Alert archive / Indiana / Flash Flood Warnings in 1989

Flash Flood Warning 18, NWS Indianapolis, IN

April 3, 1989Spencer County, Vanderburgh County, Warrick County, Indiana

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this flash flood warning at Apr 3, 1989, 8:27 PM CDT for Spencer County, Vanderburgh County, Warrick County, Indiana. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 3, 1989, 8:27 PM CDT (01:27 UTC)
Expired
Apr 3, 1989, 11:30 PM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Spencer County, IN, Vanderburgh County, IN, Warrick 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

Paducah/Barkley, KY (KPAH), launched 00:00Z, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 165 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, Paducah/Barkley, KY at 00:00Z on 1989-04-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1124 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, Paducah/Barkley, KY at 00:00Z on 1989-04-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 296 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1124 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-77 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1290 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
296 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
547 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.8
Supercell composite
6.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KEVV 040129
FFWEVV
INC123-129-147-163-173-040430-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EVANSVILLE IN
827 PM CDT (827 PM EST) MON APR 3 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EVANSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1130 PM CDT (1130 PM EST)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA
          ...PERRY
IN SOUTHWEST INDIANA
          ...POSEY...SPENCER...VANDERBURGH...WARRICK
 
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN HAVE DUMPED TWO INCHES OF RAIN IN
SOME AREAS OF SOUTWEST INDIANA SINCE EARLY THIS EVENING. CONSIDERABLE
URBAN AND LOW LAND FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED ALONG THE OHIO RIVER.
THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS AND MORE FLOODING
CAN BE EXPECTED.
 
BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.  IF FLASH FLOODING IS
OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.
 
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO
CROSS SAFELY.  VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE
ABANDONED QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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, Apr 3, 6:10 PM CDT, 2 hours 17 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
609 PM EST MON APR 3 1989

IN INDIANA TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 79 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT AND
INCLUDES THAT PART OF INDIANA SOUTH OF A LINE FROM MOUNT CARMEL ILLINOIS
TO PAOLI TO 10 MILES SOUTH OF MADISON.

SOME CITIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH AREA ARE EVANSVILLE...TELL CITY...
MOUNT VERNON...BOONVILLE AND NEW ALBANY.

REMEMBER...A WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE
WEATHER IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD
BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH NUMBBER 77 THAT WAS VALID FOR
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST INDIANA.
STEIGERWALDT
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 6:40 PM CDT, 1 hour 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
637 PM EST MON APR 3 1987

AT 633 PM EST...SCATTERED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER CENTRAL
INDIANA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE 15 MILES NORTH AND 20 MILES
WEST OF INDIANAPOLIS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PART OF A LARGE AREA OF RAIN THAT COVERED MUCH
OF NORTH AND CENTRAL INDIANA.

THE LEADING EDGE OF THE RAIN AREA EXTENDED FROM NEAR MARION TO 20 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF RICHMOND...25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF COLUMBUS AND CONTINUED
INTO SOUTHWEST INDIANA.

THE PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR THAT PART OF INDIANA
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM MOUvNT CARMEL ILLINOIS TO PAOLI TO 10 MILES SOUTH OF
MADISON.
STEIGERWALDT
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 7:33 PM CDT, 54 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
734 PM EST MON APR 3 1987

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EST FOR EXTREME SOUTHERN
INDIANA.

AT 727 PM EST...A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED BY HAM RADIO OPERATORS
NEAR LAPEL IN MADISON COUNTY...ABOUT 8 MILES WEST OF ANDERSON. THE
FUNNEL CLOUD WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH.

PEOPLE FROM ANDERSON NORTH TO ALEXANDRIA AND NORTHEAST TO MUNCIE
SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED
TO SEEK SHELTER IF SEVERE WEATHER OCCURS.

MPD
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 7:40 PM CDT, 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
739 PM EST MON APR 3 1987

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EST FOR EXTREME SOUTHERN
INDIANA.

POSSIBLE FUNNEL CLOUDS WERE ON THE WEST SIDE OF INDIANAPOLIS
AND IN BROWNSBURG AT 730 PM EST.

AT 730 PM EST...SEVERAL HAM RADIO OPERATORS REPORTED A ROARING
NOISE IN THE VICINITY OF 38TH STREET AND MOELLER ROAD ON THE
WEST SIDE OF INDIANAPOLIS. HAM RADIO OPERATORS REPORTED A SIMILAR
ROARING NOISE FROM BROWNSBURG. THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE
WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

PEOPLE FROM THE NORTH SIDE OF INDIANAPOLIS TO CARMEL TO NOBLESVILLE
SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED
TO SEEK SHELTER IF SEVERE WEATHER OCCURS.
MPD
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 7:53 PM CDT, 34 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED FOR TIME OF TORNADO WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
751 PM EST MON APR 3 1987

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST FOR EXTREME
SOUTHERN INDIANA.

POSSIBLE FUNNEL CLOUDS WERE ON THE WEST SIDE OF INDIANAPOLIS
AND IN BROWNSBURG AT 730 PM EST.

AT 730 PM EST...SEVERAL HAM RADIO OPERATORS REPORTED A ROARING
NOISE IN THE VICINITY OF 38TH STREET AND MOELLER ROAD ON THE
WEST SIDE OF INDIANAPOLIS. HAM RADIO OPERATORS REPORTED A SIMILAR
ROARING NOISE FROM BROWNSBURG. THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE
WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

PEOPLE FROM THE NORTH SIDE OF INDIANAPOLIS TO CARMEL TO NOBLESVILLE
SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED
TO SEEK SHELTER IF SEVERE WEATHER OCCURS.
MPD
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 7:54 PM CDT, 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED FOR TIME OF TORNADO WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
752 PM EST MON APR 3 1987

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST FOR EXTREME SOUTHERN
INDIANA.

AT 727 PM EST...A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED BY HAM RADIO OPERATORS
NEAR LAPEL IN MADISON COUNTY...ABOUT 8 MILES WEST OF ANDERSON. THE
FUNNEL CLOUD WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH.

PEOPLE FROM ANDERSON NORTH TO ALEXANDRIA AND NORTHEAST TO MUNCIE
SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED
TO SEEK SHELTER IF SEVERE WEATHER OCCURS.

MPD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 7:45 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningINDRush, Shelby2 hr
Apr 3, 8:27 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningINDPosey3 hr
Apr 3, 8:27 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningINDPerry3 hr
Apr 3, 11:55 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningINDPerry, Spencer4 hr
Apr 3, 11:55 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningINDGibson, Posey, Vanderburgh4 hr
Apr 3, 11:55 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningINDWarrick4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Indiana, 1989Every flash flood warning in 1989

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.