Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Louisville, KY

March 29, 1989Bullitt County, Hardin County, Kentucky

NWS Louisville, KY issued this tornado warning at Mar 29, 1989, 6:10 PM EST for Bullitt County, Hardin County, Kentucky. It was in force for 50 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 29, 1989, 6:10 PM EST (23:10 UTC)
Expired
Mar 29, 1989, 7:00 PM EST
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Louisville, KY
Area
Whole counties

Counties Bullitt County, KY, Hardin County, KY

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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 201 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1989-03-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1989-03-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 59 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
611 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
59 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
200 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSDF 292310
TORSDF
KYC029-093-300000-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
610 PM EST WED MAR 29 1989

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 700 PM EST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE NORTH CENTRAL PART OF KENTUCKY
      WEST CENTRAL BULLITT...NORTHERN HARDIN

AT 6 PM EST HAM RADIO OPERATORS REPORTED A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN NEAR
RINEYVILLE IN NORTHERN HARDIN COUNTY...28 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
LOUISVILLE.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE IS IN
A BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...FIND SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

 REITMEYER

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, Mar 29, 5:06 PM EST, 1 hour 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LEXINGTON KENTUCKY
505 PM EST WED MAR 29 1989

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN IN EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY TONIGHT...

AT 500 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON A FEW THUNDERSHOWERS HAD DEVELOPED IN BOYLE
COUNTY JUST EAST OF JUNCTION CITY KENTUCKY...28 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST
OF LEXINGTON KENTUCKY. ANOTHER THUNDERSHOWER HAD DEVELOPED ALONG THE ESTILL
COUNTY MADISON COUNTY LINE. THESE THUNDERSHOWERS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT
30 MILES AN HOUR.

THUNDERSHOWERS WIIL BE ON THE INCREASE TONIGHT AND SOME MAY PRODUCE
HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLY FLASH FLOODING.

IF YOU LIVE IN A FLOOD PRONE OR LOW LYING AREA...YOU SHOULD BE ALERT AND
BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED OR IF A
WARNING IS ISSUED.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND/OR COMMERCIAL RADIO AND TELEVISION FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

WOYNICK
Special weather statement, Mar 29, 5:06 PM EST, 1 hour 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
403 PM EST WED MAR 29 1989

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OF KENTUCKY TONIGHT....

HEAVIER RAINS COUPLED WITH SOME THUNDERSHOWERS WERE MOVING NORTH
ACROSS A LARGE PORTION OF WEST AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY THIS EVENING.
SEVERAL OF THESE SHOWERS WILL BE HEAVY ESPECIALLY BETWEEN BOWLING
GREEN AND EVANSVILLE. WITH THE GROUND ALREADY SATURATED FROM THIS
MORNINGS RAINS FLASH FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM THESE HEAVIER
SHOWERS TONIGHT.

PERSONS LIVING IN LOW LYING/FLASH PRONE AREAS ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN
ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
CF
Special weather statement, Mar 29, 5:11 PM EST, 59 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT                  ...CORRECTION FOR SPELLING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LEXINGTON KENTUCKY
511 PM EST WED MAR 29 1989

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY TONIGHT...

AT 500 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON A FEW THUNDERSHOWERS HAD DEVELOPED IN BOYLE
COUNTY JUST EAST OF JUNCTION CITY KENTUCKY...28 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST
OF LEXINGTON KENTUCKY. ANOTHER THUNDERSHOWER HAD DEVELOPED ALONG THE ESTILL
COUNTY MADISON COUNTY LINE. THESE THUNDERSHOWERS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT
30 MILES AN HOUR.

THUNDERSHOWERS WIIL BE ON THE INCREASE TONIGHT AND SOME MAY PRODUCE
HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLY FLASH FLOODING.

IF YOU LIVE IN A FLOOD PRONE OR LOW LYING AREA...YOU SHOULD BE ALERT AND
BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED OR IF A
WARNING IS ISSUED.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND/OR COMMERCIAL RADIO AND TELEVISION FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

WOYNICK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 29, 5:29 PM ESTTornado WarningLMKHardin31 min
Mar 29, 6:59 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKAnderson, Franklin, Woodford31 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.