Alert archive / Indiana / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Indianapolis, IN

March 23, 1991Fountain County, Vermillion County, Warren County, Indiana

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this tornado warning at Mar 23, 1991, 12:27 AM EST for Fountain County, Vermillion County, Warren County, Indiana. It was in force for 33 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
Mar 23, 1991, 12:27 AM EST (05:27 UTC)
Expired
Mar 23, 1991, 1:00 AM EST
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Fountain County, IN, Vermillion County, IN, Warren County, IN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 23, 12:48 AM ESTThunderstorm Wind 0Warren, 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

Dayton/James M C, OH (KDAY), launched 00:00Z, 5.5 hours before the alert went out and 270 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 1991-03-23Temperature 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 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 00:00Z on 1991-03-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 60 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1163 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
60 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
173 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 230527
TORIND
INC045-165-171-230600-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
1227 AM EST SAT MAR 23 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN INDIANAPOLIS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  100 AM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...S...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL INDIANA
 
   ...FOUNTAIN COUNTY...NORTHERN VERMILLION COUNTY
   ...SOUTHERN WARREN COUNTY
 
AT 1225 AM EST THE ILLINOIS STATE POLICE REPORTED A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN
ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF DANVILLE ILLINOIS. THIS TORNADO WILL MOVE
EAST NORTHEAST TOWARDS COVINGTON.
 
 
PEOPLE SHOULD SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST LEVEL IN THE MIDDLE PORTION
OF THE BUILDING.
 
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO A0REAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

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, Mar 22, 7:17 PM EST, 5 hours 10 minutes before
INZ011>013-230100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
705 PM EST FRI MAR 22 1991

AT 700 PM EST...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SOUTH CENTRAL
INDIANA.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED 10 AND 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF BEDFORD...
WITH ANOTHER VERY STRONG STORM ABOUT 25 MILES EAST OF BLOOMINGTON.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 65 TO 70 MILES AN HOUR.

JUST AFTER 7 PM EST...ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL WAS REPORTED BY
AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR AT WAYMANSVILLE OR 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
COLUMBUS.

THESE STORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE CITIES OF COLUMBUS...ELIZABETHTOWN
...GRAMMAR AND SCIPIO BETWEEN 715 AND 730 PM EST.
.
THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...
GUSTY WINDS FROM 40 TO 50 MILES AN HOUR...AND MOSTLY SMALL HAIL.
.
REPORT ANY SEVERE WEATHER OR FLOODING TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICE FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
STEIGERWALDT
...CORRSECTED TIME IN THE BODY OF THE STATEMENT...
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 7:33 PM EST, 4 hours 54 minutes before
INZ012-013-230100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
732 PM EST FRI MAR 22 1991

AT 725 PM EST...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE 10 MILES NORTH AND
15 MILES NORTHEAST OF COLUMBUS.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 65 TO 70 MILES AN HOUR.

THE STORMS WILL MOVE TO NEAR RUSHVILLE AND ANDERSONVILLE BY 750 PM EST.

BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...GUSTY WINDS FROM 40 TO 50 MILES AN HOUR...
AND MOSTLY SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WIlTH THE PASSAGE OF THESE
STORMS.

REPORT ANY SEVERE WEATHER OR FLOODING TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICE FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
STEIGERWALDT
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 8:27 PM EST, 4 hours before
INZALL-230230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
825 PM EST FRI MAR 22 1991

...A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES OVER SOUTHEAST INDIANA...

THE WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT OVER SOUTHWEST INDIANA. THUNDERSTORMS
HAVE MOVED AWAY FROM THE SOUTHWEST PART OF THE STATE. SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THE NIGHT OVER THE SOUTHWEST.

THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER THE SOUTHEAST INDIANA AT 815 PM. STRONG STORMS
WERE JUST SOUTHEAST OF INDIANAPOLIS BETWEEN FRANKLIN AND GREENFIELD.
THE STORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD NEW CASTLE AND WILL BE IN THE NEW CASTLE
AREA BY 900 PM.

AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS WAS OVER CENTRAL INDIANA FROM
GREENCASTLE AND CRAWFORDSVILLE TO INDIANAPOLIS. THE AREA WAS MOVING
NORTHEAST.

DS
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 10:48 PM EST, 1 hour 39 minutes before
INZALL-230500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
1050 PM EST FRI MAR 22 1991

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF NORTHEAST
ILLINOIS THAT BORDERS NORTHWEST INDIANA UNTIL 3AM EST.

AT 1045 PM EST NEWLY DEVELOPED THUNDERSHOWERS WERE DETECTED FROM
ABOUT BLOOMINGTON ILLINOIS TO ABOUT 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF EFFINGHAM
ILLINOIS.

THESE THUNDERSHOWERS ARE ALIGNED ALONG A SHARP COLD FRONT THAT WAS
MOVING RAPIDLY EAST. THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT THESE THUNDERSHOWERS
COULD CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY AS THE MOVE QUICKLY EAST AND NORTHEAST.

AS HOOSIERS RETIRE FOR THE EVENING THAT MAY WISH TO KEEP IN MIND THAT
THE ATMOSPHERE STILL REMAINS FAVORABLE FOR SOME STRONG AND GUSTY
THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT.
EDWARDS
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 11:48 PM EST, 39 minutes before
INZALL-230600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
1145 PM EST FRI MAR 22 1991

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF NORTHEAST
ILLINOIS THAT BORDERS NORTHWEST INDIANA UNTIL 3AM EST.

A LINE OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS WILL MOVE INTO WEST
CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST INDIANA SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSHOWERS WILL REACH THE WESTERN BORDER OF INDIANA FROM CROWN
POINT TO 25 MILES NORTH OF TERRE HAUTE AT MIDNIGHT.

SOME OF THE THUNDERSHOWERS HAVE INCREASED IN INTENSITY. WIND GUSTS
TO 50 MILES AN HOUR AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINS MAY ACCOMPANY THE STRONGEST
THUNDERSHOWERS...PARTICULARLY AROUND RENSSELAER.

THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO RACE QUICKLY NORTHEAST
AND SPREAD OVER SOUTH BEND AND LAFAYETTE BEFORE 100 AM EST.
EDWARDS
Special weather statement, Mar 23, 12:19 AM EST, 8 minutes before
INZ007-008-230600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
1215 AM EST SAT MAR 23 1991

AT 1210 AM EST A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS 5 MILES SOUTH
OF DANVILLE ILLINOIS.

THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 TO 40 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL
MOVE THROUGH THE TOWNS OF PERRYSVILLE...COVINGTON AND WILLIAMSPORT
BY 1 AM EST.

PERSONS IN THE AREA NEAR THESE TOWNS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR
BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL...GUSTY WINDS 40 TO 5)0 MILES AN HOUR...
AND SMALL HAIL WITH THIS STORM.

REPORT ANY SEVERE WEATHER OR FLOODING TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICE FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

WJG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 23, 12:52 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDMontgomery, Tippecanoe23 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.