Alert archive / Indiana / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 10, NWS Indianapolis, IN

March 11, 1990Clinton County, Indiana

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this flash flood warning at Mar 11, 1990, 1:07 AM EST for Clinton County, Indiana. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 11, 1990, 1:07 AM EST (06:07 UTC)
Expired
Mar 11, 1990, 4:15 AM EST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area
Whole counties

County Clinton County, IN

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 00:00Z, 6.1 hours before the alert went out and 199 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, Dayton/James M C, OH at 00:00Z on 1990-03-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Dayton/James M C, OH at 00:00Z on 1990-03-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 114 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-203 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
763 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
114 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
139 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 KIND 110609
FFWIND
INC023-157-171-110915-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
107 AM EST SUN MAR 11 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN INDIANAPOLIS HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  415 AM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN CENTRAL INDIANA
          ...CLINTON
IN WEST CENTRAL INDIANA
          ...TIPPECANOE...WARREN
 
SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT THE STATE POLICE REPORTED RISING WATER COVERING
STATE ROAD 26 NEAR EDNA MILLS WHICH IS 12 MILES EAST OF LAFAYETTE. THE
CLINTON AND TIPPECANOE COUNTY SHERIFFS ALSO REPORTED LOW SPOTS ON MOST
ROADS WERE FLOODED IN BOTH COUNTIES.
 
THE PUBLIC REPORTED JUST BEFORE 1230 AM EST THAT STATE ROAD 55 WAS
WASHED OUT 1 MILE SOUTH OF PINE VILLAGE. THIS LOCATION IS 20 MILES
WEST OF LAFAYETTE.
 
WEATHER RADAR IN INDIANAPOLIS CONTINUED TO SHOW RAIN WITH PATCHES OF
HEAVIER RAIN IN THESE AREAS.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT.  TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.
STEIGERWALDT

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 10, 8:11 PM EST, 4 hours 56 minutes before
INZALL-110300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
810 PM EST SAT MAR 10 1990

...THERE IS A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PART OF NORTHWEST AND
CENTRAL INDIANA UNTIL 10 PM EST...

THE WATCH AREA IS SOUTH AND WEST OF A LINE FROM RENSSELAER TO
CRAWFORDSVILLE TO 30 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF INDIANAPOLIS TO 10 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF SHELBYVILLE...AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM 10 MILES SOUTHEAST
OF SHELBYVILLE TO 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF TERRE HAUTE.

ATTICA...TERRE HAUTE...BRAZIL...MARTINSVILLE...FRANKLIN AND SHELBYVILLE
ARE IN THE WATCH.

AT 805 PM RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR RICHMOND
TO THE SOUTH SIDE OF INDIANAPOLIS TO NEAR TERRE HAUTE. THESE STORMS HAVE
A HISTORY OF PRODUCING HAIL AND TORRENTIAL RAIN. THE STORMS WERE MOVING
EAST AT 40 MPH WHILE THE ENTIRE LINE WAS SLOWLY SAGGING SOUTH.

OTHER SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS COVERED CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST
INDIANA NORTH OF THE LINE OF THUN$DERSTORMS. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS
WERE IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS MOVING EAST.

ALLSOPP
Special weather statement, Mar 10, 8:34 PM EST, 4 hours 33 minutes before
INZ009-110200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
835 PM EST SAT MAR 10 1990

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF NORTHWEST AND
CENTRAL INDIANA UNTIL 10 PM EST. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT
FOR A LARGE PART OF CENTRAL AND WEST CENTRAL INDIANA THIS EVENING.

AT 827 PM EST...STATE POLICE REPORTED PEA SIZED HAIL...GUSTY WINDS
AND RAIN REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO NEAR ZERO ALONG INTERSTATE 65 IN
SOUTHEAST JOHNSON COUNTY JUST NORTH OF EDINBURG. THE STORM WAS MOVING
EAST AT ABOUT 25 MILES PER HOUR. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE SPREAD
FROM EAST OF MARTINSVILLE TO NEAR SHELBYVILLE TO NEAR RUSHVILLE.

TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...SMALL BHAIL...AND SOME
GUSTY WINDS WILL OCCUR WITH THESE STORMS UNTIL AT LEAST 10 PM EST.

MPD
Special weather statement, Mar 10, 9:33 PM EST, 3 hours 34 minutes before
INZALL-110300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
932 PM EST SAT MAR 10 1990

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR ANY PART
OF INDIANA...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE EAST SOUTHEAST INTO THE
SOUTHEAST PART OF INDIANA THIS EVENING. NO SEVERE WEATHER WAS
REPORTED TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BETWEEN 830 AND 930 PM.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH OVER CENTRAL INDIANA
LATER THIS EVENING.

ALTHOUGH THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER HAS DIMINISHED...FLASH FLOODING
WILL CONTINUE IN PARTS OF CENTRAL INDIANA THROUGH THE EVENING. DRIVE
WITH CAUTION. HIGH WATER ON ROADS MAY BE DIFFICULT TO SEE AT NIGHT.

ALLSOPP
s

The office that day

Everything else NWS Indianapolis, IN issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 10, 7:08 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDHendricks, Morgan, Putnam52 min
Mar 10, 7:49 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDJohnson26 min
Mar 10, 7:50 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningINDJohnson, Morgan, Owen3 hr
Mar 10, 7:50 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningINDHancock, Shelby3 hr
Mar 11, 1:07 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningINDTippecanoe, Warren3 hr
Mar 11, 1:22 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningINDBoone3 hr
Mar 11, 2:05 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningINDHamilton, Madison4 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Indiana, 1990Every flash flood warning in 1990

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.