Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Jackson, KY

June 22, 1990Knott County, Kentucky

NWS Jackson, KY issued this tornado warning at Jun 22, 1990, 9:51 PM EDT for Knott County, Kentucky. It was in force for 49 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 22, 1990, 9:51 PM EDT (01:51 UTC)
Expired
Jun 22, 1990, 10:40 PM EDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Jackson, KY
Area
Whole counties

County Knott County, KY

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

Huntington/Tri S, WV (KHTS), launched 00:00Z, 1.9 hours before the alert went out and 120 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, Huntington/Tri S, WV at 00:00Z on 1990-06-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 733 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Huntington/Tri S, WV at 00:00Z on 1990-06-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 181 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
733 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1121 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
53 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
181 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
221 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.7
Supercell composite
5.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KJKL 230159
TORJKL
KYC119-230245-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON  KY
951 PM EDT FRI JUN 22 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1045 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF KENTUCKY
      KNOTT

AT 945 PM EDT...KENTUCKY STATE POLICE REPORT A FUNNEL CLOUD SIGHTED
OVER VIPER...3 MILES SOUTH OF HAZARD. THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT
35 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL CROSS INTO KNOTT COUNTY BY 1000 PM EDT.
IT WILL THREATEN THE CITY OF HINDMAN BY 1015 PM EDT.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF
THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF AVAILABLE. OTHER-
WISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE.
AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED
BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

ASK THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY TO RELAY YOUR REPORTS OF
SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN JACKSON

SMITH

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, Jun 22, 6:28 PM EDT, 3 hours 23 minutes before
KYZ008-222330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
625 PM EDT FRI JUN 22 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR SOUTHEAST KENTUKCY UNTIL 1100 PM EDT...

AT 615 PM EDT...RADAR SHOWED A 30 MILES WIDE BAND OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS FROM 50 MILES NORTHEAST OF LEXINGTON..THROUGH THE
LEXINGTON METRO AREA...TO 45 MILES WEST OF SOMERSET. MOVEMENT WAS
EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY AND WILL
MOVE INTO JACKSON...LEE...OWSLEY AND CLAY COUNTIES...25 MILES WEST
AND SOUTHWEST OF JACKSON...BY AROUND 700 PM.

THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY
RAIN...FREQUENT AND DEADLY LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVE INTO SOUTHEAST
KENTUCKY.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SEEK SAFE SHELTER INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING...AWAY FROM WINDOWS...AND REMAIN INSIDE UNTIL THE
STORMS HAVE PASSED YOUR LOCATION.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION
FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

SMITH
Special weather statement, Jun 22, 6:31 PM EDT, 3 hours 20 minutes before
KYZ008-222330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
625 PM EDT FRI JUN 22 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR SOUTHEAST KENTUKCY UNTIL 1200
MIDNIGHT EDT...

AT 615 PM EDT...RADAR SHOWED A 30 MILES WIDE BAND OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS FROM 50 MILES NORTHEAST OF LEXINGTON..THROUGH THE
LEXINGTON METRO AREA...TO 45 MILES WEST OF SOMERSET. MOVEMENT WAS
EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY AND WILL
MOVE INTO JACKSON...LEE...OWSLEY AND CLAY COUNTIES...25 MILES WEST
AND SOUTHWEST OF JACKSON...BY AROUND 700 PM.

THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY
RAIN...FREQUENT AND DEADLY LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVE INTO SOUTHEAST
KENTUCKY.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SEEK SAFE SHELTER INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING...AWAY FROM WINDOWS...AND REMAIN INSIDE UNTIL THE
STORMS HAVE PASSED YOUR LOCATION.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION
FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.

...CORRECTED FOR SEVERE WATCH TIMES...
SMITH
Special weather statement, Jun 22, 7:21 PM EDT, 2 hours 30 minutes before
KYZ008-230030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
720 PM EDT FRI JUN 22 1990

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR SOUTHEAST KENTUCKY UNTIL 12 AM EDT...

AT 715 PM EDT...RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM
40 MILES WEST OF JACKSON...TO NEAR SOMERSET KENTUCKY. THESE STORMS
WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL MOVE INTO JACKSON...CLAY
AND LEE COUNTIES BY AROUND 745 PM EDT.

ANOTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES EAST OF MIDDLESBORO IN
BELL COUNTY. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND BY 800 PM IT
MOVE INTO WESTERN LETCHER COUNTY.

THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY
RAIN...FREQUENT AND DEADLY LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVE INTO SOUTHEAST
KENTUCKY.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SEEK SAFE SHELTER INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING...AWAY FROM WINDOWS...AND REMAIN INSIDE UNTIL THE
STORMS HAVE PASSED YOUR LOCATION.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION
FOR THE LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

SMITH

The office that day

Everything else NWS Jackson, KY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 22, 8:17 PM EDTTornado WarningJKLClay43 min
Jun 22, 8:47 PM EDTTornado WarningJKLLeslie43 min
Jun 22, 9:03 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLClay12 min
Jun 22, 9:26 PM EDTTornado WarningJKLPerry49 min
Jun 22, 9:38 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJKLLetcher42 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kentucky, 1990Every tornado warning in 1990Tornadoes 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.