Alert archive / Indiana / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Northern Indiana

March 27, 1991Blackford County, Grant County, Indiana

NWS Northern Indiana issued this tornado warning at Mar 27, 1991, 8:46 PM EST for Blackford County, Grant County, Indiana. It was in force for 29 min. 2 reports 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 27, 1991, 8:46 PM EST (01:46 UTC)
Expired
Mar 27, 1991, 9:15 PM EST
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Northern Indiana
Area
Whole counties

Counties Blackford County, IN, Grant County, IN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 27, 8:55 PM ESTThunderstorm Wind 0Blackford, IN
Mar 27, 9:00 PM ESTThunderstorm Wind 0Grant, 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, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 128 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 1991-03-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 448 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 1991-03-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 536 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
448 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
812 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
536 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
687 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.9
Supercell composite
6.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFWA 280146
TORFWA
INC009-053-280215-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WAYNE IN
846 PM EST WED MAR 27 1991

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 915 PM EST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF INDIANA
      BLACKFORD...EASTERN GRANT

AT 846 PM EST A TORNADO WAS REPORTED NEAR MARION MOVING TOWARD
THE EAST AT 50 MPH.

 PERSONS IN THE TOWN HARTFORD CITY INDIANA
 SHOULD SEEK SHELTER.

A BASEMENT OFFERS THE BEST PROTECTION FROM  TORNADO.
IF POSSIBLE GET UNDER A STURDY TABLE OR WORK BENCH.

IF YOU ARE IN A MOBILE HOME...WHETHER TIED DOWN OR NOT...
ABANDON IT!!!!  GO TO A COMMUNITY SHELTER...REINFORCED BUILDING...
OR GET INTO A DITCH...DEPRESSION OR CULVERT.

 MARSHALL

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 27, 4:58 PM EST, 3 hours 48 minutes before
INZ001-002-004-005-MIZ001-007-008-272300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SOUTH BEND IN
500 PM EST WED MAR 27 1991

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11PM EST FOR ALL OF NORTH CENTRAL
AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE ON A LINE FROM PONTIAC ILLINOIS...NORTHEAST
THROUGH THE CHICAGO AREA...AND THEN NORTH ACROSS WESTERN LAKE MICHIGAN.

THE SOUTHERN END OF THE LINE OF STORMS CONTINUES TO DEVELOP. THE STORMS
ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT A RAPID 50 TO 60 MPH. THIS MOVEMENT WOULD BRING
THE STORMS TO THE MICHIANA AREA BETWEEN 630PM AND 730PM EST. HOWEVER...
OTHER THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP IN ADVANCE OF THE CURRENT LINE.

THESE STORMS HAVE PRODUCED NUMEROUS SEVERE WEATHER OCCURRENCES
INCLUDING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES.

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT ALL MICHIANA RESIDENTS MONITOR LOCAL
TELEVISION AND RADIO STATIONS OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS CONCERNIN	G THIS DEVELOPING DANGEROUS
WEATHER SITUATION.

MCCLUNG
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 5:29 PM EST, 3 hours 17 minutes before
INZ003-005-006-OHZ001-280000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WAYNE IN
530 PM EST WED MAR 27 1991

...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 11 PM EST FOR NORTHEAST INDIANA...

AT 525 PM EST THERE WAS NO SEVERE WEATHER IN NORTHEAST INDIANA.
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE BEGINNING TO MOVE FROM CHICAGO INTO
EXTREME NORTHWEST INDIANA. THEY WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED IN NORTHEAST INDIANA UNTIL AROUND
700 PM EST.7 STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR UPDATES.

HAYES
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 5:43 PM EST, 3 hours 3 minutes before
INZ001-002-004-005-MIZ001-007-008-280000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SOUTH BEND IN
544 PM EST WED MAR 27 1991

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11PM EST FOR ALL OF NORTH CENTRAL
AND UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST FOR SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAD MOVED INTO EXTREME NORTHWEST INDIANA AT 5 35 PM
EST.  A TORNADO WAS REPORTED AT MANTENO ILLINOIS...10 MILES NORTH OF
KANKAKEE AT 5 10 EST.  THE TORNADO PRODUCING STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST
OVER 50 MPH.

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ALONG THE ILLINOIS...INDIANA BORDER
AND MOVE RAPIDLY NORTHEAST.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN LAPORTE COUNTY INDIANA BETWEEN
5 AND 530 PM CST...6 TO 630 PM EST.
V
IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT ALL MICHIANA RESIDENTS MONITOR LOCAL
TELEVISION AND RADIO STATIONS OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS DEVELOPING DANGEROUS
WEATHER SITUATION.

MOWERY
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 6:25 PM EST, 2 hours 21 minutes before
INZ003-005-006-OHZ001-280000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WAYNE IN
625 PM EST WED MAR 27 1991

TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 11 PM EST FOR NORTHEAST INDIANA.

AT 620 PM EST THERE WAS NO SEVERE WEATHER IN NORTHEAST INDIANA.
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE FROM 30 MILES WEST OF LAFAYETTE TO MICHIGAN
CITY. 65 MPH WINDS AND SMALL HAIL ARE BEING REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS
AS THEY MOVE ACROSS NORTHWEST INDIANA.

NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED IN NORTHEAST INDIANA UNTIL AFTER 700 PM.

NOW IS THE TIME TO DECIDE ON A PLACE OF SHELTER. AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING IS BEST.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR UPDATES.

DUMEYER
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 7:20 PM EST, 1 hour 26 minutes before
INZ001-002-004-005-MIZ001-007-008-280115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SOUTH BEND IN
715 PM EST WED MAR 27 1991

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11PM EST FOR ALL OF NORTH CENTRAL
AND UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST FOR SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN...
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHERN LAPORTE...STARKE...AND
PULASKI COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAD MOVED TO THE EAST OF LAPORTE...STARKE...AND
PULASKI COUNTIES OF INDIANA. THE STORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE TO THE
NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

THESE STORMS HAD REPORTS OF 3/4 INCH HAIL AT HAMLET INDIANA.

A TORNADO WATCH STILL IS IN EFFECT OVER NORTHERN INDIANA UNTIL 11 PM
EST.

GALLAGHER
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 7:24 PM EST, 1 hour 22 minutes before
INZ003-005-006-OHZ001-280100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WAYNE IN
723 PM EST WED MAR 27 1991

TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM EST FOR NORTHEAST INDIANA.

AT 715 PM EST THERE WAS NO SEVERE WEATHER IN NORTHEAST INDIANA.
HOWEVER...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE ACROSS NORTHWEST INDIANA.

THESE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN PORTIONS OF LAGRANGE AND NOBLE COUNTIES
BY 745 PM AND BY 815 PM EST...THESE STORMS WILL BE FROM ANGOLA OR 55 MILES
NORTH OF FORT WAYNE...TO COLUMBIA CITY...25 MILES NORTHWEST OF FORT WAYNE
TO WABASH...OR 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF MARION.

THESE ARE DANGEROUS STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH
...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL.

DUMEYER

The office that day

Everything else NWS Northern Indiana issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 27, 7:41 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningIWXAllen, Whitley49 min
Mar 27, 7:49 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningIWXWabash41 min
Mar 27, 8:07 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningIWXAllen, DeKalb53 min
Mar 27, 8:20 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningIWXSteuben40 min
Mar 27, 8:50 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningIWXJay40 min
Mar 27, 9:19 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningIWXJay26 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.