Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 1989
Tornado Warning 9, NWS Louisville, KY
NWS Louisville, KY issued this tornado warning at May 26, 1989, 4:38 PM CDT for Allen County, Simpson 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
- May 26, 1989, 4:38 PM CDT (21:38 UTC)
- Expired
- May 26, 1989, 5:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 37 min
- Issued by
- NWS Louisville, KY
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Allen County, KY, Simpson 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 26, 4:39 PM CDT | Tornado F1 | 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 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 71 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
- 828 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -27 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 831 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 47 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 266 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 278 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.2
- Supercell composite
- 5.9
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KEVV 262140
TOREVV
KYC003-213-262215-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EVANSVILLE IN
438 PM CDT FRI MAY 26 1989
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EVANSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 515 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY
...ALLEN...SIMPSON
AT 435 PM CDT A TORNADO WAS REPORTED NEAR BLACKJACK KENTUCKY IN
SIMPSON COUNTY. IT WAS MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH TOWARD SCOTSVILLE
KENTUCKY. THIS TORNADO WAS ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BOWLING GREEN.
TAKE COVER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR IN THE INTERIOR OF THE BUILDING. AVOID
GLASS.
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 26, 1:04 PM CDT, 3 hours 34 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 210 PM EDT FRI MAY 26 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 339 IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF WEST AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY UNTIL 7PM CDT..8PM EDT... A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF WEST AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY. NO SEVERE WEATHER IS OCCURING IN KENTUCKY AS OF 1PM EDT. HOWEVER AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAD CROSSED THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER FROM SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND WILL MOVE ACROSS FAR WEST KENTUCKY THROUGH 230 PM CDT. OTHERWISE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE INCREASING ALONG A COLD FRONT THAT EXTENDED FROM NEAR RICHMOND KENTUCKY..20 SE LEXINGTON THROUGH BOWLING GREEN. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE IN INTENSITY AND NUMBER ACROSS KENTUCKY DURING THE AFTERNOON. KLEIN
Special weather statement, May 26, 2:07 PM CDT, 2 hours 31 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 310 PM EDT FRI MAY 26 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 339 IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF WEST AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY UNTIL 7PM CDT..8PM EDT... A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF WEST AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY. NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED IN KENTUCKY AS OF 3PM EDT. HOWEVER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL WITH LIGHT RAIN REPORTED IN FAR WEST KENTUCKY. THIS AREA OF PRECIPITATION WILL MOVE ACROSS WEST KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE THROUGH 330 PM CDT. OTHERWISE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE INCREASING ALONG A COLD FRONT THAT EXTENDED FROM ABOUT 30 MILES NORTH OF LONDON TO NEAR FORT %CAMPBELL KENTUCKY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE IN INTENSITY AND NUMBER ACROSS KENTUCKY DURING THE AFTERNOON.
Special weather statement, May 26, 2:42 PM CDT, 1 hour 56 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND KENTUCKY WEATHER SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 400 PM EDT FRI MAY 26 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH PARTS OF CENTRAL AND WEST KENTUCKY TIL 8 PM EDT... ...TORNADO WATCH SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY TIL 11 PM... A COLD FRONT PUSHED INTO NORTH AND WEST KENTUCKY FRIDAY MORNING...AND BY MID AFTERNOON WAS ABOUT STATIONARY FROM THE WEST TENNESSEE BORDER SOUTHWEST OF BOWLING GREEN TO JUST SOUTH OF HUNTINGTON. VERY WARM AND MUGGY AIR PERSISTED SOUTH OF THE COLD FRONT...WITH THUNDERSTORMS SCATTERED ALONG THE BOUNDARY. AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM MOVING EAST FROM ARKANSAS WILL ACT ON THE SULTRY AIR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH SOME THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY TO REACH SEVERE LIMITS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. PERSONS IN THE SOUTH HALF OF KENTUCKY SHOULD BE ESPECIALLY ALERT TO THREATENING WEATHER...AND SHOULD REMAIN CLOSE TO SECURE INDOOR SHELTER. LATER TONIGHT THE COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE SLOWLY TO THE SOUTH...ENDING THE THUNDERSTORMS...ALTHOUGH A FEW SHOWERS WILL LINGER INTO SATURDAY MORNING OVER THE SOUTHEAST. MUCH COOLER AND DRIER AIR WILL OVERSPREAD THE STATE SATURDAY...WITH VERY PLEASANT TEMPERATURES EXPECTED THROUGH SUNDAY. A WARM WFRONT MOVING NORTHEAST ACROSS KENTUCKY MAY TOUCH OFF A FEW THUNDERSHOWERS MONDAY...BUT THESE SHOULD BE THE WIDELY SCATTERED VARIETY. TEMPERATURES WILL BE SOMEWHAT WARMER ON MEMORIAL DAY. REITMEYER
Special weather statement, May 26, 4:17 PM CDT, 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND KENTUCKY WEATHER SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 515 PM EDT FRI MAY 26 1989 ...TORNADO WATCH PARTS OF CENTRAL AND WEST KENTUCKY TIL 8 PM EDT... ...TORNADO WATCH SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY TIL 11 PM... A COLD FRONT EXTENDING EAST-WEST ACROSS SOUTHERN KENTUCKY CONTIUES TO BE THE FIRING POINT OF STRONG THUNDRSTORMS. THESE STORMS EXTEND FROM EXTREME EAST KENTUCKY NEAR PIKESVILLE THROUGH THE LONDON AREA AND ON WEST TOWARDS BOWLING GREEN AND THE LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR WITH THE STRONGER STORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING TORNADOES AND DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL. THOSE LIVING IN WEST AND SOUTH KENTUCKY SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK STRONG...STURDY SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. TUCEK
The office that day
Everything else NWS Louisville, KY issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2:04 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Allen, Simpson | 41 min |
| May 26, 2:33 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LMK | Cumberland | 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.