Alert archive / Indiana / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Indianapolis, IN

September 20, 2002Knox County, Indiana

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this tornado warning at Sep 20, 2002, 11:28 AM EST for Knox County, Indiana. It was in force for 32 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Sep 20, 2002, 11:28 AM EST (16:28 UTC)
Expired
Sep 20, 2002, 12:00 PM EST
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Knox County, IN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Sep 20, 11:35 AM ESTTornado F0Petersburg, INThe tornado path began in a remote area just south of the White River near County Road 775 in far northwestern Pike County. The tornado was only on the ground for a mile before crossing the White River into Knox County. No known structural damage occurred in P
Sep 20, 11:37 AM ESTTornado F2Monroe City, 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

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 4.5 hours before the alert went out and 203 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, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2002-09-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 429 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2002-09-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 163 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
429 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
454 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
163 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
174 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
2.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

574 
WFUS53 KIND 201628
TORIND
INC083-201700-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
1128 AM EST FRI SEP 20 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN INDIANAPOLIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN KNOX COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST INDIANA

* UNTIL NOON EST

* AT 1123 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO OVER DECKER...OR
  ABOUT 13 MILES SOUTH OF VINCENNES...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  MONROE CITY AT 1140 AM EST
  WHEATLAND AT 1145 AM EST

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. IF NO
BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...GO TO THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM. GET UNDER STURDY FURNITURE OR USE BLANKETS
OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY.

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.

LAT...LON 3850 8764 3837 8748 3857 8724 3878 8733

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 19, 7:35 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDClay, Sullivan, Vigo25 min
Sep 20, 11:39 AM ESTTornado WarningINDDaviess51 min
Sep 20, 11:50 AM ESTTornado WarningINDDaviess, Greene, Knox25 min
Sep 20, 12:14 PM ESTTornado WarningINDGreene, Owen46 min
Sep 20, 12:15 PM ESTTornado WarningINDDaviess, Greene30 min
Sep 20, 12:39 PM ESTTornado WarningINDGreene, Monroe, Owen36 min
Sep 20, 12:42 PM ESTTornado WarningINDMorgan, Owen33 min
Sep 20, 1:04 PM ESTTornado WarningINDMorgan41 min
Sep 20, 1:08 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDHendricks37 min
Sep 20, 1:22 PM ESTTornado WarningINDJohnson, Marion38 min
Sep 20, 1:46 PM ESTTornado Warning EmergencyINDHancock44 min
Sep 20, 1:53 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDJackson, Lawrence37 min
Sep 20, 1:58 PM ESTTornado WarningINDMarion17 min
Sep 20, 2:06 PM ESTTornado WarningINDMadison54 min
Sep 20, 2:07 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDHamilton23 min
Sep 20, 2:09 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDBartholomew, Brown66 min
Sep 20, 2:44 PM ESTTornado WarningINDDelaware46 min
Sep 20, 3:02 PM ESTTornado WarningINDRush28 min
Sep 20, 3:03 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDDecatur, Jennings42 min
Sep 20, 3:19 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDRandolph41 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Indiana, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes in 2002

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.