Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Shreveport, LA

April 4, 1986Bowie County, Texas; Little River County, Arkansas

NWS Shreveport, LA issued this tornado warning at Apr 4, 1986, 4:54 PM CST for Bowie County, Texas; Little River County, Arkansas. It was in force for 61 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
Apr 4, 1986, 4:54 PM CST (22:54 UTC)
Expired
Apr 4, 1986, 5:55 PM CST
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Shreveport, LA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Little River County, AR, Bowie 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
Apr 4, 5:10 PM CSTTornado F1Bowie, TX
Apr 4, 5:20 PM CSTTornado F0Bowie, TX
Apr 4, 5:30 PM CSTTornado F0Bowie, 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, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 138 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 1986-04-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 724 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, Longview/Gregg, TX at 12:00Z on 1986-04-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 327 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
724 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-77 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
594 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
327 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
230 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
6.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSHV 042255
TORSHV
TXC037-ARC081-042355-

BULLETIN...EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
454 PM CST FRI APR 4 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE
UNTIL 555 PM CST    FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN

NORTHEAST TEXAS...NORTHWEST BOWIE
SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...LITTLE RIVER

TORNADO INDICATED NORTHWEST OF DEKALB TEXAS...MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 35 MPH.

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IN A PERMANENT
STRUCTURE ON THE LOWEST FLOOR IN AN INTERIOR SMALL ROOM.  GET UNDER A
PIECE OF HEAVY FURNITURE OR COVER YOURSELF WITH SOMETHING TO PROTECT
AGAINST FLYING OR FALLING DEBRIS.

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, 2:31 PM CST, 2 hours 23 minutes before
NEWSPSSHV
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
230 PM CST FRI APR 4 1986

A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED AND IN EFECT FOR A LARGE AREA INCLUD-
ING SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA..WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS AND MUCH
OF NORTHCENTRAL AND NORTHEAST TEXAS.

AT 230 PM CST THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN SHRVEPORT CONTINUED
TO SHOW A BAND OF STONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER EAST OKLAHOMA INTO NORTH-
CENTRAL TEXAS..WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AHEAD OF THE
BAND OVER EXTREME NORTHEAST TEXAS..EXTREME SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND SOUTH
WEST ARKANSAS.

AT 230 PM CST THE OLD BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS WERE FROM THE NORTHWEST
CORNER OF ARKANSAS IN THE FAYETTEVILLE/FORT SMITH AREA..THROUGH EAST
CENTRAL OKLAHOMA NEAR MCALESTER...ON SOUTHWEST TO THE DALLAS FORT
WORTH AREA.

A NEW BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING FROM NEAR
MENA IN SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...ACROSS DEQUEEN TO NEAR CLARKSVILLE
AND GREENVILLE TEXAS.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN THE NEW BAND WERE FROM NEAR CLARKSVILLE TO
NEAR IDABEL OKLAHOMA.

INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE NORTHEAST AT 30 TO 40 MPH WHILE
THE SYSTEMS DEVELOP EAST.

INDICTIONS ARE THE SEVERE STORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE NORTHWEST
HALF OF THE ARKLATED INTO SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...ALSO ADDITIONAL
HEAVY RAINFALL MAY PRODUCE FLOODING IN THE AREAS THAT RECEIVED FROM
TWO TO OVER FIVE INCHES OF RAIN LAST NIGHT.
Special weather statement, Apr 4, 4:13 PM CST, 41 minutes before
NEWSPSSHV
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
410 PM CST FRI APR 4 1986

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT  FOR A LARGE AREA INCLUDING SOUTH
EAST OKLAHOMA..WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS AND MUCH OF NORTH
CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST TEXAS.

OVER THE PAST HOUR SMALL HAIL REPORTED IN STRONG THUNDERSTORM NORTH OF
NASHVILLE ARKANSAS...BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS WITH THUNDER
STORMS OVER SOUTHWEST ARKANAS AND EXTREME NORTHEAST TEXAS AND EXTREME
SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA.

ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS
AND EXTEME NORTHEAST TEXAS FROM SOUTHWEST OF HOT SPRINGS TO NORTH OF
NASSVILLE TO NEAR DEKALB TEXAS. MOVMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THESE STORMS WERE AHEAD OF A BAND OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THAT
WERE SPREADING EAST ACROSS NORTH TEXAS AND SOUTHEAST OKLAHONA. THE
BAND WAS LOCATED AT 410 PM FROM 40 MILEA NORTH OF IDABEL OKLAHOMA TO
SOUTHWEST OF HUGO TO NEAR DALLAS TEXAS.

AREAL COVERAGE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE OVER
THE NORTHWEST HALF OF THE ARKLATEX THIS EVENING INTO THE SOUTHEAST PART
OF OKLAHOMA..A FEW SEVERE STORMS ARE LIKELY.

ALSO...ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL WmILL OCCUR TONIGHT OVER THE SAME AREA
WHERE TWO TO OVER FIVE INCHES FELL THURSDAY NIGHT...THUS FLOODING MAY
DEVELOP LATER THIS EVENING..AS AREA STREAMS ARE NOW RUNNING HIGH.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Shreveport, LA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 3, 7:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVHarrison, Marion65 min
Apr 3, 7:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVGregg65 min
Apr 4, 12:25 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningSHVBowie3 hr
Apr 4, 4:45 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVBowie65 min
Apr 4, 5:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVGregg, Harrison60 min
Apr 4, 5:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVMarion60 min
Apr 4, 12:25 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningSHVHoward3 hr
Apr 4, 4:30 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVHoward, Sevier60 min
Apr 4, 4:30 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVPike60 min
Apr 4, 4:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVPike55 min
Apr 4, 4:48 PM CSTTornado WarningSHVPike32 min
Apr 4, 5:50 PM CSTTornado WarningSHVHoward, Little River, Sevier70 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1986Tornado Warnings in Arkansas, 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.