Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Louisville, KY

April 20, 1996Madison County, Kentucky

NWS Louisville, KY issued this tornado warning at Apr 20, 1996, 5:36 AM EDT for Madison County, Kentucky. It was in force for 24 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, 5:36 AM EDT (09:36 UTC)
Expired
Apr 20, 1996, 6:00 AM EDT
In force
24 min
Issued by
NWS Louisville, KY
Area
Whole counties

County Madison County, KY

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 20, 5:45 AM EDTTornado F2Berea, 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

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), launched 00:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 195 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, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 1996-04-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1144 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, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 1996-04-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 117 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
1144 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
991 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
117 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
276 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.1
Supercell composite
4.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSDF 200937
TORSDF
KYC151-201000-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
536 AM EDT SAT APR 20 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  600 AM EDT
FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY
 
   ...SOUTHERN MADISON COUNTY
 
AT 535 AM EDT...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH A POSSIBLE
TORNADO 25 MILES SOUTH OF LEXINGTON...IN SOUTHWEST MADISON COUNTY.
 
THE SEVERE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH AND WILL REACH MIDDLETOWN AND
KINGSTON BY 545 AM EDT.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNhITURE.
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 YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
 
STUREY

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, Apr 20, 4:11 AM EDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
400 AM EDT SAT APR 20 1996

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

0240       ZONETON RD.               KY   80 MPH STRAIGHT-LINE
4/20/96    BULLITT                        WIND REPORTED

MK
Local storm report, Apr 20, 4:28 AM EDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
426 AM EDT SAT APR 20 1996

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

0240       ZONETON RD.               KY   80 MPH STRAIGHT-LINE
4/20/96    BULLITT                        WIND REPORTED

0255       DALE LN.FISHERVILLE       KY   GARAGE DESTROYED AND
4/20/96    JEFFERSON                      ROOF DAMAGE 1.00 HAIL

0300       1 MI S OF FINCHVILLE      KY   HOUSE AND BARN DAMAGED
4/20/96    SHELBY                         DUE TO TORNADO

COX
Special weather statement, Apr 20, 4:31 AM EDT, 1 hour 5 minutes before
INZ090>092-KYZ001>100-104-106>120-201200-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR KENTUCKY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
430 AM EDT SAT APR 20 1996

...THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR A PORTION OF WESTERN
AND NORTHERN KENTUCKY..

TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 195 HAS BEEN CANCELLED WEST OF A LINE FROM
NEAR HOPKINSVILLE TO ELIZABETHTOWN TO COVINGTON.  ALL THE SEVERE
STORMS HAVE MOVED EAST OF THIS AREA.  THE TORNADO WATCH REMAINS
IN EFFECT EAST OF THIS LINE UNTIL 8 AM EDT.

JA

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, 5:04 AM EDT, 32 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
502 AM EDT SAT APR 20 1996

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

0400       SPENCER                   KY   ROOF OF HOUSE
4/20/96    SPENCER                        GARAGE DESTROYED
                                          DUE TO HIGH WINDS

0415       MAGNOLIA                  KY   60 MPH WINDS
4/20/96    LARU(E

0450       3 MI S CAMPBELLSVILLE     KY   1.00 INCH HAIL
4/20/96    TAYLOR                         REPORTED BY DISPATCH

COX
Local storm report, Apr 20, 5:17 AM EDT, 19 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
515 AM EDT SAT APR 20 1996

TIME(EDT)  LOCATION...               ST   EVENT...
DATE       COUNTY...                      REMARKS...
D
0457       COLUMBIA                  KY   60 MPH WINDS
4/20       ADAIR                          REPTD BY DISPATCH

COX
Local storm report, Apr 20, 5:31 AM EDT, 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED FOR SPELLING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
529 AM EDT SAT APR 20 1996

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

0457       COLUMBIA                  KY   60 MPH WINDS
4/20       ADAIR                          REPORTED BY DISPATCH

COX

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 20, 1:17 AM EDTTornado WarningLMKHancock43 min
Apr 20, 1:40 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBreckinridge, Meade50 min
Apr 20, 1:58 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKTrimble47 min
Apr 20, 2:19 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBreckinridge, Bullitt, Hardin, Jefferson56 min
Apr 20, 2:30 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKOldham45 min
Apr 20, 2:45 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKShelby, Spencer45 min
Apr 20, 2:52 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKGrayson, Hardin53 min
Apr 20, 3:19 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKAnderson, Franklin41 min
Apr 20, 3:19 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKNelson, Washington41 min
Apr 20, 3:28 AM EDTTornado WarningLMKButler, Logan47 min
Apr 20, 3:37 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKScott, Woodford38 min
Apr 20, 3:42 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKEdmonson, Warren48 min
Apr 20, 4:01 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBourbon, Fayette, Harrison44 min
Apr 20, 4:10 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKHardin, Hart35 min
Apr 20, 4:16 AM EDTTornado WarningLMKHart29 min
Apr 20, 4:29 AM EDTTornado WarningLMKGreen31 min
Apr 20, 4:35 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKLarue, Marion40 min
Apr 20, 4:41 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKTaylor34 min
Apr 20, 4:56 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBoyle, Casey49 min
Apr 20, 4:56 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKAdair49 min
Apr 20, 5:02 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKMercer43 min
Apr 20, 5:14 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKGarrard, Jessamine61 min
Apr 20, 5:14 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKLincoln, Pulaski, Russell61 min
Apr 20, 5:28 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKWayne47 min
Apr 20, 5:32 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKClark, Fayette, Madison, Rockcastle43 min
Apr 20, 5:40 AM EDTTornado WarningLMKEstill, Powell50 min
Apr 20, 5:51 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKMontgomery39 min
Apr 20, 5:54 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKLaurel51 min
Apr 20, 6:08 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKMcCreary37 min
Apr 20, 6:11 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKMenifee34 min
Apr 20, 6:21 AM EDTTornado 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.