Alert archive / Indiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 22, NWS Indianapolis, IN

May 15, 1990Pike County, Indiana

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 15, 1990, 9:45 PM EST for Pike County, Indiana. It was in force for 30 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 15, 1990, 9:45 PM EST (02:45 UTC)
Expired: May 15, 1990, 10:15 PM EST
In force: 30 min
Issued by: NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area: Whole counties

County Pike County, IN

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 15, 9:55 PM EST	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Pike, IN

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

Paducah/Barkley, KY (KPAH), launched 00:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 196 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: 1196 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -25 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1228 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 88 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 286 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.8
Supercell composite: 7.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KEVV 160245
SVREVV
INC125-160315-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EVANSVILLE IN
945 PM CDT (945 PM EST) TUE MAY 15 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EVANSVILLE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1015 PM CDT (1015 PM EST)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTHWEST INDIANA
          ...PIKE
 
AT 940 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 30 MILES NORTH
OF EVANSVILLE NEAR PETERSBURG INDIANA IN PIKE COUNTY. THE STORM WAS
MOVING TO THE EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL REACH THE COMMUNITY
OF ALGIERS INDIANA BY 1000 PM CDT.
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA.  REMEMBER
SEVERE THUNDER1STORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  REMAIN CALM BUT BE ALERT TO
RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
SPODEN

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 15, 5:58 PM EST, 3 hours 47 minutes before

INZ009-160000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
555 PM EST TUE MAY 15 1990

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EST FOR SOUTHERN INDIANA.

AT 550 PM EST...SCATTERED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED FROM
JUST EAST OF BROWNSBURG SOUTH TO MONROVIA OR FROM 10 MILES WEST TO 15
MILES SOUTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN INDIANAPOLIS.

THESE STORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS INDIANAPOLIS BETWEEN 6 PM AND 630 PM EST.

BRIEF VERYn HEAVY DOWNPOURS AS WELL AS GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE PASSAGE OF
THESE STORMS.

MOTORISTS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY DECREASING VISIBILITIES IN VERY
HEAVY RAIN.
STEIGERWALDT

Special weather statement, May 15, 6:31 PM EST, 3 hours 14 minutes before

INZ008-011>015-160030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
630 PM EST TUE MAY 15 1990

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EST FOR SOUTHERN INDIANA.

AT 625 PM EST...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE MAINLY
ON THE EAST AND NORTHEAST SIDES OF THE INDIANAPOLIS METROPOLITAN AREA.

SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS OVER EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS WERE MOVING
INTO WEST CENTRAL INDIANA FROM NEAR TERRE HAUTE NORTH TO 40 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF LAFAYETTE. THE BULK OF THIS PRECIPITATION WILL MOVE INTO
THE INDIANAPOLIS AREA AROUND 830 PM EST.

A SOLID AREA OF SHOWERS WAS OVER SOUTHEAST INDIANA AND WAS MOVING INTO
OHIO.

ALL THE PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.
.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING IN THE SAINT LOUIS AREA...OVER
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND JUST SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST OF SPRINGFIELD IN
CENTRAL ILLINOIS AT 625 PM.
STEIGERWALDT

Special weather statement, May 15, 7:42 PM EST, 2 hours 3 minutes before

INZ008-011>015-160130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
740 PM EST TUE MAY 15 1990

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING THROUGH WEST CENTRAL INDIANA THIS
EVENING.

AT 735 PM ESR RADAR SHOWED VERY STRONG STORMS FROM JUST EAST OF
ROCKVILLE TO NEAR RACCOON LAKE. THIS IS ABOUT 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF
TERRE HAUTE.

THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS AS THEY MOVE EAST THROUGH
PORTLAND MILLS...FINCASTLE AND BAINBRIDGE BY 815PM EST. STAY INDOORS
TIL THE STORMS PASS. TORRENTIAL RAIN...LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL MAY
ALSO ACCOMPANY THE STORMS.

THESE STORMS WERE PART OF A LARGE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH
HEAVY RAIN. THE LEADING EDGE WAS FROM ATTICA TO 25 MIILES NORTHWEST OF
INDIANAPOLIS TO 20 MILES SOUTH OF TERRE HAUTE.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9PM EST FOR SOUTHERN INDIANA.

