Alert archive / Kentucky / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 45, NWS Indianapolis, IN

May 19, 1989Daviess County, Henderson County, Union County, Kentucky

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 19, 1989, 8:30 PM CDT for Daviess County, Henderson County, Union County, Kentucky. It was in force for 45 min. 3 reports 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
May 19, 1989, 8:30 PM CDT (01:30 UTC)
Expired
May 19, 1989, 9:15 PM CDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Daviess County, KY, Henderson County, KY, Union County, KY

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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 19, 8:30 PM CDTHail 1.75Daviess, KY
May 19, 9:00 PM CDTHail 0.75Henderson, KY
May 19, 9:13 PM CDTHail 0.75Daviess, KY

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

Paducah/Barkley, KY (KPAH), launched 00:00Z, 1.5 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, Paducah/Barkley, KY at 00:00Z on 1989-05-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1172 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 1989-05-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 166 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
1172 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1319 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
166 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
311 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.3
Supercell composite
10.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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, May 19, 5:23 PM CDT, 3 hours 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
520 PM EST FRI MAY 19 1989

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER WESTERN INDIANA. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS
WITH HEAVY RAINS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING EXTENDED FROM ABOUT 20 MILES
NORTHEAST OF LAFAYETTE THROUGH CRAWFORDSVILLE TO 30 MILES SOUTHEAST
OF TERRE HAUTE.

MORE THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALONG THE INDIANA AND ILLINOIS BORDER
APPROACHING WILLIAMSPORT AND ATTICA...ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
LAFAYETTE.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL REACH
LOGANSPORT...GREENCASTLE AND INDIANAPOLIS BETWEEN 530 AND 600 PM EST.
HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS WILL ACCOMPANY THE STRONGEST STORMS.

THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD ARRIVE IN BLOOMINGTON AROUND 600 PM EST.
EDWARDS
Special weather statement, May 19, 6:22 PM CDT, 2 hours 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
620 PM EST FRI MAY 19 1989

AT 615 PM EST...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COVERED MUCH OF THE WEST PART
OF INDIANA...AND WERE MOVING INTO CENTRAL INDIANA.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE 20 MILES EAST OF LAFAYETTE...WITH
OTHER STRONG STORMS 10...20 AND 30 MILES NORTH OF TERRE HAUTE. ANOTHER
STRONG STORM WAS 20 MILES WEST AND NORTHWEST OF BLOOMINGTON.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH LINDEN...CRAWFORDSVILLE...AND
WAYNETOWN BETWEEN 630 AND 645 PM EST. OTHER STRONG STORMS WILL MOVE
THROUGH MARTINSVILLE AND TO THE BLOOMINGTON AREA BY ABOUT 645 PM.
.
AT 545 PM EST...THE STATE POLICE REPORTED PEA SIZE HAIL...SMALL TREE
LIMBS BLOW DOWN AND TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO ZERO
AT HILLSDALE...OR 22 MILES NORTH OF TERRE HAUTE.
.
AT 600 PM EST...THE WHITE COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTED VISIBILITY DOWN TO 100
FEET AT CHALMERS...WHICH IS 15 MILES NORTH OF LAFAYETTE.

AT 611 PM EST...A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED BY THE STATE POLICE ON
STATE ROAD 46 IN OWEN COUNTY MOVING EAST.

THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PEA SIZE HAIL
...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND LOTS OF LIGHTNING.
STEIGERWALDT
Special weather statement, May 19, 7:04 PM CDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
700 PM EST FRI MAY 19 1989

AT 655 PM EST...A NARROW LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ABOUT 10
MILES WIDE STRETCHED FROM 10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LAFAYETTE TO 15 MILES
NORTHEAST OF TERRE HAUTE.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN THE MARTINSVILLE AND BLOOMINGTON
AREAS.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE TO NEAR KOKOMO...KIRKLIN AND ROACHDALE
BY ABOUT 730 PM EST. OTHER STRONG STORMS WILL REACH THE VINCINITY OF
GREENWOOD...FRANKLIN AND TO 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF COLUMBUS SHORTLY
AFTER 730 PM.
.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PEA SIZE HAIL...DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING..B.VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND WIND GUSTS THAT MAY BE CAPABLE OF
BLOWING DOWN SOME SMALL TREE LIMBS.
STEIGERWALDT
Special weather statement, May 19, 7:54 PM CDT, 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
752 PM EST FRI MAY 19 1989

AT 745 PM EST...A NARROW LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS 10 MILES WIDE
EXTENDED FROM 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF KOKOMO TO 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF
INDIANAPOLIS.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE NEAR FRANKLIN OR 20 MILES SOUTH OF
INDIANAPOLIS...AND 20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BLOOMINGTON.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE TO GREENTOWN...TIPTON...SHERIDAN
AND ZIONSVILLE AREAS BY 830 PM EST. OTHER STRONG STORMS WILL REACH THE
VINCINITY OF SHELBYVILLE AND BETWEEN BROWNSTOWN AND SEYMOUR ALSO BY
830 PM.

THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL...
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND WIND GUSTS THAT MAY BE
CAPABLE OF BLOWING DOWN SOME SMALL TREE LIMBS.

PERSONS SHOULD LISTEN TO THIS SAME SOURCE FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND
POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
STEIGERWALDT
Special weather statement, May 19, 8:26 PM CDT, 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
825 PM EST FRI MAY 19 1989

SHOWERS AND A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE SCATTERED
THROUGHOUT CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN INDIANA.

ONE NARROW BAND OF STORMS WAS FROM 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF KOKOMO TO
20 MILES NORTHWEST OF INDIANAPOLIS TO 25 MILES WEST OF INDIANAPOLIS
NEAR ROACHDALE.

ANOTHER NARROW BAND OF STORMS WAS FROM GREENFIELD TO COLUMBUS.
OTHER STORMS WERE WEST AND SOUTH OF BLOOMINGTON TO SEYMOUR AND SOUTH
TO THE OHIO RIVER.

THE PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. SEVERAL FUNNEL CLOUDS
AND SMALL TORNADOES HAVE OCCURED IN SOUTHERN INDIANA THIS EVENING BUT
NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED IN CENTRAL INDIANA BETWEEEN 630 AND
820 PM. IF THREATENING WEATHER OR FUNNEL CLOUDS ARE SIGHTED GET TO THE
BASEMENT OR INTERIOR PART OF A HOME OR BUILDING.

SMALL SHORT LIVED TORNADOES AND FUNNEL CLOUDS ARE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO
DETECT ON RADAR. PLEASE REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREAST LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FOR REALY TO THE WEATHER SERVICE.

ALLSOPP

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 19, 7:17 PM CDTTornado WarningINDVanderburgh, Warrick28 min
May 19, 7:40 PM CDTTornado WarningINDGibson50 min
May 19, 7:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDDubois, Pike46 min
May 19, 7:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDPerry, Spencer46 min
May 19, 7:27 PM CDTTornado WarningINDDaviess, Hancock33 min
May 19, 8:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDHancock45 min
May 19, 9:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDDaviess, Hancock52 min
May 19, 9:37 PM CDTTornado WarningINDDaviess, Hancock38 min
May 20, 1:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDLogan, Simpson, Todd30 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kentucky, 1989Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.