Alert archive / Indiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 18, NWS Indianapolis, IN

May 2, 1998Vigo County, Indiana

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 2, 1998, 4:48 PM EST for Vigo County, Indiana. It was in force for 47 min. 2 reports 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 2, 1998, 4:48 PM EST (21:48 UTC)
Expired
May 2, 1998, 5:35 PM EST
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area
Whole counties

County Vigo County, IN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 2, 5:00 PM ESTThunderstorm WindNew Goshen, INTrees and power lines downed.
May 2, 5:12 PM ESTThunderstorm Wind 51Seelyville, 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

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 131 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 1998-05-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4 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, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 1998-05-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 113 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
4 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-189 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1009 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
113 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
150 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.

988 
WUUS1 KIND 022150 RRA
SVRIND
INC167-022235-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
448 PM EST SAT MAY 2 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN INDIANAPOLIS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN VIGO COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL INDIANA

* UNTIL 535 PM EST

* AT 445 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF TERRE HAUTE... MOVING
  EAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  NEW GOSHEN BY 500 PM
  SEELYVILLE BY 530 PM

SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY CONTAIN HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...DEADLY
LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN.

ELSON

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, May 2, 3:57 PM EST, 51 minutes before
INZ060-061-067>075-080>082-085>088-030200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
357 PM EST SAT MAY 2 1998

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN INDIANA
UNTIL 900 PM EST...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN INDIANA TO THE
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 10 MILES SOUTH OF TERRE HAUTE TO 10 MILES NORTH
OF BEDFORD TO 10 MILES NORTH OF NORTH VERNON TO 10 MILES NORTH OF
LAWRENCEBURG.

A FEW CITIES IN THE WATCH AREA ARE EVANSVILLE...BEDFORD...SEYMOUR...
SCOTTSBURG AND MADISON. THE WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM SATURDAY
EVENING.

THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING ALONG A COLD FRONT THAT WAS MOVING
EASTWARD ACROSS SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND WESTERN KENTUCKY. THESE STORMS
WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHWEST INDIANA BY 500 PM CDT. THE MAIN THREAT FROM
THESE STORMS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. PERSONS IN THE
WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER
CONDITIONS AND SEEK SHELTER IF NECESSARY.

RPG
Special weather statement, May 2, 3:57 PM EST, 51 minutes before
INZ060-061-067>075-080>082-085>088-030200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
357 PM EST SAT MAY 2 1998

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN INDIANA
UNTIL 900 PM EST...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN INDIANA TO THE
SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 10 MILES SOUTH OF TERRE HAUTE TO 10 MILES NORTH
OF BEDFORD TO 10 MILES NORTH OF NORTH VERNON TO 10 MILES NORTH OF
LAWRENCEBURG.

A FEW CITIES IN THE WATCH AREA ARE EVANSVILLE...BEDFORD...SEYMOUR...
SCOTTSBURG AND MADISON. THE WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM SATURDAY
EVENING.

THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING ALONG A COLD FRONT THAT WAS MOVING
EASTWARD ACROSS SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND WESTERN KENTUCKY. THESE STORMS
WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHWEST INDIANA BY 500 PM CDT. THE MAIN THREAT FROM
THESE STORMS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. PERSONS IN THE
WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER
CONDITIONS AND SEEK SHELTER IF NECESSARY.

RPG

The office that day

Everything else NWS Indianapolis, IN issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 2, 4:36 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDVermillion39 min
May 2, 5:05 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDClay50 min
May 2, 5:34 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDOwen61 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Indiana, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998

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.