTHEAST OF INDIANAPOLIS AT 655
PM EST.

THE STORM WAS MOVING THROUGH RUSHVILLE AND WILL BE NEAR CONNERSVILLE
AROUND 730 PM. FLOODING OF STREETS AND UNDERPASSES IS POSSIBLE IN
RUSHVILLE AND CONNERSVILLE.

DS`
Special weather statement, Oct 17, 7:40 PM EST, 1 hour 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
735 PM EST MON OCT 17 1988

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN TWO THIRDS
OF INDIANA UNTIL 900 PM EST.

A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING EAST
THROUGH NORTHERN INDIANA AT 725 PM. THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL
WERE ALONG AND NORTH OF THE WABASH RIVER FROM NEAR FORT WAYNE...
THROUGH LAFAYETTE TO DANVILLE ILLINOIS. FLOODING OF UNDERPASSES AND
STREETS IN URBAN AREAS IS POSSIBLE.

A SMALLER AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS FROM THE EAST SIDE OF INDIANAPOLIS
THROUGH BLOOMINGTON TO NEAR BLOOMFIELD. ANOTHER AREA WAS OVER EAST
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST INDIANA FROM RICHMOND...THROUGH BROOKVILLE TO
NEAR MILAN. BOTH AREAS WERE MOVING EAST AT 45 MILES PER HOUR.

THUNDERSTORMS OVER EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS WILL BE MOVING INTO WEST
CENTRAL INDIANA AROUND 800 PM.

DS
Special weather statement, Oct 17, 8:28 PM EST, 54 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
825 PM EST MON OCT 17 1988

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN TWO THIRDS
OF INDIANA UNTIL 900 PM EST.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COVERED MOST OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL INDIANA
AT 815 PM EST.

THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG A COLD FRONT FROM BETWEEN SOUTH BEND AND
GARY...THROUGH DANVILLE ILLINOIS TO ST LOUIS. THE STORMS WERE MOVING
EAST AT 40 MILES PER HOUR. GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MILES PER HOUR ARE
LIKELY WITH THOSE STORMS. DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAINFALL WILL
ALSO BE LIKELY. THE COLD FRONT WILL BE REACHING LAFAYETTE AROUND 9 PM.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED OVER WEST CENTRAL INDIANA BETWEEN
DANVILLE ILLINOIS AND INDIANAPOLIS...AND OVER SOUTHEAST AND EAST
CENTRAL INDIANA FROM AROUND NEW CASTLE THROUGH RUSHVILLE TO COLUMBUS
AND BEDFORD. THOSE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES PER HOUR ALSO.

DS
Special weather statement, Oct 17, 9:01 PM EST, 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
855 PM EST MON OCT 17 1988

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR INDIANA HAS EXPIRED.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COVERED MUCH OF THE STATE AT 845 PM. WHILE
SOME OF THE STORMS WERE STILL STRONG...THERE WAS LITTLE POTENTIAL
FOR ANY SEVERE STORMS.

AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER NORTHERN INDIANA ALONG THE WABASH
RIVER FROM NEAR FORT WAYNE...THROUGH LOGANSPORT AND LAFAYETTE TO
NEAR DANVILLE ILLINOIS. SOME OF THE STORMS HAD HEAVY RAINFALL.

ANOTHER AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER WEST CENTRAL INDIANA FROM
INDIANAPOLIS TO DANVILLE ILLINOIS AND TERRE HAUTE. A THIRD AREA WAS
DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHERN INDIANA FROM AROUND SEYMOUR...THROUGH MITCHELL
TO EVANSVILLE.

THE PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES PER HOUR. IT WAS
DIMINISHING OVER NORTHWEST INDIANA. A COLD FRONT WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST
THROUGH THAT PART OF THE STATE.

PRECIPITATION WILL SPREADING INTO THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE STATE
BY 10 PM.

DS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 17, 7:16 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningINDElkhart, Saint Joseph119 min
Oct 17, 7:16 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningINDLaPorte119 min
Oct 17, 8:02 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDElkhart, Kosciusko28 min
Oct 17, 10:00 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDMarion45 min
Oct 17, 10:38 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDHancock52 min
Oct 18, 12:53 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDUnion27 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Indiana, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.