Alert archive / Indiana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 117, NWS Northern Indiana

August 18, 2001Cass County, Miami County, Indiana

NWS Northern Indiana issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 18, 2001, 4:19 PM EST for Cass County, Miami County, Indiana. It was in force for 31 min. 2 reports 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: Aug 18, 2001, 4:19 PM EST (21:19 UTC)
Expired: Aug 18, 2001, 4:50 PM EST
In force: 31 min
Issued by: NWS Northern Indiana
Area: Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Cass County, IN, Miami County, IN

The radar

The Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 92 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:20 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
Aug 18, 4:30 PM EST	Hail 0.88	Galveston, IN	Reported by public.
Aug 18, 4:35 PM EST	Hail 0.88	Wawpecong, 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
Aug 18, 12:30 PM EST	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 211 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: 192 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -146 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1002 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 92 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 136 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

116 
WUUS53 KIWX 182120
SVRFWA
INC017-103-182150-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
419 PM EST SAT AUG 18 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EXTREME SOUTHERN CASS COUNTY IN INDIANA
  SOUTHERN MIAMI COUNTY IN INDIANA

* UNTIL 450 PM EST

* AT 419 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES SOUTH OF WALTON...MOVING EAST AT 35
  MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE PATH OF THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ARE...      
  GRISSOM AIR FORCE BASE
  BUNKER HILL
  AMBOY
  GALVESTON

THREE QUARTER INCH SIZE HAIL OR LARGER IS LIKELY WITH THIS SEVERE 
STORM 

WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH ARE LIKELY WITH THIS SEVERE STORM SEEK 
SHELTER IMMEDIATELY

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT. SEVERE STORMS CAN PRODUCE
TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCED WARNING. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH
OF THIS STORM...SEEK SHELTER NOW

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

LAT...LON 4068 8637 4050 8633 4055 8591 4066 8596

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 Northern Indiana wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 18, 2:18 PM EST, 2 hours 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 18, 2:18 PM EST, 2 hours 1 minute before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
218 PM EST SAT AUG 18 2001

...TORNADO WATCH TIL 600 PM EST FOR SW CWFA...

EAST WEST BOUNDARY AND FAVORABLE WIND PROFILE AHEAD OF VIGOROUS S/W
AND UPPER JET AIDING SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IN IL. TSRA
FINALLY FIRING IN WRN FA AHEAD OF RAIN SHIELD. WL BE GOING WITH
CATEGORICAL POPS THIS EVENING AND SEVERE WORDING AHEAD OF LINE AND
IN WATCH AREA. AVN HAS BEST HANDLE ON DRY SLOT WORKING INTO NW IL
AND SW WI. ETA SIMILAR BUT LOOKS AGRESSIVE WITH FILLING THIS DRY
AREA IN. PLAN ON TIMING AN END TO TSRA IN WEST THIS EVENING AND NO
TIMING IN EAST. WRAP AROUND COMES BACK INTO PLAY AFTER MIDNIGHT IN
THE WEST. UPPER LOW DRIFTS EAST ON SUN WITH SOME INSTABILITY AND
MOISTURE LEFT OVER. WL CONT HIGHEST POPS EAST WITH THUNDER. WRN FA
DRIES OUT SUN NIGHT WITH CLOUDS SLOW TO DEPART. WEAK S/W HINTED AT
BY ETA AND AVN TO DROP SE ACRS ERN FA SO WL CONT CHC POP THERE SUN
NIGHT. LINGERING MOISTURE EAST MON BUT NOT GOING TO ADD ANY POPS
RIGHT NOW AND WILL SHOOT FOR DECREASING CLOUDS.

FAN TEMPS LOOK VERY COOL FOR SUN. WL GO CLOSER TO MAV/FWC BLEND
MOST PERIODS.

.IWX...TORNADO WATCH 676 UNTIL 23Z FOR INZ013-015-020-022>024

LASHLEY

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 18, 12:12 PM EST, 4 hours 7 minutes before

INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034-MIZ077>081-OHZ001-002-004-005-
015-016-024-025-182315-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1212 PM EST SAT AUG 18 2001

...MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHWEST INDIANA
THIS AFTERNOON...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE
REMAINDER OF NORTHERN INDIANA...SOUTHERN MICHIGAN AND NORTHWEST OHIO
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN
INDIANA...SOUTHERN MICHIGAN AND NORTHWEST OHIO THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE PRIMARY THREAT...BUT
TORNDAOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE DUE TO STRONG WIND SHEAR IN THE
LOWER LEVELS.

THE MODERATE RISK AREA IS SOUTH AND WEST OF A LINE FROM VALPARAISO
TO GOSHEN TO HARTFORD CITY INDIANA. THE REMAINDER OF NORTHERN
INDIANA...SOUTHERN MICHIGAN AND NORTHWEST OHIO IS IN THE SLIGHT RISK
AREA.

SURFACE LOW PRESSURE NEAR THE MISSISIPPI RIVER AND A STRONG
UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE THUNDERSTORMS THIS
AFTERNOON.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND LOCAL MEDIA FOR THE LATEST
WEATHER INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

LASHLEY

Local storm report, Aug 18, 3:06 PM EST, 1 hour 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
306 PM EST SAT AUG 18 2001

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

0259 PM    BUFFALO                   IN   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/18/01   WHITE                          REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT.

0303 PM    CHALMERS                  IN   .75 INCH HAIL
08/18/01   WHITE                          REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT.

Local storm report, Aug 18, 3:12 PM EST, 1 hour 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
312 PM EST SAT AUG 18 2001

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

0259 PM    BUFFALO                   IN   WIND DAMAGE
08/18/01   WHITE                          NUMEROUS TREES DOWN.
                                          REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT.

Local storm report, Aug 18, 3:17 PM EST, 1 hour 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
317 PM EST SAT AUG 18 2001

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

0310 PM    1 SW ROCHESTER            IN   .75 INCH HAIL
08/18/01   FULTON                         REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT.

Local storm report, Aug 18, 4:01 PM EST, 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
401 PM EST SAT AUG 18 2001

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

0345 PM    2 N LOGANSPORT            IN   WIND DAMAGE
08/18/01   CASS                           TREE DOWN.  REPORTED BY
                                          LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

0346 PM    3 N LOGANSPORT            IN   WIND DAMAGE
08/18/01   CASS                           TREE DOWN.  REPORTED BY
                                          LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Northern Indiana issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 18, 2:46 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IWX	White	34 min
Aug 18, 2:53 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IWX	White	47 min
Aug 18, 3:20 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IWX	Cass	40 min
Aug 18, 4:42 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IWX	Grant	38 min
Aug 18, 4:51 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IWX	Allen, Huntington, Wells	39 min
Aug 18, 5:12 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IWX	Blackford	28 min
Aug 18, 5:23 PM EST	Tornado Warning	IWX	Allen	27 min
Aug 18, 5:37 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	IWX	Adams	53 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Indiana, 2001 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2001

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.