Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 1995

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Paducah, KY

May 18, 1995Trigg County, Kentucky

NWS Paducah, KY issued this tornado warning at May 18, 1995, 3:55 PM CDT for Trigg County, Kentucky. It was in force for 35 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
May 18, 1995, 3:55 PM CDT (20:55 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 1995, 4:30 PM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Paducah, KY
Area
Whole counties

County Trigg County, KY

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 18, 4:12 PM CDTTornado F1Cadiz, KYThis was the first of two tornadoes spawned by a supercell thunderstorm that moved through Trigg County. The second more powerful and longer-lived tornado is detailed in the next entry. This first brief tornado only knocked down several trees.
May 18, 4:15 PM CDTTornado F2Cadiz To, KYSix houses were damaged, one extensively. Vehicles were moved, including a camper trailer picked up and tossed across a road. A mobile home was blown over 300 feet. Numerous trees were downed, and two barns were destroyed. The tornado moved into Christian Co

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

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 136 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1995-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1151 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, Nashville Metro, TN at 12:00Z on 1995-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 178 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
1151 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
674 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
178 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
189 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.3
Supercell composite
4.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KPAH 182056
TORPAH
KYC221-182130-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
355 PM CDT THU MAY 18 1995
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PADUCAH HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  430 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN WEST KENTUCKY
 
   ...TRIGG COUNTY
 
A TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH OR NEAR CADIZ BETWEEN 4 AND 415 PM
CDT. AT 355 PM DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 40 MILES
SOUTHEAST PADUCAH OR 5 MILES WEST OF CADIZ. MOVEMENT WAS EAST NORTHEAST
AT 40 MPH.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO zA 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.
 
LAMM

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

Local storm report, May 18, 10:18 AM CDT, 5 hours 37 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1017 AM CDT THU MAY 18 1995

TIME (CDT) ...CITY LOCATION...    STATE
           ...COUNTY LOCATION...            ...EVENT/REMARKS...

1145 PM    BENTON                    IL   SEVERAL TREES DOWN ACROSS
05/17/95   FRANKLIN                       ROAD

0050 AM    CAPE GIRARDEAU            MO   ROOF BLOWN OFF TRAILER 1054
05/18/95   CAPE GIRARDEAU                 COUNTY LINE ROAD

0105 AM    CAPE GIRARDEAU            MO   NUMEROUS TREES REPORTED DOWN
05/18/95   CAPE GIRARDEAU                 IN THE COUNTY

0115 AM    COUNTY LINE ROAD          IL   NUMEROUS TREES DOWN ACROSS THE
05/18/95   ALEXANDER                      ROAD
0150 AM    UNIONVILLE                IL   SEVERAL TREES DOWN SOUTH
05/18/95   MASSAC                         OF UNIONVILLE

0200 AM    ELIZABETHTOWN             IL    TWO TREES DOWN ON ROADWAY
05/18/95   HARDIN                          4 MILES NE OF ELIZABETHTOWN

0225 AM    BROOKPORT                 IL    NUMEROUS TREES DOWN ON POWER
05/18/95   MASSAC                          LINES AND ROADWAYS

0230 AM    BARDWELL                  KY    SEVERAL TREES DOWN ON ROADWAYS
05/18/95   CARLISLE                        AND POWER LINES

0240 AM    NEW LIBERTY               KY    SEVERAL TREES DOWN ALONG THE
05/18/95   LIVINGSTON                      OHIO RIVER

0310 AM    EDDYVILLE AND FREDONIA    KY   NUMEROUS TREES DOWN ON COUNTY
05/18/95   LYON                           ROADS

0315 AM    DALTON                    KY   NUMEROUS TREES DOWN
05/18/95   CRITTENDON

0315 AM    MARION                    KY   SEVERAL TREES DOWN SOUTH
05/18/95   CRITTENDON                     OF MARIONl
Local storm report, May 18, 10:43 AM CDT, 5 hours 12 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1040 AM CDT THU MAY 18 1995

TIME (CDT) ...CITY LOCATION...    STATE
           ...COUNTY LOCATION...            ...EVENT/REMARKS...

