Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Fort Worth, TX

February 5, 1986Franklin County, Hopkins County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at Feb 5, 1986, 3:22 PM CST for Franklin County, Hopkins County, Texas. It was in force for 53 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Feb 5, 1986, 3:22 PM CST (21:22 UTC)
Expired
Feb 5, 1986, 4:15 PM CST
In force
53 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Franklin County, TX, Hopkins County, TX

The radar

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

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Feb 5, 3:40 PM CSTTornado F1Franklin, TX
Feb 5, 4:00 PM CSTTornado F1Franklin, TX
Feb 5, 4:15 PM CSTTornado F1Franklin, TX

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. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Longview/Gregg, TX (KGGG), launched 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 117 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 12:00Z on 1986-02-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 96 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, Longview/Gregg, TX at 12:00Z on 1986-02-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 34 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
96 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-212 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1060 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
86 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.

000 
TTAA00 KSHV 052128 RRA
TORFTW
TXC159-223-052215-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
322 PM CST WED FEB 5 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 415 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

NORTHEAST TEXAS...FRANKLIN AND HOPKINS

AT 315PM..A TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY RADAR NEAR SEYMORE IN
SOUTHERN HOPKINS COUNTY MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.
THIS STORM WIL
L GO BETWEEN THE CITIES OF SULPHUR SPRINGS AND
MT. VERNON.

THIS STORM HAS PRODUCED ONE INCH HAIL AND HIGH WINDS ALONG
WITH HEAVY RAIN AND RADAR NOW INDICATES A POSSIBLE TORNADO
IN THIS STORM.

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, Feb 5, 9:44 AM CST, 5 hours 38 minutes before
^FTWSPSACT

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
 940 AM CST WED FEB 5 1986

...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO THE AREA...

A LINE OF MODERATE TO HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS HAVE FORMED IN THE HILL
COUNTRY DURING THE PAST TWO HOURS.  THE LINE IS LYING ALONG A BROWNWOOD
LAMPASAS AUSTIN LINE AND MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.  RADAR
INDICATED THE HEAVIER THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE FROM JUST SOUTH OF
COMANCHE TO BURNET.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO..OR TV FOR FURTHER STATEMENT AND
OR WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Feb 5, 11:29 AM CST, 3 hours 53 minutes before
^FTWSPSACT

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
1125 AM CST WED FEB 5 1986

...THUNDERSTROMS WITH HAIL MOVING ACROSS THE AREA...

AT 11 25 AM MARBLE SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN SOUTH WACO.  THIS IS FROM
A VERY INTENSE THUNDERSTORM COVERING MOST OF MCLENNAN COUNTY.  IT IS
MOVING TO THE NORTHNORTHEAST AT NEAR 45 MPH.
RADAR INDICATED THIS STORM TO BE PART OF A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS BOUNDED BY AUSTIN,COLLEGE STATION, FORT WORTH AND
BROWNWOOD.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO..OR TV FOR FURTHER STATEMENT AND
OR WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Feb 5, 12:03 PM CST, 3 hours 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
1200 PM CST WED FEB 5 1986

    ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING INTO NAVARRO COUNTY...

AT 1155 AM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM MOVING INTO THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF NAVARRO COUNTY.
THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED JUST SOUTHWEST OF DAWSON AND WAS
MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

THIS THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED MARBLE SIZE HAIL IN SOUTH WACO DURING THE
PAST HOUR AND IS ALSO CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS. OTHER STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING BETWEEN THE DALLAS/FORT WORTH METROPLEX
AND WACO AND WILL BE MOVING INTO ELLIS COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

LISTEN TO NOAEA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO/TV FOR ADDITIONAL
STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Feb 5, 1:42 PM CST, 1 hour 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
135 PM CST WED FEB 5 1986

  ...HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE DEVELOPING OVER NORTH TEXAS...

AT 130 PM..NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS..SOME VERY HEAVY..WERE SCATTERED ACROSS MUCH OF NORTH
CENTRAL TEXAS.  THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORM WAS OVER THE EXTREME NORTH-
EASTERN PORTION OF BOSQUE COUNTY MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES
AN HOUR.  THIS VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM WILL LIKELY MOVE ACROSS NORTH-
ERN HILL COUNTY INTO SOUTHERN JOHNSON OR WESTERN ELLIS COUNTY WITHIN
THE HOUR.

PERSONS IN THESE COUNTIES SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF
IT BECOMES NECESSARY.

THESE VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINS..GUSTY SURFACE WINDS AND PERHAPS SOME HAIL.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALSO COVERED MOST OF THE DALLAS/
FORT WOR\TH METROPLEX.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO..LOCAL RADIO OR TV FOR FURTHER
STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 5, 12:22 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDNavarro68 min
Feb 5, 1:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDJohnson61 min
Feb 5, 2:15 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDallas, Ellis45 min
Feb 5, 3:07 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHopkins, Rains, Wood53 min
Feb 5, 3:55 PM CSTTornado WarningFWDFranklin, Titus65 min
Feb 5, 4:10 PM CSTTornado WarningFWDCamp65 min
Feb 5, 4:19 PM CSTTornado WarningFWDRed River41 min
Feb 5, 4:56 PM CSTTornado WarningFWDMorris, Red River, Titus64 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.