Alert archive / Kentucky / Tornado Watches in 1997

Tornado Watch 556

July 2, 1997Dearborn County, Ohio County, Switzerland County, Indiana; 18 counties in Kentucky; 18 counties in Ohio

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Jul 2, 1997, 6:15 PM EDT for Dearborn County, Ohio County, Switzerland County, Indiana; 18 counties in Kentucky; 18 counties in Ohio. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 2, 1997, 6:15 PM EDT (22:15 UTC)
Expired
Jul 2, 1997, 11:00 PM EDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 39 counties

Dearborn County, IN, Ohio County, IN, Switzerland County, IN, Boone County, KY, Bracken County, KY, Campbell County, KY, Carroll County, KY, Fleming County, KY, Gallatin County, KY, Grant County, KY, Greenup County, KY, Harrison County, KY, Henry County, KY, Kenton County, KY, Lewis County, KY, Mason County, KY, Oldham County, KY, Owen County, KY, Pendleton County, KY, Robertson County, KY, Trimble County, KY, Adams County, OH, Athens County, OH, Brown County, OH, Butler County, OH, Clermont County, OH, Clinton County, OH, Gallia County, OH, Hamilton County, OH, Highland County, OH, Hocking County, OH, Jackson County, OH, Lawrence County, OH, Meigs County, OH, Pike County, OH, Ross County, OH, Scioto County, OH, Vinton County, OH, Warren County, OH

The radar

The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 68 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:17 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

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 2, 6:27 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILNButler33 min
Jul 2, 6:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILNMontgomery, Warren47 min
Jul 2, 6:48 PM EDTTornado WarningILNButler, Warren47 min
Jul 2, 6:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILNBoone49 min
Jul 2, 7:02 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILNClinton48 min
Jul 2, 7:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILNHocking33 min
Jul 2, 7:22 PM EDTTornado WarningILNCampbell, Kenton33 min
Jul 2, 7:28 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILNHighland, Ross47 min
Jul 2, 7:40 PM EDTTornado WarningILNWarren35 min
Jul 2, 7:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILNCampbell31 min
Jul 2, 7:49 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILNClermont46 min
Jul 2, 7:58 PM EDTTornado WarningILNCampbell47 min
Jul 2, 8:09 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXJackson, Vinton51 min
Jul 2, 8:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILNHighland33 min
Jul 2, 8:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILNAdams, Pike41 min
Jul 2, 8:29 PM EDTTornado WarningILNBracken51 min
Jul 2, 8:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningILNScioto44 min
Jul 2, 8:44 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXGallia, Meigs, Vinton46 min
Jul 2, 8:52 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXLawrence53 min
Jul 2, 9:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRLXJackson30 min
Jul 2, 9:11 PM EDTTornado WarningILNMason49 min
Jul 2, 9:20 PM EDTTornado WarningILNBrown45 min
Jul 2, 10:44 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningILNLewis2 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 70 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 12:00Z on 1997-07-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 88 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 12:00Z on 1997-07-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 88 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
88 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-213 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1070 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
88 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
154 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

692 
WWUS9 KMKC 022159
SEL6  
MKC WW 022159
OHZ000-KYZ000-030300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 556
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
559 PM EDT WED JUL 2 1997

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

   SOUTHERN OHIO                               
   NORTHERN KENTUCKY                           

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 615 PM UNTIL
1100 PM EDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 85 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF CINCINNATI OHIO TO 50
MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF ATHENS OHIO.

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.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...  CONTINUE...WW 553...WW 554...WW 555...

DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE TORNADOES
AND DAMAGING BOW ECHOES MAY SPREAD SOUTHWARD INTO SOUTHERN
OHIO/NORTHERN KENTUCKY IN REGION OF STRONG DIFFLUENCE IN EXIT
REGION OF 80 KT MID-LEVEL JET.  

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 28035.


...CORFIDI

382,0853 393,0844 393,0812 382,0822

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 2, 2:00 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCAdams, Allen, Blackford, Boone, Carroll, Cass and 40 more6 hr
Jul 2, 5:30 PM EDTTornado WatchSPCAshland, Ashtabula, Clinton, Coshocton, Crawford, Cuyahoga and 31 more6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Kentucky, 1997Tornado Watches in Ohio, 1997Tornado Watches in Indiana, 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.