0315 AM    DRAFFENVILLE              KY   TWO TREES DOWN EAST OF
05/18/95   MARSHALL                       DRAFFENVILLE

0430 AM    CALVERT CITY              KY   LARGE LMBS DOWN 1 MILE SOUTH
05/18/95   MARSHALL                       OF CALVERT CITY

0430 AM    HARDIN                    KY   WIND GUST 55-60 MPH
05/18/95   MARSHALL

1230-230 AM FRANKLIN COUNTY          IL   NUMEROUS ROADS FLOODED ACROSS
05/18/95                                  COUNTY

0100-300 AM CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY     MO    3 INCHES OF RAIN AT CAPE
05/18/95                                    GIRARDEAU AND SEVERAL COUNTY
                                            ROADS COVERED WITH WATER

SAME AS     BOLLINGER COUNTY          MO    A FEW COUNTY ROADS CLOSED DUE
ABOVE                                       TO HIGH WATER

SAME AS     JACKSON COUNTY            IL    SEVERAL ROADS CLOSED DUE TO
ABOVE                                       HIGH WATER

SAME AS     SALINE COUNTY             IL    SEVERAL GRAVEL ROADS UNDER
ABOVE
                                            WATER AND CLOSED BRIEFLY

SAME AS     HAMILTON COUNTY           IL    PARTS OF HWY 242 N OF
ABOVE                                       MCLEANSBORO AND HWY 14 E OF
                                            MCLEANSBORO CLOSED BECAUSE
                                            OF HIGH WATER
SAME AS     WILLIAMSON COUNTY         IL    SEVERAL ROADS WATER COVERED
ABOVE
                     ***FLOOD EVENTS ON 05/18/95***
Local storm report, May 18, 2:43 PM CDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
240 PM CDT THU MAY 18 1995

TIME (CDT) ...CITY LOCATION...    STATE
           ...COUNTY LOCATION...            ...EVENT/REMARKS...

0201 PM    WICKLIFFE                 KY   0.75 INCH HAIL
05/18/95   BALLARD

0215 PM    HICKMAN                   KY   TORNADO
05/18/95   FULTON                         3 REPORTS/1 CONFIRMED

0226 PM    4E CLINTON                KY   1.75 INCH HAIL^
05/18/95   HICKMAN

SHANKLIN
Local storm report, May 18, 2:46 PM CDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
245 PM CDT THU MAY 18 1995

TIME (CDT) ...CITY LOCATION...    STATE
           ...COUNTY LOCATION...            ...EVENT/REMARKS...

02p44 PM    VIENNA                    IL   0.75 INCH HAIL
05/18/95   JOHNSON

SHANKLIN
Local storm report, May 18, 3:48 PM CDT, 7 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY                                             345 PM CDT THU MAY 18 1995

TIME (CDT) ...CITY LOCATION...    STATE
           ...COUNTY LOCATION...            ...EVENT/REMARKS...
                                                                                0310 PM    GOLO                      KY   0.75 INCH HAIL                        05/18/95   GRAVES

                                                                                220 PM     3S HICKMAN                KY   TORNADO                               05/18/95   BALLARD                        TREES DOWN ON ROADS

                                                                                0333 PM    VIENNA                    IL   TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN            05/18/95   JOHNSON

                                                                                0335 PM    MURRAY                    KY   0.75 INCH HAIL                        05/18/95   CALLOWAY

                                                                                0326 PM    4W CUBA                   KY   1.75 INCH HAIL                        05/18/95   GRAVES

                                                                                RLS

                                                                                                b

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 1:33 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHBallard53 min
May 18, 1:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHCarlisle, McCracken58 min
May 18, 2:16 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHLivingston59 min
May 18, 2:42 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHMarshall63 min
May 18, 2:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHCaldwell, Lyon72 min
May 18, 4:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHMarshall19 min
May 18, 2:03 PM CDTTornado WarningPAHFulton27 min
May 18, 2:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHBallard39 min
May 18, 2:16 PM CDTTornado WarningPAHHickman29 min
May 18, 2:37 PM CDTTornado WarningPAHGraves38 min
May 18, 2:48 PM CDTTornado WarningPAHHickman12 min
May 18, 3:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHLyon, Marshall51 min
May 18, 3:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHCalloway51 min
May 18, 3:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHCalloway, Graves47 min
May 18, 3:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHFulton47 min
May 18, 3:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHTrigg55 min
May 18, 4:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHCalloway30 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kentucky, 1995Every tornado warning in 1995Tornadoes in 1995

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.