Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1987
Tornado Warning 5, NWS Amarillo, TX
NWS Amarillo, TX issued this tornado warning at May 24, 1987, 9:16 PM CDT for Briscoe County, Texas. It was in force for 29 min. 1 report 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
- May 24, 1987, 9:16 PM CDT (02:16 UTC)
- Expired
- May 24, 1987, 9:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 29 min
- Issued by
- NWS Amarillo, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Briscoe 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 9:55 PM CDT | Tornado F1 | Briscoe, 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
Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 00:00Z, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 90 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 782 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -16 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1578 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 22 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 20 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 117 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KAMA 250216
TORAMA
TXC045-250245-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
916 PM CDT SUN MAY 24 1987
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 945 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
...BRISCOE
AT 915PM CDT A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS SIGHT AND CONFIRMED BY A SPOTTER
APPROXIAMATELY 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SILVERTON...HEADING SLOWLY FOR
SILVERTON.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETCS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.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 24, 7:43 PM CDT, 1 hour 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 735 PM CDT SUN MAY 24 1987 AT 730 PM CDT...NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN EXTENDED FROM THE CENTRAL OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE...INTO THE NORTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS PANHANDLE. THE HEAVIEST ACTIVITY WAS LOCATED IN A LINE FROM SOUTHEAST OF HEREFORD...THROUGH THE CITY OF AMARILLO TO JUST NORTHWEST OF PAMPA. FREQUENT LIGHTNING...STRONG GUSTY WIND...VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND PEA SIZE HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER... STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL TELEVISION OR RADIO STAIONS FOR FURTHER UPDATES.
Special weather statement, May 24, 8:43 PM CDT, 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 835 PM CDT SUN MAY 24 1987 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT... AT 827 PM CDT...NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE OVER PORTIONS OF THE NORTHEAST AND CENTRAL TEXAS PANHANDLE...FROM CANADIAN ...SOUTHWEST TO CLAUDE. OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE SOUTH OF AMARILLO ...IN THE TULIA AREA. ALTHOUGH MANY OF THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DECREASED IN STRENGTH DURING THE PAST HOUR...THE POSSIBILTY OF SEVERE WEATHER WITH THESE STORMS STILL EXIST. MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS WAS TO THE EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS...AND VERY 'HEAVY RAINFALL HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THESE STORMS. PERSONS IN THE WATCH AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER.. STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL TELEVISION OR RADIO STAIONS FOR FURTHER UPDATES.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Amarillo, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 7:51 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AMA | Hall | 24 min |
| May 24, 8:44 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AMA | Armstrong, Randall | 46 min |
| May 24, 9:56 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | AMA | Briscoe | 34 min |
| May 25, 12:03 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | AMA | Childress | 27 min |
| May 25, 2:21 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AMA | Castro | 10 min |
| May 25, 5:10 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | AMA | Hansford | 50 min |
| May 25, 6:05 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | AMA | Hansford | 40 min |
| May 25, 6:08 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | AMA | Armstrong | 67 min |
| May 25, 6:14 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | AMA | Castro, Randall, Swisher | 61 min |
| May 25, 6:40 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | AMA | Hansford | 65 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1987Every tornado warning in 1987Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.