ALLSOPP

Special weather statement, May 15, 7:48 PM EST, 1 hour 57 minutes before

INZ008-011>015-160130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
740 PM EST TUE MAY 15 1990

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING THROUGH WEST CENTRAL INDIANA THIS
EVENING.

AT 735 PM EST RADAR SHOWED VERY STRONG STORMS FROM JUST EAST OF
ROCKVILLE TO NEAR RACCOON LAKE. THIS IS ABOUT 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF
TERRE HAUTE.

THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS AS THEY MOVE EAST THROUGH
PORTLAND MILLS...FINCASTLE AND BAINBRIDGE. STAY INDOORS UNTIL THE
STORMS PASS. LIGHTNING...TORRENTIAL RAIN AND SMALL HAIL MAY ALSO
ACCOMPANY THE STORMS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PART OF A LARGE AREA OF RAIN. THE LEADING EDGE
OF THE RAIN WAS FROM ATTICA TO 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF INDIANAPOLIS TO
20 MILES SOUTH OF TERRE HAUTE.

RAIN WILL BE TO LAFAYETTE...LEBANON...INDIANAPOLIS AND SULLIVAN BY
830 TO 900 PM EST.

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9PM EST FOR SOUTHERN INDIANA.

ALLSOPP

CORRECTED...PRODUCT WAS GARBRLED BY COMPUTER...

Special weather statement, May 15, 8:30 PM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes before

INZ008-011>015-160215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
830 PM EST TUE MAY 15 1990

VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED INTO THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST
PART OF THE INDIANAPOLIS METROPOLITAN AREA AT 825 PM EST.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE 15 TO 20 MILES WEST AND FROM 10 TO 30 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN INDIANAPOLIS.

THE PUBLIC REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD AT LIZTON IN HENDRICKS COUNTY AT
820 PM EST. THE FUNNEL CLOUD WAS NOT CONFIRMED BY TRAINED SPOTTERS.

THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS...LOTS OF LIGHTNING AND TORRENTIAL
DOWNPOURS AND STREET FLOODING AS THEY CONTINUE MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES
AN HOUR ACROSS THE INDIANAPOLIS METROPOLITAN AREA.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EST FOR SOUTHERN INDIANA.
STEIGERWALDT

Special weather statement, May 15, 9:13 PM EST, 32 minutes before

INZ008-011-14-015-160330Z

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA
910 PM EST TUE MAY 15 1990

THE TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 237 FOR THE SOUTH HALF OF INDIANA EXPIRED
AT 9 PM EST. HOWEVER...A TORNADO WATCH WILL BE CONTINUED FOR EXTREME
SOUTHERN INDIANA UNTIL 1030 PM EST.

THE WATCH IS ALIGNED FROM 40 MILES SOUTH OF TERRE HAUTE TO MADISON IN
JEFFERSON COUNTY.

SOME CITIES INCLUDED ARE...VINCENNES...EVANSVILLE...PAOLI AND SALEM.

REMEMBER...A WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE
WEATHER 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

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 15, 8:26 PM EST	Flash Flood Warning	IND	Hendricks	3 hr
May 15, 8:46 PM EST	Flash Flood Warning	IND	Hancock, Marion	3 hr
May 15, 8:46 PM EST	Flash Flood Warning	IND	Putnam	3 hr
May 15, 10:47 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Delaware	43 min
May 16, 3:21 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Vigo	39 min
May 16, 4:12 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Greene, Owen	33 min
May 16, 5:29 AM EST	Flash Flood Warning	IND	Marion	71 min
May 16, 12:26 PM EST	Flash Flood Warning	IND	Gibson, Vanderburgh, Warrick	2 hr
May 16, 12:26 PM EST	Flash Flood Warning	IND	Posey	2 hr
May 16, 1:50 PM EST	Flash Flood Warning	IND	Dubois	4 hr
May 16, 2:47 PM EST	Flash Flood Warning	IND	Posey, Vanderburgh	4 hr
May 16, 6:05 PM EST	Flash Flood Warning	IND	Dubois	115 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Indiana, 1990 Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.