Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Louisville, KY

June 3, 1989Christian County, Kentucky

NWS Louisville, KY issued this tornado warning at Jun 3, 1989, 8:04 PM CDT for Christian County, Kentucky. It was in force for 26 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
Jun 3, 1989, 8:04 PM CDT (01:04 UTC)
Expired
Jun 3, 1989, 8:30 PM CDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Louisville, KY
Area
Whole counties

County Christian 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
Jun 3, 8:12 PM CDTHail 0.75Christian, 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, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 109 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 1989-06-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2998 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 1989-06-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 38 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2998 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
843 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
38 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
96 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KEVV 040105
TOREVV
KYC047-040130-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EVANSVILLE IN
804 PM CDT  JUN 3 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EVANSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  830 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY
          ...CHRISTIAN
 
AT 750 PM CDT...A POSSIBLE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN HOPKINSVILLE KENTUCKY
WAS REPORTED BY TELEVISION STATION 43. THE PENNYRILE CHRISTIAN
SCHOOLS ROOF WAS TORN OFF...NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE STORM WAS
CURRENTLY MOVING OVER THE SOUTH SIDE OF HOPKINSVILLE.  RESIDENTS
SHOULD TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.
 
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.
ZIMMER

What 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, Jun 3, 3:11 PM CDT, 4 hours 53 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
410 PM EDT SAT JUN 3 1989

...SCATTERERD THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KENTUCKY...

AT 400 PM EDT...THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND DEADLY LIGHTNING
WERE WIDELY SCATTERED ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KENTUCKY.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN BOURBON AND NICHOLAS
COUNTIES 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF LEXINGTON AND IN CLARK COUNTY 25
MILES EAST ONF LEXINGTON.

ALL THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AROUND 25 MILES AN HOUR.

THOSE TRAVELING NORTH INTO INDIANA AND OHIO SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE
POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

AMMERMAN
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 4:13 PM CDT, 3 hours 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
500 PM EDT SAT JUN 3 1989

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN INDIANA COUNTIES OF
   CLARK...JEFFERSON..ORANGE..SCOTT..AND WASHINGTON UNTIL 11 PM EDT...

AT 500 PM EDT A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING ACROSS CENTRAL
INDIANA.  THE SOUTHERN MOST CELLS WERE MOVING ACROSS PIKE AND DAVIESS
COUNTIES IN INDIANA.  THESE STROMS WILL MOVE INTO ORANGE COUNTY WITHIN
THE NEXT HOUR.

VERY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLE SOME SMALL HAIL WILL BE
POSSIBLE AS THE STROMS MOVE THROUGH.

OVER KENTUCKY SCATTERED THUNDERSHOWERS WERE MOVING ACROSS THE NORTH
CENTRAL SECTIONS OF THE STATE.  ELSEWHERE SKIES WERE MOSTLY SUNNY WITH
TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 70S AND 80S.

AMMERMAN
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 4:36 PM CDT, 3 hours 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LEXINGTON KY
535 PM EDT SAT JUN 3 1989

AT 535PM EDT TWO STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING THROUGH FAYETTE
COUNTY KENTUCKY.BOTH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER THE CITY
OF LEXINGTON. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS
...BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING STRIKES...
AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL AS THEY MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST AT 30
MILES AN HOUR.

HENRICK
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 5:17 PM CDT, 2 hours 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
610 PM EDT SAT JUN 3 1989

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF WESTERN KENTUCKY AND
   SOUTHERN INDIANA UNTIL 11 PM EDT..

AT 610 PM EDT A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED ACROSS SOUTHERN
INDIANA OVER DUBOIS AND WESTERN ORANGE COUNTIES.  THESE STORMS WERE
MOVING EAST AROUND 25 MPH.

VERY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND SOME HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE AS THESE
STORMS MOVE ACROSS ORANGE...CRAWFORD AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES DURING THE
NEXT HOUR.

REMEMBER A TORNADO WATCH MEANS SEVERE THUNDERSTORSM AND TORNADOS ARE
POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH AREA.  IF THREATING WEATHR APPROACHES MOVE TO
A SAFE SHELTER AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

AMMERMAN
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 5:58 PM CDT, 2 hours 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
700 PM EDT SAT JUN 3 1989

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF WESTERN KENTUCKY AND
   SOUTHERN INDIANA UNTIL 11 PM EDT..

AT 700 PM EDT A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM SPENCER
COUNTY INDIANA NORTHEAST THROUGH ORANGE AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES.
THE LINE OF STORMS WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AROUND 20 MPH.

VERY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND SOME SMALL HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE AS
THESE STORMS MOVE ACROSS CRAWFORD...HARRISON...FLOYD...CLARK AND SCOTT
COUNTIES IN SOUTHERN INDIANA DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

REMEMBER A TORNADO WATCH MEANS SEVERE THUNDERSTORSM AND TORNADOS ARE
POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH AREA.  IF THREATING WEATHR APPROACHES MOVE TO
A SAFE SHELTER AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

AMMERMAN
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 7:00 PM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
800 PM EDT SAT JUN 3 1989

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF WESTERN KENTUCKY AND
   SOUTHERN INDIANA UNTIL 11 PM EDT..

AT 800 PM EDT A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM HARRISON
COUNTY INDIANA NORTHEAST THROUGH FLOYD WASHINGTON AND SCOTT COUNTIES
AND INTO TRIMBLE COUNTY KENTUCKY. THE LINE OF STORMS WAS MOVING EAST
AROUND 25 MPH.

VERY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS...SOME SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
WILL BE POSSIBLE AS THESE STORMS MOVE INTO THE LOUISVILLE METROPOLITAN
AREA AND INTO OLDHAN AND HENRY COUNTIES WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR.

REMEMBER A TORNADO WATCH MEANS SEVERE THUNDERSTORSM AND TORNADOS? ARE
POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH AREA.  IF THREATING WEATHR APPROACHES MOVE TO
A SAFE SHELTER AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Louisville, KY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 3, 7:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKChristian, Todd40 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kentucky, 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.