Alert archive / Indiana / Tornado Watches in 1997

Tornado Watch 220

April 30, 19974 states

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Apr 30, 1997, 5:30 PM CDT for 4 states. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 30, 1997, 5:30 PM CDT (22:30 UTC)
Expired
Apr 30, 1997, 11:00 PM CDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 94 counties

Clark County, IL, Coles County, IL, Crawford County, IL, Cumberland County, IL, Douglas County, IL, Edgar County, IL, Edwards County, IL, Jasper County, IL, Lawrence County, IL, Richland County, IL, Wabash County, IL, White County, IL, Bartholomew County, IN, Blackford County, IN, Boone County, IN, Brown County, IN, Clark County, IN, Clay County, IN, Crawford County, IN, Daviess County, IN, Dearborn County, IN, Decatur County, IN, Delaware County, IN, Dubois County, IN, Fayette County, IN, Fountain County, IN, Franklin County, IN, Gibson County, IN, Greene County, IN, Hamilton County, IN, Hancock County, IN, Hendricks County, IN, Henry County, IN, Jackson County, IN, Jay County, IN, Jefferson County, IN, Jennings County, IN, Johnson County, IN, Knox County, IN, Lawrence County, IN, Madison County, IN, Marion County, IN, Martin County, IN, Monroe County, IN, Montgomery County, IN, Morgan County, IN, Ohio County, IN, Orange County, IN, Owen County, IN, Parke County, IN, Pike County, IN, Posey County, IN, Putnam County, IN, Randolph County, IN, Ripley County, IN, Rush County, IN, Scott County, IN, Shelby County, IN, Sullivan County, IN, Switzerland County, IN, Tipton County, IN, Union County, IN, Vermillion County, IN, Vigo County, IN, Warrick County, IN, Washington County, IN, Wayne County, IN, Boone County, KY, Campbell County, KY, Carroll County, KY, Gallatin County, KY, Grant County, KY, Kenton County, KY, Trimble County, KY, Allen County, OH, Auglaize County, OH, Brown County, OH, Butler County, OH, Champaign County, OH, Clark County, OH, Clermont County, OH, Clinton County, OH, Darke County, OH, Greene County, OH, Hamilton County, OH, Hardin County, OH, Highland County, OH, Logan County, OH, Mercer County, OH, Miami County, OH, Montgomery County, OH, Preble County, OH, Shelby County, OH, Warren County, OH

The radar

The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 23 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:34 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.

Warnings issued inside it

25 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 30, 5:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDMontgomery28 min
Apr 30, 5:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILXLawrence, Richland29 min
Apr 30, 5:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDKnox38 min
Apr 30, 6:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDDaviess39 min
Apr 30, 6:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDGreene36 min
Apr 30, 6:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDMonroe28 min
Apr 30, 6:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDHendricks36 min
Apr 30, 6:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDDaviess, Knox32 min
Apr 30, 6:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDBrown38 min
Apr 30, 7:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHPosey43 min
Apr 30, 7:08 PM CDTTornado WarningINDJohnson37 min
Apr 30, 7:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDBartholomew, Shelby34 min
Apr 30, 7:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDLawrence, Martin29 min
Apr 30, 7:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDMonroe29 min
Apr 30, 7:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHGibson, Pike42 min
Apr 30, 7:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDDecatur, Hancock, Henry, Rush54 min
Apr 30, 7:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPAHWarrick50 min
Apr 30, 7:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKDubois32 min
Apr 30, 8:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILNFranklin33 min
Apr 30, 8:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKCrawford, Orange43 min
Apr 30, 8:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILNDarke24 min
Apr 30, 8:39 PM CDTTornado WarningLMKCrawford, Perry21 min
Apr 30, 8:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKHarrison, Washington33 min
Apr 30, 9:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKClark, Floyd43 min
Apr 30, 9:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKJefferson28 min

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 205 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, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 1997-04-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 1997-04-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 115 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1130 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
115 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
166 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.

777 
WWUS9 KMKC 302202
SEL0  
MKC WW 302202
OHZ000-ILZ000-INZ000-010400-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 220
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
502 PM EST WED APR 30 1997

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   SOUTHWEST OHIO                               
   EXTREME SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS                           
   SOUTHERN INDIANA                            

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 530 PM UNTIL
1100 PM EST.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 3/4 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 70 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES SOUTH OF MATTOON ILLINOIS TO 40 MILES
EAST OF DAYTON OHIO.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH
NUMBER 218.  WATCH NUMBER 218 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 530 PM
EST.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

DISCUSSION...SUPERCELL STORMS ARE MOVING RAPIDLY ACROSS EASTERN
ILLINOIS. DOWNSTREAM AIRMASS HAS DESTABILIZED SUFFICIENTLY FOR A
CONTINUED THREAT FOR TORNADOES GIVEN STRONG SHEAR PROFILE.


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 3/4 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
450.  MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24045.


...VESCIO

395,0881 405,0832 385,0832 375,0881

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 30, 12:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAdams, Brown, Bureau, Carroll, Cass, DeKalb and 28 more7 hr
Apr 30, 2:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBond, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Coles and 20 more7 hr
Apr 30, 3:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCChampaign, Cook, DuPage, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois and 8 more6 hr
Apr 30, 6:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCGallatin, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Saline and 1 more6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Indiana, 1997Tornado Watches in Ohio, 1997Tornado Watches in Illinois, 1997Every tornado watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.