Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 8, NWS Louisville, KY
NWS Louisville, KY issued this tornado warning at May 22, 1989, 7:56 PM CDT for Allen County, Simpson County, Warren County, Kentucky. It was in force for 34 min. 2 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 22, 1989, 7:56 PM CDT (00:56 UTC)
- Expired
- May 22, 1989, 8:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 34 min
- Issued by
- NWS Louisville, KY
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Allen County, KY, Simpson County, KY, Warren 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 8:11 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 61 | Warren, KY | |
| May 22, 8:20 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Allen, 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, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 80 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
- 493 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -28 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1270 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 40 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 171 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 245 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.4
- Supercell composite
- 3.7
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KEVV 230058
TOREVV
KYC003-213-227-230130-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EVANSVILLE IN
756 PM CDT MON MAY 22 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EVANSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 830 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY
...NORTHERN ALLEN...SIMPSON...SOUTHERN WARREN
AT 750 PM CDT A TORNADO WAS REPORTED JUST SOUTH OF FRANKLIN KENTUCKY
IN SIMPSON COUNTY. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. IT WILL
MOVE CLOSE TO BOWLING GREEN KENTUCKY.
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.
BLOCKWhat 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 22, 2:11 PM CDT, 5 hours 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LEXINGTON KY 210PM EDT MON MAY 22 1989 AT 210PM EDT WEATHER RADAR WAS SHOWING NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS AREA. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER SCOTT COUNTY EAST OF GEORGETOWN ABOUT 12 MILES NORTHEAST OF LEXINGTON...ALSO, IN HARRISON COUNTY NEAR CYTHIANA ABOUT 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF LEXINGTON...AND IN FAYETTE COUNTY OVER THE CITY OF LEXINGTON. ALL OF THE PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 20 TO 25 MILES AN HOUR. THE STRONG STORMS WILL LIKELY CONTAIN BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND LOTS OF LIGHTNING GROUND STRIKES. HENRICK
Special weather statement, May 22, 5:19 PM CDT, 2 hours 37 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND KENTUCKY SHORT RANGE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 615 PM EDT MON MAY 22 1989 THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS WERE MOVING EAST THROUGH WESTERN KENTUCKY. THE LINE OF STORMS EXTENDED FROM PADUCAH TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE STATE. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE EARLY THIS EVENING AND PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. THOSE LIVING IN WEST KENTUCKY SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER CLOSELY AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE QUICKLY TO A SAFE SHELTER. ELSEWHERE IN KENTUCKY...SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ALSO CONTINUED IN THE CENTRAL...NORTHEAST AND SOUTHEAST PARTS OF THE STATE. ALL THE PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH. TUCEK
Special weather statement, May 22, 6:11 PM CDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND KENTUCKY SHORT RANGE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 710 PM EDT MON MAY 22 1989 THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS WERE MOVING EAST THROUGH WESTERN KENTUCKY. TWO LINES OF STORMS WERE LOCATED BETWEEN PADUCAH...THE LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES...AND BOWLING GREEN. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE EARLY THIS EVENING AND PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. THOSE LIVING IN WEST KENTUCKY SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER CLOSELY AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE QUICKLY TO A SAFE SHELTER. ELSEWHERE IN KENTUCKY...SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED IN THE CENTRAL...NORTHEAST AND SOUTHEAST PARTS OF THE STATE. ALL THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH. TUCEK
Special weather statement, May 22, 7:08 PM CDT, 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 805 PM EDT MON MAY 22 1989 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR WEST KENTUCKY HAS BEEN CANCELLED... THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN KENTUCKY HAS BEEN CANCELLED. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...HOWEVER...STILL REMAIN ACROSS CENTRAL KENTUCKY ABOUT 25 MILES NORTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST OF BOWLING GREEN. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. THOSE LIVING IN CENTRAL KENTUCKY SHOULD STILL BE ALERT TO THE POSSIBILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAINS...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY STRONG WINDS AND HAIL. TUCEK
The office that day
Everything else NWS Louisville, KY issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 7:07 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | LMK | Simpson | 38 min |
| May 22, 9:03 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Marion | 42 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.