Alert archive / Indiana / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 19, NWS Louisville, KY

April 15, 1998Orange County, Indiana

NWS Louisville, KY issued this tornado warning at Apr 15, 1998, 9:07 PM EST for Orange County, Indiana. It was in force for 43 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 15, 1998, 9:07 PM EST (02:07 UTC)
Expired
Apr 15, 1998, 9:50 PM EST
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Louisville, KY
Area
Whole counties

County Orange County, IN

The radar

The Louisville radar (KLVX), 79 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:10 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 15, 8:45 PM ESTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), launched 00:00Z, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 253 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 00:00Z on 1998-04-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 1998-04-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 137 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
835 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
137 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
283 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

784 
WFUS1 KSDF 160208 RRA
TORSDF
INC117-160250-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
1007 PM EDT WED APR 15 1998

* TORNADO WARNING FOR
  EXTREME NORTHERN ORANGE COUNTY - SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA

* UNTIL 950 PM EST (1050 PM EDT)

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
  SCARLET BY 910 EST
  ORLEANS BY 930 PM EST

* AT 9PM EST WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE
  TORNADO ON THE MARTIN/ORANGE COUNTY LINE OF SOUTHCENTRAL INDIANA...
  50 MILES NORTHWEST OF LOUISVILLE. THE STORM WAS MOVING TO THE EAST
  AT 30 MPH.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS
TORNADO...SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IN A BASEMENT OR INTERIOR ROOM
ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR BUILDING. ABANDON MOBILE HOMES.

RNK

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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, Apr 15, 6:15 PM EST, 2 hours 52 minutes before
KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-061>067-070>078-081-082-INZ076-079-083-
084-089>092-160830-

CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH-CENTRAL INDIANA SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
715 PM EDT WED APR 15 1998

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS INDICATED THAT A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS ACROSS ALL OF WESTERN AND A PORTION OF SOUTH
CENTRAL KENTUCKY TONIGHT. ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF CENTRAL
KENTUCKY AND SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA...A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION WITH THE
POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES ACROSS THE
MODERATE AND HIGH RISK AREAS.

WARM...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR LIES ACROSS CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH
CENTRAL INDIANA THIS EVENING.  THIS UNSTABLE AIR MASS CONTINUES TO
BE CONDUCIVE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE WEATHER TONIGHT.
<
WITH MODERATE TO STRONG INSTABILITY AND DEEP LAYERED VERTICAL WIND
SHEAR IN PLACE...SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP ACROSS
PARTS OF MISSOURI...NORTHERN ARKANSAS...AND WESTERN PORTIONS
OF KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE WITHIN THE HIGH RISK AREA. THESE STORMS
WILL THEN MOVE EAST ACROSS CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH CENTRAL
INDIANA TONIGHT.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES.

THIS IS AN UPDATED OUTLOOK. STAY TUNED FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OR MEDIA OUTLETS AS WEATHER
CONDITIONS CHANGE. SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES AND WARNINGS MAY BE NEEDED
LATER TONIGHT.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NECESSARY TONIGHT ACROSS CENTRAL KENTUCKY
AND SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA.

RNK
Special weather statement, Apr 15, 6:15 PM EST, 2 hours 52 minutes before
KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-061>067-070>078-081-082-INZ076-079-083-
084-089>092-160830-

CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH-CENTRAL INDIANA SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
715 PM EDT WED APR 15 1998

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS INDICATED THAT A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS ACROSS ALL OF WESTERN AND A PORTION OF SOUTH
CENTRAL KENTUCKY TONIGHT. ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF CENTRAL
KENTUCKY AND SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA...A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION WITH THE
POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES ACROSS THE
MODERATE AND HIGH RISK AREAS.

WARM...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR LIES ACROSS CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH
CENTRAL INDIANA THIS EVENING.  THIS UNSTABLE AIR MASS CONTINUES TO
BE CONDUCIVE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE WEATHER TONIGHT.
<
WITH MODERATE TO STRONG INSTABILITY AND DEEP LAYERED VERTICAL WIND
SHEAR IN PLACE...SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP ACROSS
PARTS OF MISSOURI...NORTHERN ARKANSAS...AND WESTERN PORTIONS
OF KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE WITHIN THE HIGH RISK AREA. THESE STORMS
WILL THEN MOVE EAST ACROSS CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND SOUTH CENTRAL
INDIANA TONIGHT.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES.

THIS IS AN UPDATED OUTLOOK. STAY TUNED FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OR MEDIA OUTLETS AS WEATHER
CONDITIONS CHANGE. SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES AND WARNINGS MAY BE NEEDED
LATER TONIGHT.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NECESSARY TONIGHT ACROSS CENTRAL KENTUCKY
AND SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA.

RNK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 16, 12:26 AM ESTTornado WarningLMKDubois34 min
Apr 16, 1:07 AM ESTTornado WarningLMKOrange23 min
Apr 16, 1:30 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKCrawford30 min
Apr 16, 1:41 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLMKHarrison, Washington34 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Indiana, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.