Alert archive / Indiana / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 54, NWS Paducah, KY

April 19, 2011Pike County, Spencer County, Warrick County, Indiana

NWS Paducah, KY issued this tornado warning at Apr 19, 2011, 11:03 PM EDT for Pike County, Spencer County, Warrick County, Indiana. It was in force for 27 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: Apr 19, 2011, 11:03 PM EDT (03:03 UTC)
Expired: Apr 19, 2011, 11:30 PM EDT
In force: 27 min
Issued by: NWS Paducah, KY
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Pike County, IN, Spencer County, IN, Warrick County, IN

The radar

The Evansville,IN radar (KVWX), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:03 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this tornado warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Apr 19, 7:46 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 00:00Z, 3.1 hours before the alert went out and 231 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: 1997 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -93 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1626 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 92 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 239 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.4
Supercell composite: 7.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

709 
WFUS53 KPAH 200303
TORPAH
INC125-147-173-200330-
/O.NEW.KPAH.TO.W.0054.110420T0303Z-110420T0330Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1003 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PADUCAH HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN PIKE COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST INDIANA...
  NORTHEASTERN SPENCER COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST INDIANA...
  NORTHERN WARRICK COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST INDIANA...

* UNTIL 1030 PM CDT.

* AT 959 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 6 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF LYNNVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 75 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  LYNNVILLE...
  FOLSOMVILLE...
  DALE...
  SANTA CLAUS...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

NOW IS THE TIME TO IMPLEMENT YOUR TORNADO PLAN OF ACTION. SEEK
SHELTER INDOORS IN A BASEMENT...OR IN AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A HOME OR BUILDING.

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 
80 MPH.

&&

LAT...LON 3816 8681 3812 8681 3809 8740 3818 8742
      3830 8707 3821 8707 3821 8685 3821 8684
      3821 8680 3820 8679
TIME...MOT...LOC 0303Z 251DEG 66KT 3816 8732

$$

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.

NWS Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Apr 19, 4:22 PM EDT, 6 hours 41 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 19, 4:22 PM EDT, 6 hours 41 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
322 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011

.DISCUSSION...

...MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT FOR MOST OF
REGION...

IN WAIT MODE AT CURRENT TIME ACROSS OUR FORECAST AREA AS CONVECTION
IS BEGINNING TO INITIATE ALONG FRONTAL BOUNDARY MOVING EAST INTO SW
AND CENTRAL MO. MOST OF OUR AREA REMAINS UNDER A VERY SHARP CAP...AS
EVIDENT ON 16Z RUC SOUNDINGS. THIS CAP SHOULD KEEP MOST LOCATIONS
STORM FREE UNTIL IT WEAKENS AND JUST AHEAD OF THE LINE OF STORMS
VERY LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY THIS EVENING. MODERATE RISK
OF SEVERE STORMS WITH THE ENTIRE BAG OF SEVERE RISKS POSSIBLE...
ESPECIALLY WITH DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL...ISOLATED
TORNADOES AND EVEN THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN ALONG ALONG AND
BEHIND THE LINE OF STORMS.

STILL IS SOME CONCERN THAT A PREFRONTAL SURFACE TROF WILL DEVELOP
OUT AHEAD OF THE MAIN FRONT/LINE OF STORMS EARLY TONIGHT. IF THIS
OCCURS AND FORCING IS STRONG ENOUGH TO ERODE THE CURRENT THERMAL
CAP...WE COULD END UP WITH INDIVIDUAL/DISCRETE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY
OUT AHEAD OF THE MAIN LINE....ESP THIS EVENING. IF THIS WERE TO
OCCUR...ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS WOULD BE MORE FAVORABLE FOR VERY
LARGE HAIL AND A CREATE LARGER POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES TO SPIN UP.
THIS SITUATION APPEARS MORE LIKELY ALONG AND NW OF THE OHIO
RIVER...AND IN SE MO.

THE MODELS TRENDED A BIT FASTER AND HAVE STAYED THE COURSE. BY 06Z...
THE LOW SHOULD BE OVER NCNTRL INDIANA WITH THE TRAILING COLD FRONT
JUST EAST OF THE OHIO RIVER. THEREFORE WE LOWERED POPS CONSIDERABLY
AFTER MIDNIGHT FROM THE WEST. WE HAVE WEDNESDAY AND NIGHT DRY GIVEN
THE INFLUENCE OF SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE TO OUR NORTH PUSHING SOUTH
THROUGH THE REGION.

THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT POPS ARE ON THE INCREASE AS MID LEVEL
FLOW BECOMES MORE SWLY AND DRAWS THE SFC BOUNDARY BACK NORTH ACROSS
THE AREA AS A WARM FRONT THU NIGHT. BEST CHANCE FOR ANY STRONG STORM
WOULD LIKELY BE JUST NORTH OF THE WARM FRONT THU NIGHT...SO
INCREASED POPS INTO THE LIKELY RANGE OVER MUCH OF THE REGION.

ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE LONG TERM AS THE
STORM TRACK CHANGES LITTLE. MODERATELY STRONG WEST/SOUTHWEST MID
LEVEL FLOW WILL STEER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS
TO THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY/WESTERN GREAT LAKES. THIS SHOULD
RESULT IN A GENERALLY WARM AND HUMID PATTERN...WITH PERIODS OF
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. REGARDING THE DAILY DETAILS...

ON FRIDAY...A SURFACE WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTH OF THE LOWER OHIO
VALLEY. PRECIPITATION WILL DIMINISH FROM SOUTH TO NORTH DURING THE
DAY...WITH SOME CLEARING LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON.

ON FRIDAY NIGHT...A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST TOWARD THE MID
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. COMPARED TO TONIGHTS SYSTEM...THE FRIDAY NIGHT
SYSTEM LOOKS TO BE A LITTLE WEAKER AND FURTHER NORTHWEST. IN
FACT...THE 12Z GEFS KEEPS THE CENTRAL PRESSURE ABOVE 1000 MB AT ITS
DEEPEST POINT. FORECAST CAPES AND WIND FIELDS ARE NOT AS IMPRESSIVE
AS THIS EVENING...BUT STILL EASILY SUFFICIENT FOR ORGANIZED
SEVERE.

ON SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...THE MODELS REMAIN HIGHLY DIVERGENT WITH
RESPECT TO THE FRONTAL MOVEMENT. THE 12Z GFS REMAINS CONSISTENT WITH
PREVIOUS RUNS BY STALLING THE FRONT OVER THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY
THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE 12Z HPC AND ECMWF SOLUTIONS KEEP THE FRONT
FARTHER NORTH. FORECAST WILL LEAN TOWARD THE SOMEWHAT WARMER AND
DRIER HPC/ECMWF SOLUTIONS.

EARLY NEXT WEEK...A DEEPENING 500 MB TROUGH OVER THE PLAINS WILL
RESULT IN SURFACE CYCLOGENESIS WELL TO OUR WEST. DEPENDING ON THE
TRACK OF THE SYSTEM...ANOTHER ROUND OF SEVERE STORMS IS POSSIBLE.
THE MODELS SEEM TO BE TRENDING SLOWER AND STRONGER WITH THE
SYSTEM...MEANING THAT MONDAY IS LOOKING WARMER AND DRIER WHILE
TUESDAY IS MORE LIKELY TO BE ACTIVE.

CHANCES FOR HEAVY RAIN/FLOODING POTENTIAL WILL HEAVILY DEPEND ON THE
FRONTAL MOVEMENT THIS WEEKEND...WHICH THE MODELS ARE STILL HAVING
TROUBLE WITH.

&&

.AVIATION...
WINDS WILL BE S TO SW AT 10 TO 20 KTS WITH GUSTS TO 30 KTS THIS
AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING...AHEAD OF ADVANCING STRONG COLD FRONT
THAT SHOULD DEVELOP WIDESPREAD CONVECTION/SQUALL LINE THAT WILL
LIKELY BRING AT LEAST SCT...IF NOT WIDESPREAD...WIND GUSTS FROM 40
TO 60 KTS. LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE
ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION TONIGHT...BEGINNING 00Z TO 05Z THIS EVENING
KCGI TO KPAH...04Z TO 09Z AS BEST GUESS IN TIMING FOR KEVV TO KOWB.
IFR CLOUDS WILL LIKELY PERSIST THROUGH MUCH OF THE LATTER PORTION OF
THE FORECAST PERIOD.

