Alert archive / Ohio / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 59, NWS Wilmington, OH

May 18, 1997Champaign County, Ohio

NWS Wilmington, OH issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 18, 1997, 5:18 PM EDT for Champaign County, Ohio. It was in force for 27 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: May 18, 1997, 5:18 PM EDT (21:18 UTC)
Expired: May 18, 1997, 5:45 PM EDT
In force: 27 min
Issued by: NWS Wilmington, OH
Area: Whole counties

County Champaign County, OH

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 18, 5:20 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50	Mechanicsburg, OH	Numerous trees downed and a roof blown off a barn.

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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 18, 2:30 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), launched 12:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 79 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 72 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -147 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1311 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 114 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 133 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 KILN 182118 RRA
SVRILN
OHC021-182145-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
518 PM EDT SUN MAY 18 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  545 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL OHIO
 
   ...CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
 
AT 517 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM AROUND BOWLUSVILLE. THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30
MPH AND WILL AFFECT MUTUAL AND MECHANICSBURG. THIS STORM PRODUCED NICKEL
SIZED HAIL IN CLARK COUNTY AROUND 500 PM EDT.
 
 
IT IS DANGEROUS TO BE OUTDOORS WHILE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS IN
PROGRESS. DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE. SEEK SHELTER IN A BUILDING OR
A VEHICLE. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE OPEN...STAY AWAY FROM TOWERS
AND TALL TREES. CROUCH NEAR THE GROUND AND COVER YOUR HEAD.
 
WILKINSON

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Wilmington, OH wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 18, 3:07 PM EDT, 2 hours 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 18, 3:07 PM EDT, 2 hours 11 minutes before

FORECAST COORDINATION MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
306 PM EDT SUN MAY 18 1997

TSRA DEVELOPING ACROSS FA THIS PM WITH SOME GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED
WITHIN LAST HALF HOUR IN HARDIN COUNTY NEAR ROUNDHEAD.  XPCT STORMS TO
CONTINUE TO DEVELOPING THIS PM INTO THE EVENING.  SCT STORMS POSSIBLE
THRU MON.  SHOULD HAVE MORE CLOUDS TOMORROW SO INSTABILITY WL BE
WEAKER....BUT ENUF FOR POSSIBLE SVR.  CLE...WRK ZONES LOOK GOOD.

WILKINSON,

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 18, 2:35 PM EDT, 2 hours 43 minutes before

INZ050-OHZ015-016-024>026-034-035-042-044-045-051>054-060>062-190300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
234 PM EDT (134 PM EST) SUN MAY 18 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF EAST-CENTRAL
   INDIANA AND MUCH OF WESTERN OHIO...

SOME CITIES IN THE WATCH AREA INCLUDE DAYTON...SPRINGFIELD AND LIMA.

VERY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS THE WATCH AREA THIS
AFTERNOON.  A STRONG UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM APPROACHING THE AREA WILL HELP
THUNDERSTORMS THAT WERE DEVELOPING THIS AFTERNOON TO QUICKLY BECOME
SEVERE.  THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND DAMAGE AND
LARGE HAIL.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES.

WILKINSON

Local storm report, May 18, 3:17 PM EDT, 2 hours 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
315 PM EDT SUN MAY 18 1997

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

0250 PPM    ROUNDHEAD                 OH   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/18/97   HARDIN

Special weather statement, May 18, 3:30 PM EDT, 1 hour 48 minutes before

INZ050-OHZ015-016-024>026-034-035-042-044-045-051>056-060>062-
064-065-190200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
330 PM EDT SUN MAY 18 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL
   OHIO...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL OHIO
UNTIL 10 PM EDT. COLUMBUS IS INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR WEST CENTRAL OHIO AND
THE MIAMI VALLEY UNTIL 8 PM EDT. SOME CITIES INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH
AREA INCLUDE DAYTON...SPRINGFIELD AND LIMA.

VERY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON.
A STRONG UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM APPROACHING THE AREA WILL HELP
THUNDERSTORMS THAT WERE DEVELOPING THIS AFTERNOON TO QUICKLY BECOME
SEVERE.  THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND DAMAGE AND
LARGE HAIL.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES.

LOTT

Special weather statement, May 18, 3:34 PM EDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before

INZ050-OHZ015-016-024>026-034-035-042-044-045-051>056-060>062-
064-065-190200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
330 PM EDT SUN MAY 18 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL
   OHIO...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL OHIO
UNTIL 10 PM EDT. COLUMBUS IS INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR WEST CENTRAL OHIO AND
THE MIAMI VALLEY UNTIL 8 PM EDT. SOME CITIES INCLUDED IN THIS WATCH
AREA INCLUDE DAYTON...SPRINGFIELD AND LIMA.

VERY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON.
A STRONG UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM APPROACHING THE AREA WILL HELP
THUNDERSTORMS THAT WERE DEVELOPING THIS AFTERNOON TO QUICKLY BECOME
SEVERE.  THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND DAMAGE AND
LARGE HAIL.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES.

LOTT

Local storm report, May 18, 5:13 PM EDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
513 PM EDT SUN MAY 18 1997

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

0427 PM    LAFAYETTE                 OH   WIND DAMAGE
05/18/97   ALLEN                          ROOF BLOWN OFF BARN/POWER
                                          LINES DOWN 1 TREE DOWN

0500 PM    NEW CARLISLE              OH   .88 INCH HAIL
05/18/97   CLARK

Local storm report, May 18, 5:14 PM EDT, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH
513 PM EDT SUN MAY 18 1997

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

0427 PM    LAFAYETTE                 OH   WIND DAMAGE
05/18/97   ALLEN                          ROOF BLOWN OFF BARN/POWER
                                          LINES DOWN 1 TREE DOWN

0500 PM    NEW CARLISLE              OH   .88 INCH HAIL
05/18/97   CLARK

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 18, 3:12 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILN	Auglaize	43 min
May 18, 4:13 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILN	Delaware	42 min
May 18, 5:11 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILN	Delaware	44 min
May 18, 2:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILN	Auglaize	37 min
May 18, 2:46 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILN	Allen, Hardin	29 min
May 18, 4:19 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILN	Allen	41 min
May 18, 5:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILN	Clark	30 min
May 18, 5:32 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILN	Madison, Union	28 min
May 18, 5:44 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILN	Delaware	46 min
May 18, 6:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILN	Franklin	38 min
May 18, 6:26 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILN	Fairfield, Licking	34 min
May 18, 6:31 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ILN	Scioto	44 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Ohio, 1997 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

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.