Alert archive / Indiana / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Indianapolis, IN

May 17, 1999Randolph County, Indiana

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this tornado warning at May 17, 1999, 8:26 PM EST for Randolph County, Indiana. It was in force for 34 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, 8:26 PM EST (01:26 UTC)
Expired: May 17, 1999, 9:00 PM EST
In force: 34 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), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:27 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, 8:35 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 nearest sounding before it

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), launched 00:00Z, 1.4 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 
WFUS1 KIND 180128 RRA
TORIND
INC135-180200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
826 PM EST MON MAY 17 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN INDIANAPOLIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  RANDOLPH COUNTY IN INDIANA

* UNTIL 900 PM EST

* AT 817 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  THUNDERSTORM WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF          
  WINCHESTER...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  RURAL AT 835 PM EST
  SNOW HILL AT 835 PM
  WINCHESTER AT 840 PM EST
  
THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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

LAT...LON 4005 8519 4004 8487 4029 8486 4029 8517

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

Local storm report, May 17, 8:03 PM EST, 23 minutes before

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

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

0735 PM    FAIRLAND                  IN    WIND DAMAGE
05/17/99   SHELBY                          SEVERAL TREES DOWN.
                                           REPORTED BY AMATEUR
                                           RADIO.

Local storm report, May 17, 8:03 PM EST, 23 minutes before

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

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

0735 PM    FAIRLAND                  IN    WIND DAMAGE
05/17/99   SHELBY                          SEVERAL TREES DOWN.
                                           REPORTED BY AMATEUR
                                           RADIO.

Local storm report, May 17, 8:09 PM EST, 17 minutes before

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

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

0805 PM    LEWISVILLE                IN    TORNADO
05/17/99   HENRY                           BARNS
                                           DAMAGED...REPORTED BY
                                           AMATEUR RADIO.

Local storm report, May 17, 8:09 PM EST, 17 minutes before

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

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

0805 PM    LEWISVILLE                IN    TORNADO
05/17/99   HENRY                           BARNS
                                           DAMAGED...REPORTED BY
                                           AMATEUR RADIO.

Local storm report, May 17, 8:20 PM EST, 6 minutes before

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

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

0815 PM    WINDFALL                  IN    TORNADO
05/17/99   TIPTON                          REPORTED BY
                                           CITIZEN...UNCONFIRMED

Local storm report, May 17, 8:20 PM EST, 6 minutes before

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

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

0815 PM    WINDFALL                  IN    TORNADO
05/17/99   TIPTON                          REPORTED BY
                                           CITIZEN...UNCONFIRMED

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 17, 7:09 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IND	Randolph	51 min
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

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Indiana, 1999 Every tornado warning in 1999 Tornadoes 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.