Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 3, NWS Louisville, KY
NWS Louisville, KY issued this tornado warning at Apr 3, 1989, 9:53 PM EDT for Bullitt County, Jefferson County, Kentucky. It was in force for 37 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
- Apr 3, 1989, 9:53 PM EDT (01:53 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 3, 1989, 10:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 37 min
- Issued by
- NWS Louisville, KY
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Bullitt County, KY, Jefferson 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 10:09 PM EDT | Tornado F0 | Bullitt, 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
Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 1.9 hours before the alert went out and 232 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
- 119 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -120 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 735 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 56 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 337 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 419 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KSDF 040154
TORSDF
KYC029-111-040230-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
953 PM EDT MON APR 3 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN NORTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY
...BULLITT...JEFFERSON
AT 950 PM EDT...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO OVER
WESTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY KENTUCKY. THE STORM WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT
45 MPH.
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.
GOETSCHWhat 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, Apr 3, 5:11 PM EDT, 4 hours 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 508 PM EDT MON APR 3 1989 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A SMALL PORTION OF NORTHWEST KENTUCKY UNTIL 9 PM EDT TONIGHT... AT 5 PM EST A FEW THUNDERSHOWERS WERE SCATTERED OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL PARTS OF KENTUCKY NEAR LONDON. AS CLOUDS THIN OVER THE STATE DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP IN THE WARM AND UNSTABLE AIR OVER THE COMMONWEALTH. TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE UPPER 60S AND 70S. IN ADDITION...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST ACROSS MISSOURI AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND THESE WILL BE MOVING EAST ACROSS PARTS OF WEST KENTUCKY BY EARLY EVENING. PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND SEEK SHELTER IF THE WEATHER BECOMES UNUSUALLY THREATENING. SCHOLZ
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 6:13 PM EDT, 3 hours 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 610 PM EDT MON APR 3 1989 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A SMALL PORTION OF NORTHWEST KENTUCKY UNTIL 9 PM EDT TONIGHT... AT 6 PM EST A FEW THUNDERSHOWERS WERE SCATTERED OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL PARTS OF KENTUCKY NEAR LONDON. SKIES WILL REMAIN MOSTLY CLOUDY AND TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE UPPER 60S AND 70S. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST ACROSS SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND SOUTHWEST INDIANA. THESE SHOULD REMAIN JUST NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER AS THEY MOVE EAST ACROSS SOUTHERN INDIANA. OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING EAST ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI WILL MOVE INTO FAR WEST KENTUCKY EARLY THIS EVENING. PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND SEEK SHELTER IF THE WEATHER BECOMES UNUSUALLY THREATENING. SCHOLZ
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 7:18 PM EDT, 2 hours 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 714 PM EDT MON APR 3 1989 ...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF WEST AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY UNTIL 1 AM EDT TUESDAY MORNING... THE NEW TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 77 THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR THE WEST PARTS OF KENTUCKY. AT 7 PM EDT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER THE EAST CENTRAL PARTS OF KENTUCKY WITH CLOUDY SKIES TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 60S TO MID 70S OVER THE REST OF KENTUCKY. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST ACROSS SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND SOUTHWEST INDIANA. LARGE HAIL AND EVEN A TORNADO HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS. THESE STORMS SHOULD REMAIN NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER BUT WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE INDIANA COUNTIES TO THE NORTH OF LOUISVILLE. < OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI WILL BE MOVING INTO FAR WEST KENTUCKY WITHIN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE VERY DANGEROUS. IF YOU AREE IN OR NEAR THE WATCH AREA LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. IF THE WEATHER BECOMES UNSUALLY THREATENING SEEK A PLACE OF SAFETY. SCHOLZ
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 8:19 PM EDT, 1 hour 34 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LEXINGTON KENTUCKY 814 PM EDT MON APR 3 1989 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY... AT 810 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A STRONG THUNDERSTORMS LOCATED IN BOURBON COUNTY JUST SOUTH OF PARIS, KENTUCKY. ANOTHER STRONG THUNDER/ STORM WAS LOCATED IN ROBERTSON COUNTY JUST SOUTH OF MOUNT OLIVET, KENTUCKY. THE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. HEAVY RAIN..DANGEROUS LIGHT5NING..SMALL HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY SURFACE WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. SZAPPANOS
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 8:33 PM EDT, 1 hour 20 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LEXINGTON KENTUCKY 814 PM EDT MON APR 3 1989 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY... AT 810 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A STRONG THUNDERSTORMS LOCATED IN BOURBON COUNTY JUST SOUTH OF PARIS, KENTUCKY. ANOTHER STRONG THUNDER/ STORM WAS LOCATED IN ROBERTSON COUNTY JUST SOUTH OF MOUNT OLIVET, KENTUCKY. THE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. HEAVY RAIN..DANGEROUS LIGHT@NING..SMALL HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY SURFACE WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. SZAPPANOS
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 9:13 PM EDT, 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LEXINGTON KENTUCKY 910 PM EDT MON APR 3 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR PARTS OF EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY UNTIL 1 AM EDT... AT 906 PM EDT WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM LOCATED IN FLEMING COUNTY BETWEEN EWING AND FLEMINGSBURG, KENTUCKY. THIS STORM IS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. NO OTHER ACTIVITY WAS INDICATED IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY. HEAVY RAIN..DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..SMALL H^AIL AND STRONG GUSTY SURFACE WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. NO REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN THE PAST HOUR. SZAPPANOS
The office that day
Everything else NWS Louisville, KY issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 8:38 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Meade | 52 min |
| Apr 3, 8:38 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Breckinridge | 52 min |
| Apr 3, 9:31 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Bullitt, Hardin, Jefferson | 59 min |
| Apr 3, 9:31 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Oldham | 59 min |
| Apr 3, 10:23 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Nelson | 67 min |
| Apr 3, 10:23 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Henry, Shelby, Spencer | 67 min |
| Apr 4, 12:28 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | LMK | Jefferson | 3 hr |
| Apr 4, 12:39 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Hardin, Nelson | 36 min |
| Apr 4, 12:39 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | LMK | Hardin, Nelson | 36 min |
| Apr 4, 12:59 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | LMK | Spencer | 46 min |
| Apr 4, 1:07 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Casey, Marion, Taylor | 53 min |
| Apr 4, 1:07 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Washington | 53 min |
| Apr 4, 1:09 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Boyle | 51 min |
| Apr 4, 1:26 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Lincoln, Pulaski, Rockcastle | 49 min |
| Apr 4, 1:31 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Fayette, Garrard, Madison | 59 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.