Alert archive / Indiana / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 24, NWS Indianapolis, IN

May 16, 1990Jackson County, Indiana

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this flash flood warning at May 16, 1990, 7:37 PM EST for Jackson County, Indiana. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 16, 1990, 7:37 PM EST (00:37 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 1990, 10:30 PM EST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area
Whole counties

County Jackson 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, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 193 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 1990-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 149 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 1990-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 158 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
149 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-57 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
786 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
158 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
154 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 170038
FFWIND
INC071-170330-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
737 PM EST WED MAY 16 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN INDIANAPOLIS HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA
          ...JACKSON
 
RADAR SHOWED VERY HEAVY RAIN FALLING OVER SOUTH AND EAST JACKSON
COUNTY FROM 40 MILES SOUTHWEST OF COLUMBUS TO 30 MILES SOUTH OF
COLUMBUS...IN THE AREAS OF MEDORA...BROWNSTOWN AND CROTHERSVILLE. MANY
STATE ROADS ARE ALREADY CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER IN JACKSON COUNTY.
 
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.
 
ALLSOPP

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

Local storm report, May 16, 1:50 PM EST, 5 hours 47 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
200 PM EST WED MAY 16 1990

MAY 16TH STORM DAMAGE...LATE REPORT

430 AM EST BOONE COUNTY....CITIZEN REPORTED HALF DOZEN TREES DOWN AND
           UPcROOTED NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF US 421 AND SR 32 IN EASTERN
           BOONE COUNTY 10 MILES EAST OF LEBANON...20 MILES NORTHWEST
           OF INDIANAPOLIS.

CURRAN
Local storm report, May 16, 4:11 PM EST, 3 hours 26 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
410 PM EST WED MAY 16 1990

MAY 16TH STORM DAMAGE...LATE REPORT

JST BEFORE 5AM...6 MILES SOUTH OF TRAFALGAR IN..11/2 MILES NORTH OF
THE JOHNSON/BROWN COUNTY LINE..AT LAMB LAKE. LOUD ROAR...FELT LARGE
PRESSURE CHANGE..HAD SEVERAL WINDOWS BLOWN OUT OF HOUSE. NUMEROUS
3 TO 4 FOOT DIAMETER TREES UPROOTED. TOPS OF SEVERAL LARGE TREES
HAD TOPS TWISTED OFF ABOUT 35 FT ABOVE THE GROUND.

GRAY
Special weather statement, May 16, 4:47 PM EST, 2 hours 50 minutes before
INZ011>015-162145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
545 PM EST WED MAY 16 1990

IN INDIANA THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 248 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL
10 PM EST AND INCLUDES THE SOUTHERN THIRD OF INDIANA SOUTH OF A LINE
FROM 15 MILES SOUTH OF TERRE HAUTE TO 10 MILES NORTH OF CINCINNATI.

SOME CITIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE...BLOOMINGTON...VINCENNES...
EVANSVILLE...COLUMBUS...MADISON...SALEM AND JASPER.

REMEMBER...A WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS
SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN
FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

KOLDITZ
Special weather statement, May 16, 4:55 PM EST, 2 hours 42 minutes before
INZ011>015-162145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED FOR TIME IN HEADER...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
445 PM EST WED MAY 16 1990

IN INDIANA THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 248 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL
10 PM EST AND INCLUDES THE SOUTHERN THIRD OF INDIANA SOUTH OF A LINE
FROM 15 MILES SOUTH OF TERRE HAUTE TO 10 MILES NORTH OF CINCINNATI.

SOME CITIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH ARE...BLOOMINGTON...VINCENNES...
EVANSVILLE...COLUMBUS...MADISON...SALEM AND JASPER.

REMEMBER...A WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS
SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN
FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

KOLDITZ
Special weather statement, May 16, 5:36 PM EST, 2 hours 1 minute before
INZ011>015-162330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
535 PM EST WED MAY 16 1990

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN THIRD OF
INDIANA UNTIL 10 PM EST. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN INDIANA FOR TONIGHT.

AT 530 PM EST...SHOWERS WERE MOVING INTO WEST CENTRAL INDIANA...BETWEEN
TERRE HAUTE AND LINTON. THEY WERE MOVING EAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.

FARTHER SOUTH...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL
WERE OCCURRING OVER EXTREME SOUTHERN INDIANA. THE STORMS WERE SOUTH
OF A LINE FROM VINCENNES TO MADISON. VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS FALLING
OVER EXTREME SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA...NORTHWEST OF LOUISVILLE K%ENTUCKY.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.

GRAY

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 7:41 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDPosey49 min
May 16, 7:52 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDGibson, Vanderburgh53 min
May 16, 8:17 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDWarrick43 min
May 16, 8:31 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDSpencer44 min
May 16, 8:31 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDPike44 min
May 16, 8:53 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDDubois, Perry67 min

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.