Alert archive / Indiana / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 18, NWS Indianapolis, IN
NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this tornado warning at May 19, 1989, 7:40 PM CDT for Gibson County, Indiana. It was in force for 50 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 19, 1989, 7:40 PM CDT (00:40 UTC)
- Expired
- May 19, 1989, 8:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 50 min
- Issued by
- NWS Indianapolis, IN
- Area
- Whole counties
County Gibson 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, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 169 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
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KEVV 200042
TOREVV
INC051-200130-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EVANSVILLE IN
740 PM CDT FRI MAY 19 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EVANSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 830 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN SOUTHWEST INDIANA
...GIBSON
AT 735 PM CDT...A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MT CARMEL
ILLINOIS. THIS STORM IS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH...AND WILL BE
MOVING INTO PRINCETON INDIANA BY 750.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.
RUNNELSWhat 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, May 19, 5:23 PM CDT, 2 hours 17 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, 1 hour 18 minutes before
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
Special weather statement, May 19, 7:04 PM CDT, 36 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
The office that day
Everything else NWS Indianapolis, IN issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 7:17 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | IND | Vanderburgh, Warrick | 28 min |
| May 19, 7:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IND | Dubois, Pike | 46 min |
| May 19, 7:59 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | IND | Perry, Spencer | 46 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Indiana, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes 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.