&&

.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KY...NONE.
MO...NONE.
IL...NONE.
IN...NONE.
&&

MEFFERT/MY

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 19, 7:46 PM EDT, 3 hours 17 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
646 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-
100-107>112-114-201015-
JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON-
WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION IL-JOHNSON-POPE-
HARDIN-ALEXANDER-PULASKI-MASSAC-GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-VANDERBURGH-
WARRICK-SPENCER-FULTON-HICKMAN-CARLISLE-BALLARD-MCCRACKEN-GRAVES-
LIVINGSTON-MARSHALL-CALLOWAY-CRITTENDEN-LYON-TRIGG-CALDWELL-
UNION KY-WEBSTER-HOPKINS-CHRISTIAN-HENDERSON-DAVIESS-MCLEAN-
MUHLENBERG-TODD-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-WAYNE MO-CARTER-
RIPLEY-BUTLER-STODDARD-SCOTT-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID-
646 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY...AND SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE QUAD STATE UNTIL 200 AM.
REFER TO THE WATCH FOR DETAILS.

A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES. LARGE
HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND A FEW TORNADOES WILL ALL BE POSSIBLE
WITH ANY SEVERE STORMS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO A THREAT.
INDIVIDUAL STORM MOTION SHOULD BE NORTHEAST FROM 40 TO 50 MPH.

REFER TO RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS AND STATEMENTS FOR DETAILS ON
WIDESPREAD MINOR TO MODERATE RIVER FLOODING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT...OFF AND
ON THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS
CANNOT BE RULED OUT.

MINOR TO MODERATE RIVER FLOODING IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE THROUGH
MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED FOR THE WATCH TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 19, 10:51 PM EDT, 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
951 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0947 PM     TSTM WND GST     VIENNA                  37.41N 88.89W
04/19/2011  M75 MPH          JOHNSON            IL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SEVERAL TREES DOWN WEST OF THE CITY LIMITS AND DIME SIZE
            HAIL

&&

DLL

Local storm report, Apr 19, 10:52 PM EDT, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
952 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0951 PM     TSTM WND GST     OLIVE BRANCH            37.17N 89.35W
04/19/2011  M95 MPH          ALEXANDER          IL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            WIND GUST MEASURED. NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN.
            POWER OUTAGES REPORTED.

&&

SMITTY

Local storm report, Apr 19, 10:58 PM EDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
958 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0958 PM     TSTM WND GST     FORT BRANCH             38.25N 87.57W
04/19/2011  M59 MPH          GIBSON             IN   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

SMITTY

Local storm report, Apr 19, 10:59 PM EDT, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
959 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0959 PM     TSTM WND GST     EVANSVILLE              37.98N 87.54W
04/19/2011  M76 MPH          VANDERBURGH        IN   ASOS

&&

SMITTY

Local storm report, Apr 19, 11:00 PM EDT, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1000 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0955 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     PARMA                   36.61N 89.82W
04/19/2011                   NEW MADRID         MO   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            FUNNEL IS ROTATING.

&&

SMITTY

Local storm report, Apr 19, 11:03 PM EDT, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1003 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1000 PM     TSTM WND GST     2 W EAST PRAIRIE        36.78N 89.42W
04/19/2011  E70 MPH          MISSISSIPPI        MO   TRAINED SPOTTER

            WIND GUSTS OCCURRING ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI AND NEW MADRID
            COUNTY LINE. WIND STRONG ENOUGH TO MOVE VEHICLE.

&&

SMITTY

The office that day

Everything else NWS Paducah, KY issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 19, 10:13 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Posey	32 min
Apr 19, 10:17 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Gibson, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, Warrick	58 min
Apr 19, 10:19 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PAH	Posey	3 hr
Apr 19, 10:29 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Gibson, Posey	31 min
Apr 19, 10:45 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick	30 min
Apr 19, 10:46 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PAH	Gibson, Pike, Spencer, Vanderburgh, Warrick	3 hr
Apr 19, 10:50 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Gibson, Pike	25 min
Apr 19, 11:07 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PAH	Gibson, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, Warrick	53 min
Apr 19, 11:16 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Pike	11 min
Apr 19, 11:23 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	PAH	Spencer	15 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Indiana, 2011 Every tornado warning in 2011 Tornadoes in 2011

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.