Alert archive / Texas / Flash Flood Warnings in 1987

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS Amarillo, TX

May 26, 1987Randall County, Texas

NWS Amarillo, TX issued this flash flood warning at May 26, 1987, 4:10 PM CDT for Randall County, Texas. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 26, 1987, 4:10 PM CDT (21:10 UTC)
Expired
May 26, 1987, 8:15 PM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Amarillo, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Randall 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, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 34 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 1987-05-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2100 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 1987-05-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 115 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
2100 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
614 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
115 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
150 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
4.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KAMA 262110
FFWAMA
TXC381-270115-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
410 PM CDT TUE MAY 26 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  815 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
          ...RANDALL
 
IN CANYON...TIERRA BLANCA CREEK AND PALO DURO CREEK ARE RUNNING
BANKFULL. WATER IS OVER THE LOW WATER CROSSINGS AT PRARIE DOG
TOWN FORK...AND WATER RUNNING OVER THE SPILLWAY AT LAKE TANGLEWOOD
...AND STILL RISING. MORE RAINFALL IS EXPECTED THIS EVENING WILL
RESULT IN POSSIBLE MAJOR FLOODING ALONG THESE CREEKS.
 
BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE
THE DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.  IF FLASH FLOODING IS
OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS.  DO
NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.
 
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO
CROSS SAFELY.  VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE
ABANDONED QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT.  TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.
 
MOST DEATHS IN FLASH FLOODING OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A
SMALL ONE...ON FOOT.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 26, 10:42 AM CDT, 5 hours 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
1035AM CDT TUE MAY 26 1987

AT 1025 AM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS WITH SOME VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE OVER THE
THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS...THE CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST TEXAS PANHANDLE...AND
THE EASTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE. THE HEAVIEST STORMS WERE LOCATED SOUTH OF
AMARILLO...NEAR HAPPY...AND ANOTHER NORTHEAST OF AMARILLO...NEAR PAMPA.
MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

FREQUENT LIGHTNING...STRONG GUSTY WINDS..VERY HEAVY RAIN...LARGE HAIL...
ARE POSSIBLE AND MAY ACCOMPANY THE HEAVIER STORMS.

STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO...OR TELEVISION STATIONS...OR TO NOAA WEATHER
RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THESE STORMS.
Special weather statement, May 26, 11:38 AM CDT, 4 hours 32 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
1135AM CDT TUE MAY 26 1987

AT 1125 AM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS...WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN CONTINUED OVER THE
TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS...THE CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST TEXAS PANHANDLE...THE
EASTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE....AND NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA. THE HEAVIEST STORMS
WERE LOCATED EAST AND NORTHEAST OF AMARILLO...AND WEST SOUTHWEST OF PLAINVIEW.
THE STORM 30 MILES EAST OF AMARILLO WAS...JUST WEST OF GROOM. THE STORMS
NORTHEAST OF AMARILLO WERE LOCATED...JUST NORTH OF PAMPA...10 MILES WEST OF
CANADIAN...AND 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE TOWN OF LIPSCOMB. ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM
WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS...SOUTH OF AMARILLO...JUST NORTH OF TULIA.
MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS WAS TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

FREQUENT LIGHTNING...STRONG GUSTY WINDS..VERY HEAVY RAIN...LARGE HAIL...
ARE POSSIBLE AND MAY ACCOMPANY THE HEAVIER STORMS.

STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO...OR TELEVISION STATIONS...OR TO NOAA WEATHER
RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THESE STORMS.
Special weather statement, May 26, 3:36 PM CDT, 34 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
335PM CDT TUE MAY 26 1987

FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR RANDALL COUNTY UNTIL 400PM...

AT 325 PM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS...WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE DEVELOPING
OVER THE CENTAL TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTHWEST OF AMARILLO. OTHER SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER HE EASTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE AND EXTENDED INTO
WESTERN OKLAHOMA. DURING THE PAST HOUR THE INTENSITY OF THESE STORMS HAD
BEGUN TO DECREASE. THE HEAVIEST ACTIVITY WAS LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTHEAST
OF HEREFORD. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST NORTHEAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.

FREQUENT LIGHTNING...STRONG GUSTY WINDS..VERY HEAVY RAIN...LARGE HAIL...
ARE POSSIBLE AND MAYp ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS.

STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO...OR TELEVISION STATIONS...OR TO NOAA WEATHER
RADIO FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THESE STORMS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 25, 7:00 PM CDTTornado WarningAMACastro, Swisher60 min
May 25, 7:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMARandall57 min
May 25, 7:32 PM CDTTornado WarningAMAArmstrong58 min
May 25, 7:44 PM CDTTornado WarningAMAHansford61 min
May 25, 7:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAOchiltree58 min
May 25, 7:52 PM CDTTornado WarningAMARandall68 min
May 25, 8:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMASwisher67 min
May 25, 8:40 PM CDTTornado WarningAMAOchiltree65 min
May 25, 8:50 PM CDTTornado WarningAMAHansford55 min
May 25, 9:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMARandall59 min
May 25, 9:45 PM CDTTornado WarningAMARandall60 min
May 25, 10:15 PM CDTTornado WarningAMAArmstrong60 min
May 25, 10:36 PM CDTTornado WarningAMAPotter54 min
May 26, 12:06 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningAMARandall4 hr
May 26, 12:23 PM CDTTornado WarningAMADeaf Smith67 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Texas, 1987Every flash flood warning in 1987

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.