Alert archive / Indiana / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Indianapolis, IN

August 8, 1991Tippecanoe County, Indiana

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this tornado warning at Aug 8, 1991, 5:19 PM EST for Tippecanoe County, Indiana. It was in force for 26 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 8, 1991, 5:19 PM EST (22:19 UTC)
Expired
Aug 8, 1991, 5:45 PM EST
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area
Whole counties

County Tippecanoe County, IN

The nearest sounding before it

Dayton/James M C, OH (KDAY), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 235 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 12:00Z on 1991-08-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Dayton/James M C, OH at 12:00Z on 1991-08-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 80 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
NaN m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
80 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
130 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 082220
TORIND
INC157-082245-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
519 PM EST THU AUG 8 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN INDIANAPOLIS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  545 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION......
 
IN WEST CENTRAL INDIANA
 
   ...TIPPECANOE COUNTY
 
RADAR AT 512 PM SHOWED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 10 MILES WEST OF LAFAYETTE
BETWEEN GREEN HILL AND MONTMORENCI. THE POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS MOVING
SOUTHEAST AND WILL BE NEAR THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF LAFAYETTE BETWEEN 530
AND 545 PM.
 
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO.  CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS.  IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A T|ORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING.  IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.
 
DS

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, Aug 8, 2:10 PM EST, 3 hours 9 minutes before
INZALL-082000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
210 PM EST THU AUG 8 1991

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST FOR A LARGE
PART OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN INDIANA. SOME CITIES IN THE WATCH INCLUDE
...INDIANAPOLIS...TERRE HAUTE...BLOOMINGTON...EVANSVILLE...BEDFORD...
COLUMBUS...AND SEYMOUR.

AT 205 PM EST A THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BLINDING RAIN
AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MILES AN HOUR ALONG WITH DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
WAS APPROACHING INDIANAPOLIS. THIS STORM WAS ABOUT 20 MILES WEST
OF DOWNTOWN INDIANAPOLIS AND WILL MOVE ACROSS THE METRO AREA
INCLUDING THE GOLF COURSE FOR THE PGA TOURNAMENT JUST NORTH OF
OF INDIANAPOLIS.

IF THREATENING C5ONDITIONS APPROACH MOVE TO A SAFE LOCATION.
EDWARDS
Special weather statement, Aug 8, 3:59 PM EST, 1 hour 20 minutes before
INZALL-082130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
342 PM EST THU AUG 8 1991

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST FOR A LARGE
PART OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN INDIANA. SOME CITIES IN THE WATCH INCLUDE
...INDIANAPOLIS...TERRE HAUTE...BLOOMINGTON...EVANSVILLE...BEDFORD...
COLUMBUS...AND SEYMOUR.

AT 320 PM EST THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALIGNED FROM WINCHESTER TO LOSANTVILLE
IN EAST-CENTRAL INDIANA. A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS ALSO IN THE
EXTREME SOUTHWEST PART OF FAYETTE COUNTY OR 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
CONNERVILLE. THIS STORM PRODUCED GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL IN SOUTHWEST
FAYETTE COUNTY. POWER OUTAGES WERE REPORTED BY STATE POLICE IN SOUTH-
WEST FAYETTE COUNTY.

THE STORM HAS MOVED INTO NORTHWEST FRANKLIN COUNTY AT 440 PM EST. IF
THREATENING CONDITIONS ARE SIGHTED MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE AT ONCE.
KOLDITZ
Special weather statement, Aug 8, 4:04 PM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes before
INZALL-082130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
404 PM EST THU AUG 8 1991

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST FOR A LARGE
PART OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN INDIANA. SOME CITIES IN THE WATCH INCLUDE
...INDIANAPOLIS...TERRE HAUTE...BLOOMINGTON...EVANSVILLE...BEDFORD...
COLUMBUS...AND SEYMOUR.

AT 320 PM EST THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALIGNED FROM WINCHESTER TO LOSANTVILLE
IN EAST-CENTRAL INDIANA. A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS ALSO IN THE
EXTREME SOUTHWEST PART OF FAYETTE COUNTY OR 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
CONNERVILLE. THIS STORM PRODUCED GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL IN SOUTHWEST
FAYETTE COUNTY. POWER OUTAGES WERE REPORTED BY STATE POLICE IN SOUTH-
WEST FAYETTE COUNTY.

THE STORM HAS MOVED INTO NORTHWEST FRANKLIN COUNTY AT 440 PM EST. IF
THREATENING CONDITIONS ARE SIGHTED MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE AT ONCE.
...CORRECT PARA 3...CHANGE 440 PM EST TO 340 PM EST. RPG
Special weather statement, Aug 8, 4:37 PM EST, 42 minutes before
INZALL-082230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
435 PM EST THU AUG 8 1991

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST FOR A LARGE
PART OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN INDIANA. SOME CITIES IN THE WATCH INCLUDE
...INDIANAPOLIS...TERRE HAUTE...BLOOMINGTON...EVANSVILLE...BEDFORD...
COLUMBUS...AND SEYMOUR.

AT 425 PM EST A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS JUST NORTH OF OXFORD IN
BENTON COUNTY AND IT WILL MOVE INTO BROOKSTON BY 5 PM EST AND BE JUST
TO THE NORTH OF LAFAYETTE BY 515 PM EST.

ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHERN HAMILTON
COUNTY AND JUST TO THE SOUTH OF FRANKLIN AND OVER SHELBYVILLE. ALL
OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.
RPG
Special weather statement, Aug 8, 4:59 PM EST, 20 minutes before
INZALL-082230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
455 PM EST THU AUG 8 1991

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF
BENTON COUNTY AND WAS JUST TO THE EAST OF OXFORD. CIVIL DEFENSE
AUTHORITIES IN BENTON COUNTY REPORTED A POSSIBLE FUNNEL CLOUD
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM ALONG WITH SOME MINOR DAMAGE
TO FENCES AND A BARN AT 445 PM EST.

THIS STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MILES PER
HOUR AND WILL MOVE INTO THE LAFAYETTE AREA AROUND 515 PM EST. STRONG
WINDS...HEAVY RAIN AND AND SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
RPG
Local storm report, Aug 8, 5:17 PM EST, 2 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
510 PM EST THU AUG 8 1991

TIME          LOCATION

442 PM EST    APPARENT TORNADO TOUCHDOWN 7 MILES SOUTH OF FOWLER IN
              CENTRAL BENTON vCOUNTY OR ABOUT 20 MILES WNW OF LAFAYETTE.
              DAMAGE TO TOOL SHED AND FENCING AT THIS LOCATION. REPORTED
              BY CIVIL DEFENSE AUTHORITIES.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 8, 8:58 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDSaint Joseph47 min
Aug 8, 2:14 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDHamilton, Marion46 min
Aug 8, 5:33 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDGreene42 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Indiana, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes in 1991

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.