Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Lubbock, TX

May 25, 1986Lubbock County, Texas

NWS Lubbock, TX issued this tornado warning at May 25, 1986, 6:07 PM CDT for Lubbock County, Texas. It was in force for 53 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 25, 1986, 6:07 PM CDT (23:07 UTC)
Expired
May 25, 1986, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
53 min
Issued by
NWS Lubbock, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Lubbock 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

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 180 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 12:00Z on 1986-05-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 13 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 12:00Z on 1986-05-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -6 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
13 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-148 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
855 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-27 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KLBB 252308
TORLBB
TXC303-260000-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
607 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 700 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

WEST TEXAS...LUBBOCK

AT 605 PM A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS SIGHTED 5 MILES NORTH OF LUBBOCK
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLIGISTS.

THIS STORM IS ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH OF THE CITY OF LUBBOCK..
AND 5 MILES SOUTH OF ABERNATHY. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST
AT 25 MPH.

THIS STORM IS ACCOMPANIED BY INTENSE LIGHTNING AND STRONG GUSTY
WINDS.

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, May 25, 4:33 PM CDT, 1 hour 34 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
425 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 1986

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS
UNTIL 1100 PM CDT...

AT 425 PM CDT VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED JUST NORTH OF THE
HALE AND FLOYD COUNTY LINES. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST
AT 20 MPH. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING ACROSS THE
WESTERN AND SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS. MOST OF THE
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN BAILEY..COCHRAN..HOCKLEY..
YOAKUM AND TERRY COUNTIES. WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS WERE LOCATED IN
LYNN AND GARZA COUNTIES ALSO.

NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH ANY OF THESE STORMS..BUT..
THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN..SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS IS PRESENT.

LISTEN  TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION STATIONS
FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 25, 5:20 PM CDT, 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
520 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 1986

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS
UNTIL 1100 PM CDT...

AT 517 PM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAD MOVED INTO THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF
HALE AND LAMB COUNTIES. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE JUST NORTH AND WEST
OF PLAINVIEW. THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED IN FLOYD AND HOCKLEY COUNTIES.

NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH ANY OF THESE STORMS..BUT..
THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN..SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS IS PRESENT.
THE WEATHER CAN TURN SEVERE VERY QUICKLY WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

LISTEN TO NOAA W"EATHER RADIO AND LOCAL RADIO OR TELEVISION STATIONS
FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, May 25, 5:58 PM CDT, 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
557 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 1986

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS
UNTIL 1100 PM CDT...

AT 555 PM SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE WIDESPREAD OVER THE NORTHERN
COUNTIES OF THE SOUTH PLAINS. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED NORTH
OF MULESHOE..ABOUT MIDWAY BETWEEN LITTLEFIELD AND PLAINVIEW AND ALSO
NORTH OF PADUCAH. THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG WIND WAS REPORTED IN THE COMMUNITY OF EDMONSON IN
NORTHERN HALE COUNTY AT 515 PM. HEAVY RAIN FELL IN PLAINVIEW AT 520 PM.

NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH ANY OF THESE STORMS..BUT..
THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR LARGE HAIL..STRONG WIND..FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND
VERY HEAVY RAIN ON THE SOUTH PLAINS THIS EVENING.

KEEP LISTENING FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 24, 7:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBTerry55 min
May 24, 7:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBGarza, Lynn68 min
May 24, 8:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBBailey56 min
May 24, 10:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBMotley42 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.