Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Fort Worth, TX

March 11, 1986Stephens County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at Mar 11, 1986, 4:06 PM CST for Stephens County, Texas. It was in force for 69 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 11, 1986, 4:06 PM CST (22:06 UTC)
Expired
Mar 11, 1986, 5:15 PM CST
In force
69 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Stephens 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

Fort Sill, OK (KFSI), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 217 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, Fort Sill, OK at 12:00Z on 1986-03-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Fort Sill, OK at 12:00Z on 1986-03-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 461 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1930 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
461 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
571 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFTW 112206
TORFTW
TXC429-112315-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
406 PM CST TUE MAR 11 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 515 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS...SOUTHERN STEPHENS

AT 400 PM RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN NORTHERN
EASTLAND COUNTY A FEW MILES WEST OF RANGER. THE POSSIBLE TORNADO
WAS MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH AND COULD AFFECT SOUTHERN
PORTIONS OF STEPHENS COUNTY DURING THE NEXT 30 TO 60 MINUTES.

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION.  IF YOU ARE IN THE
PATH OF THIS TORNADO YOU SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND..
IF AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE..GO TO A SMALL CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM
ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE.  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, Mar 11, 12:56 PM CST, 3 hours 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
1255 PM CST TUE MAR 11 1986

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR
   MOST OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS...

AT 1250 PM CST..WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING
LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS JUST WEST OF ABILENE. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS
WERE LOCATED OVER NORTHERN COOKE COUNTY ALONG THE RED RIVER. ALL
THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING RAPIDLY TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN
HOUR.

PERSONS LIVING IN NORTHERN COOKE COUNTY SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR SUDDEN
STRONG WINDS..DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..AND POSSIBLE HAIL. THIS THUNDERSTORM
WILL LIKELY MOVE NORTH OF THE RED RIVER DURING THE NEXT 30 MINUTES.

RESIDENTS OVER THE REMAINDER OF NORTH TEXAS ARE URGED TO KEEP INFORMED
ABOUT DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN YOUR AREA THE REMAINDER OF
THIS AFTERNOON AND TO BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SHELTER IF
THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED OR A WAR$NING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA.
Special weather statement, Mar 11, 2:03 PM CST, 2 hours 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
200 PM CST TUE MAR 11 1986

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CST THIS EVENING
   FOR MOST OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS...

AT 200 PM CST..WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING
LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS JUST WEST OF ABILENE AND EXTENDING NORTH
TO THE RED RIVER WEST OF WICHITA FALLS. THIS LINE OF STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. PRESENT MOVEMENT OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS
IS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR.

PERSONS LIVING STEPHENS..EASTLAND..PALO PINTO..WISE..COOKE..COMANCHE..
AND ERATH COUNTIES CAN EXPECT THESE THUNDERSTORMS TO MOVE OVER YOUR
AREA DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS
WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SPAWN VIOLENT TORNADOES..DAMANGING WINDS..
AND LARGE HAIL AS WELL AS VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DEADLY LIGHTNING.
<
RESIDENTS OF NORTH TEXAS ARE URGED TO KEEP INFORMED OF DEVELOPING
THUNDERSTORMS IN YOUR AREA AND TO SEEK REINFORCED SHELTER IF
THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA.

REMEMBER IF A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR LOCATION..ABAdNDON
YOUR CAR OR MOBILE HOME FOR A REINFORCED SHELTER. IF IN BUILDING OR
HOUSE..THE CENTRAL INTERIOR SECTION ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OFFERS THE
BEST POSSIBLE PROTECTION.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 11, 12:22 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDMontague33 min
Mar 11, 12:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDKnox60 min
Mar 11, 1:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFisher, Jones55 min
Mar 11, 1:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHaskell55 min
Mar 11, 1:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDFoard, Knox40 min
Mar 11, 2:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBaylor, Haskell, Throckmorton60 min
Mar 11, 2:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDArcher60 min
Mar 11, 2:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDEastland68 min
Mar 11, 3:09 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDStephens66 min
Mar 11, 3:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBaylor30 min
Mar 11, 3:29 PM CSTTornado WarningFWDEastland61 min
Mar 11, 3:45 PM CSTTornado WarningFWDPalo Pinto60 min
Mar 11, 3:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDArcher50 min
Mar 11, 3:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDYoung35 min
Mar 11, 4:00 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDClay, Wichita60 min
Mar 11, 4:27 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDEastland63 min
Mar 11, 4:40 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDMontague60 min
Mar 11, 4:40 PM CSTTornado WarningFWDPalo Pinto, Parker65 min
Mar 11, 4:50 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDComanche55 min
Mar 11, 4:54 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDWise66 min
Mar 11, 5:03 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDErath57 min
Mar 11, 5:26 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDenton, Tarrant64 min
Mar 11, 5:33 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDCooke57 min
Mar 11, 5:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHood, Johnson, Somervell61 min
Mar 11, 5:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDErath61 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.