Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Louisville, KY

April 20, 1996Butler County, Logan County, Kentucky

NWS Louisville, KY issued this tornado warning at Apr 20, 1996, 2:28 AM CDT for Butler County, Logan County, Kentucky. It was in force for 47 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 20, 1996, 2:28 AM CDT (07:28 UTC)
Expired
Apr 20, 1996, 3:15 AM CDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Louisville, KY
Area
Whole counties

Counties Butler County, KY, Logan County, KY

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 20, 2:30 AM CDTHail 1.75Countywide, KY

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.

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 7.5 hours before the alert went out and 102 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 00:00Z on 1996-04-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 689 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 00:00Z on 1996-04-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 163 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
689 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-183 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
967 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
163 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
275 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSDF 200730
TORSDF
KYC031-141-200815-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
328 AM EDT (228 AM CDT) SAT APR 20 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  415 AM EDT (315 AM CDT)
FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY
 
   ...BUTLER COUNTY...NORTHERN LOGAN COUNTY
 
AT 225 AM CDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO 30 MILES WEST OF BOWLING GREEN NEAR THE TOWN OF
QUALITY IN SOUTHWEST BUTLER COUNTY.
 
THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH AND WILL MOVE TOWARD
SUGAR GROVE BY 245 ADM CDT.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER Y6OUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
 
RNK

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 19, 10:12 PM CDT, 4 hours 16 minutes before
INZ090>092-KYZ001>100-104-106>120-200900-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR KENTUCKY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
1100 PM EDT FRI APR 19 1996

...SIGNIFICANT OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES
EXPECTED ACROSS WEST AND CENTRAL KENTUCKY...

A STRONG LOW PRESSURE STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE FROM THE UPPER
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TO THE GREAT LAKES BY SATURDAY MORNING.
AT THE SAME TIME...A COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP EASTWARD ACROSS
THE OHIO VALLEY.  AHEAD OF THE FRONT...WARM...MOIST...VERY UNSTABLE
AIR...AND STRONG WIND FIELDS IN THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BE IN PLACE ACROSS
WESTERN AND NORTHERN KENTUCKY AS WELL AS MUCH OF ILLINOIS AND INDIANA.
AS THE FRONT MOVED INTO THIS AREA...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED THIS EVENING
ACROSS MISSOURI...ILLINOIS...AND INDIANA.
>
GIVEN THE STRENGTH OF THE STORM SYSTEM AND EXPECTED INSTABILITY...
SOME THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE VERY LARGE
HAIL...DAMAGING SURFACE WINDS...AND TORNADOES.

STAY :TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THIS
POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION. SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION
IS REQUESTED IN THOSE AREAS COVERED BY TORNADO WATCHES.

RNK
Local storm report, Apr 20, 12:45 AM CDT, 1 hour 43 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
145 AM EDT SAT APR 20 1996

TIME EDT   .....CITY LOCATION.....    STATE    ...EVENT...
 DATE      ....COUNTY LOCATION....            ...REMARKS...

...FOR STORMS THAT OCCURRED SATURDAY EVENING JULY 22ND...

115 AM EDT    5 EAST CAMPBELLSBURG     IN       GOLFBALL TO BASEBALL
              WASHINGTON                        SIZE HAIL REPORTED
                                                BY THE COUNTY DISPATCH
Local storm report, Apr 20, 1:30 AM CDT, 58 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
230AM EDT SAT APR 20 1996

TIME(EDT)  LOCATION...               ST   EVENT...
DATE       COUNTY...                      REMARKS...

P0150       RIDDLE                    IN   MOBILE HOME OVERTURNED
4/20/96    CRAWFORD

0208       FLOYDS KNOBS              IN   ROOF REMOVED OFF HOUSE
4/20/96    FLOYD                          NAYDORF RD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 20, 12:17 AM CDTTornado WarningLMKHancock43 min
Apr 20, 12:40 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBreckinridge, Meade50 min
Apr 20, 12:58 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKTrimble47 min
Apr 20, 1:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBreckinridge, Bullitt, Hardin, Jefferson56 min
Apr 20, 1:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKOldham45 min
Apr 20, 1:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKShelby, Spencer45 min
Apr 20, 1:52 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKGrayson, Hardin53 min
Apr 20, 2:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKAnderson, Franklin41 min
Apr 20, 2:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKNelson, Washington41 min
Apr 20, 2:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKScott, Woodford38 min
Apr 20, 2:42 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKEdmonson, Warren48 min
Apr 20, 3:01 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBourbon, Fayette, Harrison44 min
Apr 20, 3:10 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKHardin, Hart35 min
Apr 20, 3:16 AM CDTTornado WarningLMKHart29 min
Apr 20, 3:29 AM CDTTornado WarningLMKGreen31 min
Apr 20, 3:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKLarue, Marion40 min
Apr 20, 3:41 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKTaylor34 min
Apr 20, 3:56 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBoyle, Casey49 min
Apr 20, 3:56 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKAdair49 min
Apr 20, 4:02 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKMercer43 min
Apr 20, 4:14 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKGarrard, Jessamine61 min
Apr 20, 4:14 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKLincoln, Pulaski, Russell61 min
Apr 20, 4:28 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKWayne47 min
Apr 20, 4:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKClark, Fayette, Madison, Rockcastle43 min
Apr 20, 4:36 AM CDTTornado WarningLMKMadison24 min
Apr 20, 4:40 AM CDTTornado WarningLMKEstill, Powell50 min
Apr 20, 4:51 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKMontgomery39 min
Apr 20, 4:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKLaurel51 min
Apr 20, 5:08 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKMcCreary37 min
Apr 20, 5:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKMenifee34 min
Apr 20, 5:21 AM CDTTornado WarningLMKMenifee24 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Kentucky, 1996Every tornado warning in 1996Tornadoes in 1996

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.