Alert archive / Indiana / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Chicago, IL

April 19, 1996Elkhart County, Kosciusko County, Indiana

NWS Chicago, IL issued this tornado warning at Apr 19, 1996, 9:25 PM EST for Elkhart County, Kosciusko County, Indiana. It was in force for 35 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 19, 1996, 9:25 PM EST (02:25 UTC)
Expired
Apr 19, 1996, 10:00 PM EST
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Chicago, IL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Elkhart County, IN, Kosciusko County, IN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 19, 9:52 PM ESTTornado F0Milford, 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 00:00Z, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 247 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, Detroit, MI at 00:00Z on 1996-04-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Detroit, MI at 00:00Z on 1996-04-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 58 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-28 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2067 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
58 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
79 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 KCHI 200225
TORCHI
INC039-085-200300-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
925 PM CDT (925 PM EST) FRI APR 19 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHICAGO HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 PM CDT (1000 PM EST)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA
 
   ...ELKHART COUNTY...NORTHERN KOSCIUSKO COUNTY
 
AT 9 20 PM EST RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH A
HISTORY OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES OVER SOUTHWEST
ELKHART COUNTY NEAR NAPPANEE...OR ABOUT 12 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GOSHEN.
THE STORM IS MOVING TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH AND WILL AFFECT
FORAKER...WATERFORD MILLS AND MILLERSFBURGH BY 945 PM EST.
 
ABANDON MOBILE HOMES!  GO INSIDE A NEARBY STURDY BUILDING!
AS A LAST RESORT LIE FLAT IN A DITCH AND COVER YOUR HEAD.

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, 4:22 PM EST, 5 hours 3 minutes before
ILZ019-021-192230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
423 PM CDT FRI APR 19 1996

AT 417 PM A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS FROM LASALLE TO STREATOR
IN LASALLE COUNTY. PEA SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN WENONA IN EXTREME
NORTHEAST MARSHALL COUNTY AS THE STORMS MOVED THROUGH. THESE STORMS
WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH AND WILL AFFECT OTTAWA BY 425
PM...SENECA BY 445 PM AND BOTH MORRIS AND YORKVILLE BY 515 PM.

TRS
Special weather statement, Apr 19, 4:24 PM EST, 5 hours 1 minute before
ILZ019>021-192230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO IL
423 PM CDT FRI APR 19 1996

AT 417 PM A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS FROM LASALLE TO STREATOR
IN LASALLE COUNTY. PEA SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN WENONA IN EXTREME
NORTHEAST MARSHALL COUNTY AS THE STORMS MOVED THROUGH. THESE STORMS
WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH AND WILL AFFECT OTTAWA BY 425
PM...SENECA BY 445 PM AND BOTH MORRIS AND YORKVILLE BY 515 PM.

TRS
CORRECTED CODING

The office that day

Everything else NWS Chicago, IL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 19, 7:20 PM ESTTornado WarningLOTLake, Newton25 min
Apr 19, 7:40 PM ESTTornado WarningLOTJasper, Porter35 min
Apr 19, 8:19 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTLaPorte, Starke26 min
Apr 19, 8:58 PM ESTTornado WarningLOTMarshall32 min
Apr 19, 10:00 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTLake30 min
Apr 19, 11:25 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOTLake, Porter35 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Indiana, 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.