Alert archive / Kentucky / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 65, NWS Louisville, KY

May 20, 1998Anderson County, Mercer County, Kentucky

NWS Louisville, KY issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 1998, 5:26 PM EDT for Anderson County, Mercer County, Kentucky. It was in force for 39 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 20, 1998, 5:26 PM EDT (21:26 UTC)
Expired
May 20, 1998, 6:05 PM EDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Louisville, KY
Area
Whole counties

Counties Anderson County, KY, Mercer County, KY

The radar

The Louisville radar (KLVX), 89 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:25 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
May 20, 5:45 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50Terrapin, KY
May 20, 5:45 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50Harrodsburg, 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 20, 5:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), launched 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 196 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 1998-05-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 7 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 1998-05-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 66 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
7 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-235 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
898 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
66 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
60 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.

432 
WUUS1 KSDF 202128 RRA
SVRSDF
KYC005-021-045-167-202205-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  ANDERSON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY
  BOYLE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY
  CASEY COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY
  MERCER COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY

* UNTIL 605 PM EDT

* AT 525 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS 35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LOUISVILLE
  CENTERED NEAR SPRINGFIELD... MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...
  LAWRENCEBURG BY 545 PM EDT
  HARRODSBURG BY 545 PM EDT
  DANVILLE BY 550 PM EDT
  LIBERTY BY 540 PM EDT

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM STAY INDOORS AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.

FUNK/KIRKPATRICK

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

Local storm report, May 20, 4:41 PM EDT, 45 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY
839 PM EDT WED MAY 20 1998

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0420 PM    PAYNEVILLE                KY   60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/20/98   MEADE                          REPORT FROM DES.
Local storm report, May 20, 5:00 PM EDT, 26 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY
858 PM EDT WED MAY 20 1998

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0435 PM    VINE GROVE                KY   WIND DAMAGE
05/20/98   HARDIN                         TREES DOWN ACROSS HIGHWAY
                                          144 AND OTHER STREETS
                                          ACROSS COUNTY. POWER LINES
                                          ALSO DOWN. REPORT FROM
                                          VINE GROVE POLICE.
Local storm report, May 20, 5:04 PM EDT, 22 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY
504 PM EDT WED MAY 20 1998

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0450 PM    SHEPHERDSVILLE            KY   WIND DAMAGE
05/20/98   BULLITT                        POWER LINES DOWN BETWEEN
                                          SHEPHERDSVILLE AND MT
                                          WASHINGTON. REPORT FROM
                                          LOCAL DISPATCH.
Local storm report, May 20, 5:10 PM EDT, 16 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY
510 PM EDT WED MAY 20 1998

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0435 PM    MARENGO                   IN   WIND DAMAGE
05/20/98   CRAWFORD                       TREES DOWN. REPORT FROM
                                          NWS SPOTTER.
Local storm report, May 20, 5:15 PM EDT, 11 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY
515 PM EDT WED MAY 20 1998

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0440 PM    CORYDON                   IN   WIND DAMAGE
05/20/98   HARRISON                       TREES AND POWER LINES
                                          DOWN. REPORT FROM SHERIFF.
Local storm report, May 20, 5:19 PM EDT, 7 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY
519 PM EDT WED MAY 20 1998

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0450 PM    VALLEY STATION            KY   WIND DAMAGE
05/20/98   JEFFERSON                      TREES DOWN ACROSS DIXIE
                                          HIGHWAY AND IN PLEASURE
                                          RIDGE PARK. REPORT FROM
                                          LOCAL POLICE.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 20, 12:45 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKJefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer35 min
May 20, 1:00 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBullitt35 min
May 20, 1:18 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKAnderson, Franklin32 min
May 20, 1:43 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKFayette32 min
May 20, 2:20 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKMadison20 min
May 20, 3:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKHancock40 min
May 20, 3:53 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBreckinridge, Meade37 min
May 20, 4:29 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBullitt, Hardin, Jefferson36 min
May 20, 4:55 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKLarue, Nelson30 min
May 20, 5:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKSpencer30 min
May 20, 5:10 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKMarion, Washington30 min
May 20, 5:15 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKGreen, Taylor30 min
May 20, 5:26 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKBoyle, Casey39 min
May 20, 5:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKJessamine, Woodford45 min
May 20, 5:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKGarrard, Lincoln45 min
May 20, 6:05 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKClark, Fayette, Madison40 min

Nearby

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