Alert archive / Indiana / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 8, NWS Indianapolis, IN
NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this tornado warning at Nov 16, 1988, 2:29 AM EST for Fountain County, Vermillion County, Warren County, Indiana. It was in force for 31 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Nov 16, 1988, 2:29 AM EST (07:29 UTC)
- Expired
- Nov 16, 1988, 3:00 AM EST
- In force
- 31 min
- Issued by
- NWS Indianapolis, IN
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Fountain County, IN, Vermillion County, IN, Warren 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
Peoria Regional, IL (KPIA), launched 00:00Z, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 200 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
- 144 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -181 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 643 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 45 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 311 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 373 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KIND 160730
TORIND
INC045-165-171-160800-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
229 AM EST (129 AM CST) WED NOV 16 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN INDIANAPOLIS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 300 AM EST (200 AM CST)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN WEST CENTRAL INDIANA
...FOUNTAIN...NORTHERN VERMILLION...WARREN
RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR CAYUGA...OR 20 MILES NORTH OF
TERRE HAUTE.
PEOPLE IN VEEDERSBURG...ATTICA...WILLIAMSPORT SHOULD TAKE COVER IN A
BASEMENT OR THE INTERIOR OF A HOME. MOBILE HOMES SHOULD BE ABANDONED.
THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.
ALLSOPPWhat 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, Nov 16, 1:18 AM EST, 1 hour 11 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA 117 AM EST WED NOV 16 1988 SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS...WERE CROSSING THE INDIANA-ILLINOIS BORDER AT 110 AM EST. THE LEADING EDGE OF THE BAND OF STORMS WAS FROM CHICAGO TO ABOUT 10 MILES WEST OF TERRE HAUTE. INTENSE LOW PRESSURE OVER EASTERN IOWA WAS CAUSING WIND GUSTS OF OVER 30 MPH ACROSS MUCH OF INDIANA. THESE WINDS COMBINED WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE 40 TO 50 MPH GUSTS ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST INDIANA BETWEEN 120 AM AND 230 AM. PEOPLE IN MORROCO...KENTLAND...FOWLER AND RENSSELAER CAN EXPECT GUSTY THUNDERSTORM WINDS. PEOPLE IN THESE AREAS SHOULD LIxSTEN FOR LATER STATEMEMTS AND POSSBILE WARNINGS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR INTERIOR ROOM OF A HOME. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL BUT EXTREME EAST AND SOUTHEAST INDIANA UNTIL 700 AM EST. ALLSOPP
Special weather statement, Nov 16, 1:43 AM EST, 46 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA 141 AM EST WED NOV 16 1988 SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS...WERE SPREADING RAPIDLY INTO NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL INDIANA. AT 135 AM EST THE LEADING EDGE OF THE BAND OF SHOWERS WAS FROM VALPARAISO TO LAFAYETTE TO TERRE HAUTE. HEAVIER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS...WERE FROM MORROCO IN NEWTON COUNTY TO DANVILLE ILLINOIS. WINDS WERE GUSTING TO 30 TO 40 MPH AHEAD OF THE PRECIPITATION. ADDITIONAL GUSTS FROM THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH...WHICH CAN DOWN TREE LIMBS AND ROCK MOBILE HOMES. PEOPLE IN RENSSELAER...FOWLER...OXFORD...AND ATTICA CAN EXPECT GUSTY THUNDERSTORM WINDS BETWEEN 140 AND 230 AM. PEOPLE IN THESE AREAS SHOULD LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMEMTS AND POSSBILE WARNINGS. BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR INTERIOR ROOM. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT. A SMALL TORNADO CAN FORM QUICKLY WITH THESE STORMS WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING. ALLSOPP
The office that day
Everything else NWS Indianapolis, IN issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 16, 2:18 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IND | Fountain, Parke, Vermillion | 42 min |
| Nov 16, 2:18 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IND | Vigo | 42 min |
| Nov 16, 2:26 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IND | LaPorte | 64 min |
| Nov 16, 3:00 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IND | Starke | 45 min |
| Nov 16, 3:14 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IND | Saint Joseph | 46 min |
| Nov 16, 3:35 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IND | Marshall | 40 min |
| Nov 16, 3:46 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IND | Elkhart | 44 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.