Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Shreveport, LA

April 4, 1986Cass County, Marion County, Texas

NWS Shreveport, LA issued this tornado warning at Apr 4, 1986, 6:25 PM CST for Cass County, Marion County, Texas. It was in force for 65 min. 5 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, 6:25 PM CST (00:25 UTC)
Expired
Apr 4, 1986, 7:30 PM CST
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Shreveport, LA
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cass County, TX, Marion 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, 6:39 PM CSTHail 1Marion, TX
Apr 4, 7:15 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 0Marion, TX
Apr 4, 7:20 PM CSTHail 1.75Cass, TX
Apr 4, 7:20 PM CSTHail 1.75Cass, TX
Apr 4, 7:20 PM CSTThunderstorm Wind 0Cass, 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 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 69 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°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 KSHV 050030
TORSHV
TXC315-067-ARC057-050130-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE
UNTIL 730 PM CST  FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN

NORTHEAST TEXAS...MARION AND SOUTHEAST CASS.
SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...NORTHWEST HALF OF HEMPSTEAD.

AT 625 PM CST THE NATIONAL WEATHER WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN SHREVEPORT
WAS INDICTING A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NORTHWEST OF
MARSHALL AND SOUTHWEST OF JEFERSON TEXAS..MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 35
MPH. OTHER SEVERE STORMS WERE LOCATED 10 MILES WEST OF LINDEN TEXAS
AND 10 MILES WEST OF DEKALB TEXAS...MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH..
LARGE HAIL INDICATED.
.
ALSO TORNADO INDICATED BY RADAR 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF NASHVILLE
ARKANAS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 30 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.

ALSO...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST SEVIER AND AND
HOWARD COUNTIES IN SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...RADAR INDICTES A POSSIBLE TORNADO
10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF NASHVILLE ARKANSAS...MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 30
MPH.

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, 3 hours 54 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, 2 hours 12 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 4, 6:05 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVHarrison, Marion75 min
Apr 4, 6:05 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVBowie, Cass75 min
Apr 4, 7:30 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVBowie70 min
Apr 4, 8:10 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVBowie80 min
Apr 4, 9:20 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVBowie65 min
Apr 5, 2:25 AM CSTFlash Flood WarningSHVBowie3 hr
Apr 5, 5:15 AM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSHVGregg70 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.