Alert archive / Ohio / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Charleston, WV

July 20, 1989Marion County, Union County, Ohio

NWS Charleston, WV issued this tornado warning at Jul 20, 1989, 6:21 PM EDT for Marion County, Union County, Ohio. It was in force for 69 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jul 20, 1989, 6:21 PM EDT (22:21 UTC)
Expired: Jul 20, 1989, 7:30 PM EDT
In force: 69 min
Issued by: NWS Charleston, WV
Area: Whole counties

Counties Marion County, OH, Union County, OH

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

Dayton/James M C, OH (KDAY), launched 12:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 100 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 383 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 536 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 1 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 KCMH 202222
TORCMH
OHC101-159-202330-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS OH
621 PM EDT THU JUL 20 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COLUMBUS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN CENTRAL OHIO
          ...MARION...UNION
 
AT 615PM COLUMBUS RADAR INDICATED POSSIBLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN
NORTHEAST UNION COUNTY AND IN MARION COUNTY SOUTH OF MARION. SPOTTERS
NEAR THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUDS WITH THESE
STORMS.
 
 
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.c..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.
LVW

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, Jul 20, 3:43 PM EDT, 2 hours 38 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE-ELKINS, WV
3:40 PM EDT THU JUL 20 1989

AT 3:30 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED A CLUSTER OF
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINSHOWERS WITH SOME THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN
GARRETT COUNTY AND WESTERN ALLEGANY COUNTY IN MARYLAND. BRIEF HEAVY
RAINS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS AND SOME VERY LOCALIZED
FLOODING IN URBAN AREAS IS POSSIBLE. MOST OF THIS RAINFALL
WILL FLOW INTO GEORGES CREEK. MOVEMENT OF THE PRECIPITATION IS TO THE
NORTH EAST AT NEAR 20 MPH.

 PERSONS LIVING IN OR TRAVELING THROUGH EASTERN GARRETT AND WESTERN
ALLEGANY COUNTY MARYLAND THIS AFTERNOON SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR SHORT
PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN, AND PONDING OF WATER ON HIGHWAYS..

IF YOU LIVE ALONG OR NEAR A SMALL STREAM OR CREEK OR IN AN AREA
SUBJECT TO RAPID FLOODING..REMAIN ALERT  TO WATER LEVELS.
IF THE WATER BEGINS RISING..MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY. DO
NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.

PEOPLE IN EASTERN GARRETT AND WESTERN ALLEGANY COUNTY MARYLAND
WESTERN MARYLAND ARE URGED TO STAY ALERT AND LISTEN TO COMMERCIAL
RADIO..TV..OR WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNING.
REPORT AND SEVERE WEATHER OR FLOODING TO YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

END HILL

Special weather statement, Jul 20, 5:31 PM EDT, 50 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE-ELKINS, WV
5:25 PM EDT THU JUL 20 1989

AT 5:20 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THAT EXCEPT FOR A
LIGHT RAINSHOWERS ABOUT 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF CUMBERLAND, IN ALLEGANY
COUNTY MARYLAND, ALL OF THE PRECIPITATION IS WELL TO THE NORTH OF
GARRETT AND ALLEGANY COUNTIES IN WESTERN MARYLAND. A SMALL STREAM
AND URBAN FLOOD WARNING IN IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN GARRETT AND
WESTERN ALLEGANY COUNTIES IN MARYLAND UNTIL 6 PM EDT. SINCE NO
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL IS ANTICIPATED IN THOSE COUNTIES THE WARNING
WILL EXPIRE AT 6 PM EDT.

OFFICIALS IN CUMBERLAND MARYLAND REPORT THAT FLOODING IS STILL IN
PROGRESS IN FROSTBURG MARYLAND AND ALONG GEORGES CREEK AND ITS TTRIBUUTARIES IN WESTERN ALLEGANY COUNTY.

PERSONS LIVING IN OR TRAVELING THROUGH EASTERN GARRETT AND WESTERN
ALLEGANY COUNTY MARYLAND THIS AEVENING SHOULD STILL REMAIN ALERT FOR
FLOODED HIGHWAYS, AND FOR WATER ON HIGHWAYS..

IF YOU LIVE ALONG OR NEAR A SMALL STREAM OR CREEK OR IN AN AREA
SUBJECT TO RAPID FLOODING..REMAIN ALERT TO WATER LEVELS.
IF THE WATER BEGINS RISING..MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.

PEOPLE IN EASTERN GARRETT AND WESTERN ALLEGANY COUNTY MARYLAND
WESTERN MARYLAND ARE URGED TO STAY ALERT AND LISTEN TO COMMERCIAL
RADIO..TV..OR WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNING.
REPORT AND SEVERE WEA&THER OR FLOODING TO YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

END HILL

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Ohio, 1989 Every tornado warning in 1989 Tornadoes 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.