Alert archive / Indiana / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Wilmington, OH

April 15, 1994Dearborn County, Franklin County, Indiana

NWS Wilmington, OH issued this tornado warning at Apr 15, 1994, 11:24 AM EDT for Dearborn County, Franklin County, Indiana. It was in force for 51 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
Apr 15, 1994, 11:24 AM EDT (15:24 UTC)
Expired
Apr 15, 1994, 12:15 PM EDT
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Wilmington, OH
Area
Whole counties

Counties Dearborn County, IN, Franklin County, IN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 15, 11:35 AM EDTTornado F0Dearborn, INSkywarn spotters and Fire Officials in St. Leon reported a brief tornado touchdown at State Routes 46 and 101. Several trees were downed.

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 12:00Z, 3.4 hours before the alert went out and 98 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 1994-04-15Temperature 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 1994-04-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 179 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1754 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
179 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
138 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 KCVG 151525
TORCVG
INC029-047-151615-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CINCINNATI OH
1124 AM EDT (1024 AM EST) FRI APR 15 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CINCINNATI HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1215 PM EDT (1115 AM EST)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTHEAST INDIANA
 
   ...DEARBORN COUNTY...FRANKLIN COUNTY
 
REPORTS FROM NORTHEASTERN RIPLEY COUNTY INDICATE SEVERAL DAMAGED
BUILDINGS FROM A POSSIBLE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN. THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST
AT 50 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL MOVE ALONG THE DEARBORN FRANKLIN COUNTY
LINE.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...A BASEMENT OR STORM CELLAR
OFFERS THE BEST PROTECTION. GET UND4ER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF
STURDY FURNITURE. A GOOD ALTERNATIVE SHELTER IS AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...OR
CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
 
 
JOHNSTONE
&

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, Apr 15, 10:07 AM EDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
OHZ036-045-046-054-055-056-057-063-064-065-066-067-073-074-075-
084-151515-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS OH
1006 AM EDT FRI APR 15 1994

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM FOR
FAYETTE...MADISON...MARION... AND UNION COUNTIES OF CENTRAL OHIO.

AT 1000 AM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SHOWERS
AND STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM MADISON AND WESTERN PICKAWAY
COUNTIES DOWN ACROSS CENTRAL ROSS COUNTY.  THIS LINE OF SHOWERS AND
STORMS WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR...AND WILL EXTEND FROM
COLUMBUS TO CIRCLEVILLE TO EASTERN ROSS COUNTY BY 1030 AM.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE BRIEF VERY HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT
LIGHTNING...AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL WITH WIND GUSTS TO 40 MILES AN HOUR.

GROH
Special weather statement, Apr 15, 10:27 AM EDT, 57 minutes before
INZ066-073-074-075-080-OHZ070-071-072-077-078-079-080-KYZ089-090-
091-092-093-094-095-096-097-099-151630-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CINCINNATI OH
1034 AM EDT (934 AM EST) FRI APR 15 1994

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE CINCINNATI TRISTATE
UNTIL 400 PM EDT (300 PM EST).

A TORNADO WATCH MEANS ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT FOR THE POSSIBLE
DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES.  NUMEROUS REPORTS OF
TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS AND FUNNEL CLOUDS HAVE COME FROM PARTS OF CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN INDIANA THIS MORNING.

AT 1015 AM EDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED AN INTENSE LINE OF
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM MUNCIE INDIANA...75 MILES NORTHWEST OF
CINCINNATI...TO LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY. THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS
MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. THE LEADING EDGE OF
THUNDERSTORMS WAS 15 MILES WEST OF WESTERN RIPLEY COUNTY INDIANA.

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. IF A. TORNADO IS SIGHTED OR A
WARNING IS ISSUED...TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.

JOHNSTONE

The office that day

Everything else NWS Wilmington, OH issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 15, 10:45 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILNRipley75 min
Apr 15, 11:04 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILNDearborn, Ohio56 min
Apr 15, 11:04 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILNSwitzerland56 min
Apr 15, 11:07 AM EDTTornado WarningILNSwitzerland38 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Indiana, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994

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.