Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Fort Worth, TX

April 4, 1986Van Zandt County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at Apr 4, 1986, 8:35 PM CST for Van Zandt County, Texas. It was in force for 55 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 4, 1986, 8:35 PM CST (02:35 UTC)
Expired
Apr 4, 1986, 9:30 PM CST
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Van Zandt County, TX

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Longview/Gregg, TX (KGGG), launched 00:00Z, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 118 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, Longview/Gregg, TX at 00:00Z on 1986-04-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2157 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Longview/Gregg, TX at 00:00Z on 1986-04-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 76 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
2157 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1179 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
76 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
149 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.0
Supercell composite
5.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFTW 050235
TORFTW
TXC467-050330-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
835 PM CST FRI APR 4 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 930 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

NORTHEAST TEXAS...VAN ZANDT

AT 825 PM SEVERAL REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS..WITH A POSSIBLE
BRIEF TOUCHDOWN OF A TORNADO..ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
CANTON HAVE BEEN RECEIVED. THE PARENT STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 20 MPH. THE STORM IS PART OF A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
THAT CONTINUED ACROSS VAN ZANDT COUNTY.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO..GO TO A BASEMENT SHELTER
OR A CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. ABANDON CARS AND
MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR
CULVERT.

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

Special weather statement, Apr 4, 3:19 PM CST, 5 hours 16 minutes before
^FTWSPSACT

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
310 PM CST FRI APR 4 1986

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR
   BOSQUE..HILL...LIMESTONE..CORYELL..MCLENNAN AND LEON COUNTIES OF
   CENTRAL TEXAS...

AT 3PM CST WACO WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
FROM NORTHEAST OF DALLAS TO CLEBURNE TO MERIDIAN TO HAMILTON TO JUST
NORTH OF SAN SABA.  MOVEMENT OF THE LINE WAS EAST AT 5 MPH WHILE THE
INDIVIDUAL STORMS MOVED NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.  THE STRONGEST STORMS IN
CENTRAL TEXAS WERE ALONG THE BOSQUE..SOMMERVILLE COUNTY LINE AND IN
WESTERN BOSQUE COUNTY 15 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF MERIDIAN.

THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS
HEAVY RAINS..HAIL..DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES.  PERSONS
IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THE DEVELOPEMENT OF SEVERE
WEATHER.  STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Apr 4, 5:08 PM CST, 3 hours 27 minutes before
^FTWSPSACT

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
510 PM CST FRI APR 4 1986

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR
   BOSQUE..HILL...LIMESTONE..CORYELL..MCLENNAN AND LEON COUNTIES OF
   CENTRAL TEXAS...
...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT FOR THE NORTHERN
   PORTIONS OF CENTRAL TEXAS...

AT 5PM CST WACO WEATHER RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
FROM NORTHEAST OF DALLAS TO WAXAHACHIE WESTWARD TO NEAR CLEBURNE.
MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS WAS EAST TO NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.  THE STRONGEST
STORMS WERE NOTED BETWEEN WAXAHACHIE AND CLEBURNE.  OTHER STORMS WERE
IN AN AREA FROM FROM LONGVIEW TO ATHENS TO MEXIA.  ONE THUNDERSTORM
WAS IN EASTERN CORYELL COUNTY BETWEEN GATESVILLE AND MCGREGOR.

THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS
HEAVY RAINS..HAIL..DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES.  PERSONS

IN OR NEAR THE WATCH AREA SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO
FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Apr 4, 6:49 PM CST, 1 hour 46 minutes before
^FTWSPSACT

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
645 PM CST FRI APR 4 1986

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR
   BOSQUE..HILL..LIMESTONE..CORYELL..MCLENNAN AND LEON COUNTIES OF
   CENTRAL TEXAS...
...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT FOR THE NORTHERN
   PORTIONS OF CENTRAL TEXAS...

AT 6:35 PM CST..RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN
DALLAS..ITALY..AND 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF ATHENS IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS.
MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS WAS EAST TO NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.  THE STRONGEST
STORM WAS OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST DALLAS COUNTY. LARGE HAIL WAS REPORTED
EARLIER IN THIS STORM.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED FROM SOUTH FORT WORTH
SOUTHWEST TO SOUTH OF HAMILTON. THESE STORMS WERE ALSO MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 25 MPH.
THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF PRODUCING DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM
WINDS..HEAVY RAINS..HAIL..DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE
TORNADOES. PgERSONS IN OR NEAR THE WATCH AREA SHOULD CONTINUE
TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL TV/RADIO STATIONS FOR
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS SHOULD THEY BE NEEDED.
Special weather statement, Apr 4, 6:53 PM CST, 1 hour 42 minutes before
^FTWSPSACT

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
645 PM CST FRI APR 4 1986

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR
   BOSQUE..HILL..LIMESTONE..CORYELL..MCLENNAN AND LEON COUNTIES OF
   CENTRAL TEXAS...
...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT FOR THE NORTHERN
   PORTIONS OF CENTRAL TEXAS...

AT 6:35 PM CST..RADAR SHOWED AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN
DALLAS..ITALY..AND 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF ATHENS IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS.
MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS WAS EAST TO NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.  THE STRONGEST
STORM WAS OVER EXTREME SOUTHEAST DALLAS COUNTY. LARGE HAIL WAS REPORTED
EARLIER IN THIS STORM.

OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE INDICATED FROM SOUTH FORT WORTH
SOUTHWEST TO SOUTH OF HAMILTON. THESE STORMS WERE ALSO MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 25 MPH.
THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF PRODUCING DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM
WINDS..HEAVY RAINS..HAIL..DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE
TORNADOES. PrERSONS IN OR NEAR THE WATCH AREA SHOULD CONTINUE
TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL TV/RADIO STATIONS FOR
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS SHOULD THEY BE NEEDED.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Fort Worth, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 4, 6:14 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDallas61 min
Apr 4, 6:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDKaufman65 min
Apr 4, 7:25 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDVan Zandt65 min
Apr 4, 7:29 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDTarrant61 min
Apr 4, 7:49 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHopkins, Rains56 min
Apr 4, 9:03 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDWood57 min
Apr 4, 10:20 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningFWDRed River4 hr
Apr 5, 12:20 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningFWDHunt, Rockwall3 hr
Apr 5, 12:20 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningFWDHopkins3 hr
Apr 5, 12:53 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFranklin, Hopkins67 min
Apr 5, 1:28 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDCamp, Titus62 min
Apr 5, 2:53 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningFWDCamp, Franklin, Morris, Titus4 hr
Apr 5, 2:53 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningFWDCollin, Hopkins, Hunt, Rains, Rockwall4 hr
Apr 5, 4:48 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDSmith57 min
Apr 5, 5:14 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningFWDHenderson, Smith, Van Zandt4 hr
Apr 5, 12:00 PM CSTFlash Flood WarningFWDHenderson, Smith115 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1986Every tornado warning in 1986Tornadoes in 1986

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.