Alert archive / Indiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Northern Indiana

July 15, 1988Blackford County, Grant County, Wells County, Indiana

NWS Northern Indiana issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 15, 1988, 9:48 PM EST for Blackford County, Grant County, Wells County, Indiana. It was in force for 42 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 15, 1988, 9:48 PM EST (02:48 UTC)
Expired
Jul 15, 1988, 10:30 PM EST
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Northern Indiana
Area
Whole counties

Counties Blackford County, IN, Grant County, IN, Wells 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

Dayton/James M C, OH (KDAY), launched 00:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 126 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, Dayton/James M C, OH at 00:00Z on 1988-07-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 41 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Dayton/James M C, OH at 00:00Z on 1988-07-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 39 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
41 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-140 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2978 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
39 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
36 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 KFWA 160249
SVRFWA
INC009-053-179-160330-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WAYNE IN
948 PM EST FRI JUL 15 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WAYNE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN NORTHEAST INDIANA
          ...BLACKFORD...NORTHEASTERN GRANT...SOUTHWESTERN WELLS
 
AT 945 PM EST A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF
MARION MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
 
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIO-R ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
 
ZIMMERMAN

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 15, 4:50 PM EST, 4 hours 58 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR EXCESSIVE HEAT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SOUTH BEND IN
450 PM EST FRI JUL 15 1988

...LARGE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARDS SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN...

AT 445 PM EST RADAR AT SOUTH BEND SHOWED AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
35 MILES NORTHEAST OF SOUTH BEND INDIANA NEAR PAW PAW IN SOUTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN. THE AREA OF STORMS WAS MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST AND THE
PRESENT TRACK WOULD PUT THE STORMS NEAR THREE RIVERS IN SOUTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN AROUND 530 PM EST.

THESE ARE STRONG AND POSSIBLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND ARE CAPABLE OF
STRONG GUST WIND...HAIL...TORRENTIAL RAINFALL AND MOST SURELY DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.
JH
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 5:40 PM EST, 4 hours 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SOUTH BEND IN
540 PM EST FRI JUL 15 1988

...LARGE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARDS SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN...

AT 535 PM EST RADAR AT SOUTH BEND SHOWED AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
25 MILES NORTHEAST OF SOUTH BEND INDIANA NEAR DECATUR MICHIGAN. THE
STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM IS BETWEEN COLOMA AND DECATUR MICHIGAN. THE MOVE-
MENT OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS IS TO THE SOUTHEAST.  THE THUNDERSTORMS
EXTEND TO) NEAR THREE RIVERS MICHIGAN.

THESE ARE STRONG AND POSSIBLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND ARE CAPABLE OF
STRONG GUST WIND...HAIL...TORRENTIAL RAINFALL AND MOST SURELY DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.
JH
Local storm report, Jul 15, 9:08 PM EST, 40 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SOUTH BEND IN
910 PM EST FRI JUL 15 1988

TIME      EVENT
1820EST   CASS COUNTY MICHIGAN SHERIFF DEPARTMENT REPORTED NUMEROUS
          LARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN OVER THE COUNTY AND SCATTERED POWER
          OUTAGES.

1850EST   RAINFALL OBSERVER REPORTED WINDS 60 MPH OR GREATER...
          NUMEROUS LIMBS DOWN...AND 1.73 INCH RAINFALL IN 45 MINUTES
          AT SHAVEHEAD LAKE IN SOUTHEAST CASS COUNTY MICHIGAN.

1858EST   60 TO 70 MPH WINDS DOWNED TREES 2 TO 3 FEET IN DIAMETER NEAR
          VISTULA INDIANA IN NORTHEAST ELKHART COUNTY.

1925EST   WINDS ESTIMATED AT 60 MPH DOWNED TREE LIMBS AND CAUSED SOME
          POWER OUTAGES AT NAPANEE INDIANA IN SOUTHERN ELKHART COUNTY.

2015EST   KOSCIUSKO COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT REPORTED NUMEROUS POWER
          OUTAGES AND SEVERAL TREES DOWN ON HOUSES THROUGHOUT
          KOSCIUSKO COUNTY INDIANA.

          NUMEROUS REPORTS RECEIVED OF 1/4 TO 1/2 INCH DIAMETER
          HAIL AND WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH OVER SOUTHWEST LOWER
          MICHIGAN AND NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA.

          MOWERY
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 9:39 PM EST, 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SOUTH BEND IN
938 PM EST FRI JUL 15 1988

...SEVERE THUNDERTORM WATCH CANCELLED FOR NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL
INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EST FOR
A SMALL PART OF NORTHEAST INDIANA.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA FROM
ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTH OF SOUTH BEND TO 25 MILES NORTH OF KOKOMO.

THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDESTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AROUND 15 MPH AND
ARE NOT EXPECTED TO PRODUCE ANY DAMAGING WIND OR LARGE HAIL.
MOWERY

The office that day

Everything else NWS Northern Indiana issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 15, 7:26 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningIWXNoble49 min
Jul 15, 8:09 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningIWXAllen, Whitley51 min
Jul 15, 8:40 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningIWXAllen50 min
Jul 15, 8:55 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningIWXAdams, Wells50 min
Jul 15, 8:55 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningIWXHuntington50 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Indiana, 1988Every 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.