Alert archive / Kentucky / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 38, NWS Louisville, KY

March 28, 1997Breckinridge County, Kentucky

NWS Louisville, KY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 28, 1997, 4:33 PM CST for Breckinridge County, Kentucky. It was in force for 42 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
Mar 28, 1997, 4:33 PM CST (22:33 UTC)
Expired
Mar 28, 1997, 5:15 PM CST
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Louisville, KY
Area
Whole counties

County Breckinridge County, KY

The radar

The Louisville radar (KLVX), 48 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:32 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 28, 4:45 PM CSTHail 1Hardinsburg, 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 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 183 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 1997-03-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 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 1997-03-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 287 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
554 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
72 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
287 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
292 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSDF 282233 RRA
SVRSDF
KYC027-282315-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
533 PM EST FRI MAR 28 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  615 PM EST
FOR PERSONS IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY
 
   ...BRECKINRIDGE COUNTY
 
AT 530 PM EST...NWS DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS NEAR HARDINSBURG WHICH IS 40 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
LOUISVILLE...AND ANOTHER SEVERE STORM NEAR THE TOWN OF ROCKVALE IN
SOUTHERN BRECKINRIDGE COUNTY.
 
THE STORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL AFFECT HARDINSBURG
IMMEDIATELY AND THE ROUGH RIVER LAKE AREA BY 545 EST (445 CST)...AND
IRVINGTON BETWEEN 545 PM EST AND 600 PM EST (445 PM CST AND 500 PM
CST).
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS OCCUR...MOVE INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING.  GO TO
THE INTERIOR SECTION...OR PREFERABLY A BASEMENT OR LOWEST LEVEL
IF POSSvIBLE.  DO NOT STAND NEAR WINDOWS. DO NOT USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. STAY AWAY FROM
ALL DOWNED WIRES.
 
TF/VLD

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.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 28, 10:45 AM CST, 5 hours 48 minutes before
KYZ023>025-027>043-045>049-053>057-061>067-070>078-081-082-
INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-290600-

CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH-CENTRAL INDIANA SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
1145 AM EST FRI MAR 28 1997

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER INDICATES THAT A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH-CENTRAL
INDIANA...MAINLY FOR THIS EVENING.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION.

A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH-CENTRAL
INDIANA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THIS WILL ALLOW LOW CLOUDS TO GIVE WAY
TO PARTIAL SUNSHINE BY MID OR LATE THIS AFTERNOON AS A BRISK
SOUTHWEST FLOW OF AIR DEVELOPS ACROSS THE REGION. THIS FLOW WILL
ALLOW THE ATMOSPHERE TO BECOME UNSTABLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING. THEN AS A COLD FRONT AND POTENT UPPER-LEVEL WEATHER
DISTURBANCE APPROACH FROM THE WEST...THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DEVELOP
ACROSS WESTERN KENTUCKY LATE THIS AFTERNOON THEN PROGRESS ACROSS
CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH-CENTRAL INDIANA DURING THE EVENING HOURS
BRINGING THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER.

WITH THE ATMOSPHERE EXPECTED TO BE UNSTABLE ALONG WITH THE PRESENCE
OF STRONG UPPER-LEVEL WINDS AND WIND SHEAR...THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR
DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND A FEW TORNADOES ACROSS CENTRAL
KENTUCKY AND SOUTH-CENTRAL INDIANA THIS EVENING.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
THIS IS A PRELIMINARY OUTLOOK...STAY TUNED TO NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND/OR MEDIA SOURCES FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION ON THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

FUNK
Special weather statement, Mar 28, 11:02 AM CST, 5 hours 31 minutes before
KYZ023>025-027>043-045>049-053>057-061>067-070>078-081-082-
INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-290600-

CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH-CENTRAL INDIANA SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
1145 AM EST FRI MAR 28 1997

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER INDICATES THAT A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH-CENTRAL
INDIANA...MAINLY FOR THIS EVENING.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION.

A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH-CENTRAL
INDIANA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THIS WILL ALLOW LOW CLOUDS TO GIVE WAY
TO PARTIAL SUNSHINE BY MID OR LATE THIS AFTERNOON AS A BRISK
SOUTHWEST FLOW OF AIR DEVELOPS ACROSS THE REGION. THIS FLOW WILL
ALLOW THE ATMOSPHERE TO BECOME UNSTABLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING. THEN AS A COLD FRONT AND POTENT UPPER-LEVEL WEATHER
DISTURBANCE APPROACH FROM THE WEST...THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DEVELOP
ACROSS WESTERN KENTUCKY LATE THIS AFTERNOON THEN PROGRESS ACROSS
CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH-CENTRAL INDIANA DURING THE EVENING HOURS
BRINGING THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER.

WITH THE ATMOSPHERE EXPECTED TO BE UNSTABLE ALONG WITH THE PRESENCE
OF STRONG UPPER-LEVEL WINDS AND WIND SHEAR...THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR
DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND A FEW TORNADOES ACROSS CENTRAL
KENTUCKY AND SOUTH-CENTRAL INDIANA THIS EVENING.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
THIS IS A PRELIMINARY OUTLOOK...STAY TUNED TO NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND/OR MEDIA SOURCES FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION ON THIS WEATHER SITUATION.

FUNK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 28, 4:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKGrayson38 min
Mar 28, 5:01 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKHardin44 min
Mar 28, 5:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKLogan30 min
Mar 28, 5:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBullitt45 min
Mar 28, 5:26 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKEdmonson, Warren34 min
Mar 28, 5:37 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKGrayson, Hardin38 min
Mar 28, 5:46 PM CSTTornado WarningLMKHardin29 min
Mar 28, 5:49 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKHart41 min
Mar 28, 5:59 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKLarue, Nelson, Spencer46 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kentucky, 1997Every 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.