Alert archive / Indiana / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Indianapolis, IN

May 11, 2003Henry County, Indiana

NWS Indianapolis, IN issued this tornado warning at May 11, 2003, 3:59 AM EST for Henry County, Indiana. It was in force for 31 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 11, 2003, 3:59 AM EST (08:59 UTC)
Expired
May 11, 2003, 4:30 AM EST
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Indianapolis, IN
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Henry County, IN

The radar

The Indianapolis radar (KIND), 83 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:02 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 nearest sounding before it

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), launched 00:00Z, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 141 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 2003-05-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1265 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 2003-05-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 411 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
1265 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-64 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
897 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
71 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
411 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
392 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
3.2
Supercell composite
17.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KIND 110859
TORIND
INC065-110930-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
359 AM EST SUN MAY 11 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN INDIANAPOLIS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  HENRY COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL INDIANA

* UNTIL 430 AM EST

* AT 357 AM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF KNIGHTSTOWN...OR ABOUT 16 MILES NORTHEAST OF
  SHELBYVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

* THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  KNIGHTSTOWN AT 405 AM EST
  SPICELAND AT 410 AM EST
  NEW CASTLE AT 420 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 3990 8521 3979 8534 3980 8559 4006 8535

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 10, 10:36 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDPutnam39 min
May 10, 10:51 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDHendricks, Morgan39 min
May 10, 11:01 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDMarion44 min
May 10, 11:16 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningINDJackson, Jennings44 min
May 11, 3:34 AM ESTTornado WarningINDShelby26 min
May 11, 3:49 AM ESTTornado WarningINDRush41 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Indiana, 2003Every tornado warning in 2003Tornadoes in 2003

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.