Alert archive / Indiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1999

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 49, NWS Indianapolis, IN

May 17, 1999Randolph County, Indiana

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 1999, 7:09 PM EST for Randolph County, Indiana. It was in force for 51 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: May 17, 1999, 7:09 PM EST (00:09 UTC)
Expired: May 17, 1999, 8:00 PM EST
In force: 51 min
Issued by: NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area: Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Randolph County, IN

The radar

The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:09 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 17, 7:24 PM EST	Thunderstorm Wind 50	Farmland, 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 watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 17, 1:35 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), launched 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 133 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: 572 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -88 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1617 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 51 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 111 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.

999 
WUUS1 KIND 180010 RRA
SVRIND
INC135-180100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
709 PM EST MON MAY 17 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN INDIANAPOLIS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  RANDOLPH COUNTY IN INDIANA

* UNTIL 800 PM EST

* AT 659 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 16 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WINCHESTER...OR ABOUT 15
  MILES SOUTHEAST OF MUNCIE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  WINCHESTER AT 740 PM EST
  SARATOGA AT 750 PM EST

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN INDIANAPOLIS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EST MONDAY
EVENING FOR INDIANA. 

LAT...LON 4005 8518 4007 8484 4029 8483 4028 8518

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 17, 6:12 PM EST, 57 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
612 PM EST MON MAY 17 1999

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

0607 PM    1 N LINTON                IN    WIND DAMAGE
05/17/99   GREENE                          TREES DOWNED. REPORTED
                                           BY STATE POLICE.

Local storm report, May 17, 6:12 PM EST, 57 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
612 PM EST MON MAY 17 1999

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

0607 PM    1 N LINTON                IN    WIND DAMAGE
05/17/99   GREENE                          TREES DOWNED. REPORTED
                                           BY STATE POLICE.

Local storm report, May 17, 6:31 PM EST, 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
631 PM EST MON MAY 17 1999

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

0628 PM    1 N CLAY CITY             IN    TORNADO
05/17/99   CLAY                            REPORTED BY VOLUNTEER
                                           FIRE CHIEF....DEBRIS
                                           SIGHTED.

Local storm report, May 17, 6:46 PM EST, 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
646 PM EST MON MAY 17 1999

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

0615 PM    SULLIVAN                  IN    WIND DAMAGE
05/17/99   SULLIVAN                        TREE LIMBS
                                           DOWN...REPORTED BY HAM
                                           RADIO OPERATORS

0636 PM    ELLETTSVILLE              IN    50 MPH TSTM GUST
05/17/99   MONROE                          ESTIMATED WINDS BY HAM
                                           OPERATORS

0643 PM    WHITAKER                  IN    65 MPH TSTM GUST
05/17/99   MORGAN                          REPORTED BY HAM RADIO
                                           OPERATOR

Local storm report, May 17, 7:01 PM EST, 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
701 PM EST MON MAY 17 1999

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

0655 PM    12 S GREENCASTLE          IN    TORNADO
05/17/99   PUTNAM                          STATE EMERGENCY
                                           MANAGEMENT REPORTS
                                           TORNADO SIGHTED AT SR
                                           231 AND CR 1200S.
                                           ...NOW BACK TO A FUNEL.
                                           TREES DOWN ON US 231.

Local storm report, May 17, 7:06 PM EST, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
706 PM EST MON MAY 17 1999

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

0655 PM    GREENCASTLE               IN    WIND DAMAGE
05/17/99   PUTNAM                          TREES AND POWER LINES
                                           DOWN

0655 PM    PUTNAMVILLE               IN    WIND DAMAGE
05/17/99   PUTNAM                          TREES AND POWER LINES
                                           DOWN

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 17, 7:12 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Decatur, Shelby	48 min
May 17, 7:12 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Jennings	48 min
May 17, 7:15 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Hendricks, Marion	45 min
May 17, 7:18 PM EST	Tornado Warning	IND	Shelby	27 min
May 17, 7:38 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Rush	52 min
May 17, 7:44 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Boone, Hamilton	46 min
May 17, 7:51 PM EST	Tornado Warning	IND	Rush	24 min
May 17, 7:58 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Henry	32 min
May 17, 8:06 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Madison, Tipton	39 min
May 17, 8:08 PM EST	Tornado Warning	IND	Henry	37 min
May 17, 8:17 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Randolph	43 min
May 17, 8:26 PM EST	Tornado Warning	IND	Randolph	34 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Indiana, 1999 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1999

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.