Alert archive / Indiana / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 1, NWS Northern Indiana
NWS Northern Indiana issued this tornado warning at Oct 16, 1988, 7:21 PM EST for LaGrange County, Noble County, Indiana. It was in force for 39 min. 1 report 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
- Oct 16, 1988, 7:21 PM EST (00:21 UTC)
- Expired
- Oct 16, 1988, 8:00 PM EST
- In force
- 39 min
- Issued by
- NWS Northern Indiana
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties LaGrange County, IN, Noble County, IN
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 7:30 PM EST | Hail 0.75 | Noble, IN |
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
Dayton/James M C, OH (KDAY), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 208 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 589 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 39 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 230 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 249 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KFWA 170021
TORFWA
INC087-113-170115-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WAYNE IN
721 PM EST SUN OCT 16 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 815 PM EST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES
IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF INDIANA
SOUTHERN LAGRANGE...NORTHERN NOBLE
AT 720 PM EST...A TORNADO WAS REPORTED ON THE GROUND 15 MILES
EAST OF NAPPANEE IN ELKHART COUNTY OF NORTHEAST INDIANA. IT WAS
MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.
PERSONS IN THE TOWNS OF LIGONIER IN NOBLE COUNTY
SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IN A STRONG BUILDING.
A BELOW GROUND BASEMENT OFFERS THE BEST PROTECTION FROM A TORNADO.
IFl POSSIBLE GET UNDER A STURDY TABLE OR WORK BENCH.
KEEP AWAY FROM ALL WINDOWS. TAKE COVER NOW...DO NOT WASTE TIME
OPENING WINDOWS. THE TORNADO WILL DO THAT FOR YOU.
HAYESWhat 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 16, 6:13 PM EST, 1 hour 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WAYNE IN 615 PM EST SUN OCT 16 1988 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING EXTREME NORTHEAST INDIANA... AT 610 PM EST AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN...HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS WAS LOCATED FROM NEAR BATTLE CREEK MICHIGAN TO 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SOUTH BEND INDIANA. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST ABOUT 35 MPH. PEOPLE IN LAGRANGE COUNTY CAN EXPECT THESE STORMS...ESPECIALLY NORTHERN' LAGRANGE COUNTY...TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA BEFORE 700 PM EST. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR UPDATES. HAYES
The office that day
Everything else NWS Northern Indiana issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 7:02 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IWX | Noble | 43 min |
| Oct 16, 7:46 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IWX | DeKalb, Steuben | 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.