Alert archive / Kentucky / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 79, NWS Jackson, KY

May 20, 1998Pulaski County, Rockcastle County, Kentucky

NWS Jackson, KY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 1998, 6:01 PM EDT for Pulaski County, Rockcastle County, Kentucky. It was in force for 29 min. 3 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 20, 1998, 6:01 PM EDT (22:01 UTC)
Expired: May 20, 1998, 6:30 PM EDT
In force: 29 min
Issued by: NWS Jackson, KY
Area: Whole counties

Counties Pulaski County, KY, Rockcastle County, KY

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 20, 6:18 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Science Hill, KY	Trees were downed in the northern part of the county.
May 20, 6:21 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Brodhead, KY	Trees and power lines were downed, and several buildings were damaged.
May 20, 6:35 PM EDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Livingston, KY	Trees were downed.

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 20, 5:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 228 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: 647 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -298 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1537 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 68 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 100 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.

664 
WUUS1 KJKL 202203 RRA
SVRJKL
KYC199-203-202230-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
601 PM EDT WED MAY 20 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN PULASKI COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY
  ROCKCASTLE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY

* UNTIL 630 PM EDT

* AT 605 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF SOMERSET... MOVING EAST
  AT 50 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  BANDY AT 615 PM EDT
  MOUNT VERNON AT 620 PM EDT

THIS STORM HAS THE CAPABILITY TO PRODUCE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH.
THIS WILL LIKELY TAKE DOWN TREES WHERE IT MOVES THROUGH. GO
INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS

RAB/CEG

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 Jackson, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 20, 2:40 PM EDT, 3 hours 21 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 20, 2:40 PM EDT, 3 hours 21 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
240 PM EDT WED MAY 20 1998

ETA...AVN HANDLING WELL...AGREEING WELL WITH PREVIOUAS RUN. FRONT
SAGGING SOUTH WITH WEAK RDG OVER CENTRAL US. THUNDERSTORMS MOVG ALONG
FRONT TO SE.

WITH SUNSHINE...GOOD WARMING OVER EAST KENTUCKY. DEWPTS HAVE INCRD
THROUGH DAY TO MID 60S. NO STRONG LIFT BUT MODIFIED SOUNDINGS INDICATE
PLENTY OF INSTABILITY.

OVERALL...TIMING OF THUNDERSTORMS INTO EAST KENTUCKY BIG PROBLEM FOR
THIS EVENING. ONLY WK PUFFY CU PRESENT...WITH NO VERT DEVELOPMENT.
THINK ACTIVITY WILL MOVE IN FROM WEST...TOWARD SUNDOWN.

JKL 64/83/55/78 4210
LOZ 61/82/55/80 4310

MARSHALL

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 20, 1:42 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Morgan	68 min
May 20, 1:48 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Rowan	47 min
May 20, 2:29 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Johnson	51 min
May 20, 6:13 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Estill, Jackson	47 min
May 20, 6:23 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Rockcastle	17 min
May 20, 6:38 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Clay, Lee, Owsley	47 min
May 20, 6:51 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Powell	29 min
May 20, 7:00 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Breathitt, Wolfe	45 min
May 20, 7:53 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	JKL	Floyd, Knott	47 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Kentucky, 1998 Every 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.