Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1987

Tornado Warning 29, NWS Fort Worth, TX

June 3, 1987McLennan County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at Jun 3, 1987, 4:18 PM CDT for McLennan County, Texas. It was in force for 57 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
Jun 3, 1987, 4:18 PM CDT (21:18 UTC)
Expired
Jun 3, 1987, 5:15 PM CDT
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties

County McLennan 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
Jun 3, 4:40 PM CDTTornado F0Mclennan, TX
Jun 3, 4:42 PM CDTTornado F0Mclennan, TX
Jun 3, 5:00 PM CDTHail 0.75Mclennan, 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

Stephenville/Cla, TX (KSEP), launched 12:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 113 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, Stephenville/Cla, TX at 12:00Z on 1987-06-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 19 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, Stephenville/Cla, TX at 12:00Z on 1987-06-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 6 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
19 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
550 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
145 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 KACT 032118
TORACT
TXC309-032215-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
418 PM CDT WED JUN 3 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  515 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
          ...MCLENNAN
 
AT 418 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED A POSSIBLE TORNADO JUST EAST OF HIGHWAY 77
JUST SOUTH OF DOWNSVILLE TEXAS.
 
TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.
 
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 BLANKETS...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, Jun 3, 10:45 AM CDT, 5 hours 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
1045 AM CDT WED JUN 3 1987

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE SECTION OF SOUTH
CENTRAL TEXAS INCLUDING BRAZOS..MADISON AND ROBERTSON COUNTIES FOR
TODAY...

AT 1040 AM CDT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS..PRODUCING MODERATE TO HEAVY
RAIN..WERE MOVING NORTHEASTWARD INTO BRAZOS COUNTY AND EXTENDED
NORTHEASTWARD INTO MADISON AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST LEON COUNTIES.  THE
HEAVIEST RAIN WAS 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF COLLEGE STATION NEAR THE TOWN
OF SOMERVILLE.  MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

ELSEWHERE..HEAVY SHOWERS WERE OCCURRING OVER WESTERN CORYELL COUNTY
15 MILES WEST OF GATESVILLE.  LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WAS FALLING FROM
NEAR MERIDIAN TO NORTH OF HILLSBORO.

THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL HAS MOVED OUT OF HILL AND BOSQUE COUNTIES..
HOWEVER RUNOFF FROM PREVIOUS RAINS COULD STILL PRODUCE FLOODING OF
LOW LYING AND NORMALLY FLOOD PRONE AREAS.  PERSONS IN THESE AREA
SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND SHOULD FLOODING BE
OBSERVED.  PERSONS IN SOUTHCENTRAL TEXAS SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE
POSSIBILITY OF FLASH FLOODING AND SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE
NECESSARY ACTIONS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD
THE NEED OCCUR.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS HIGH WATER EITHER IN VEHICLES
OR ON FOOT.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR TO LOCAL RADIO STATIONS FOR LATER
STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 12:03 PM CDT, 4 hours 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
1200 AM CDT WED JUN 3 1987

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE SECTION OF SOUTH
CENTRAL TEXAS INCLUDING BRAZOS..MADISON AND ROBERTSON COUNTIES FOR
TODAY...

AT 1155 AM CDT LIGHT TO MODERATE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE
OCCURRING OVER MOST OF BRAZOS COUNTY.  THIS PRECIPITATION WAS MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

ELSEWHERE..LIGHT TO MODERATE SHOWERS WERE ISOLATED OVER WESTERN BELL
COUNTY NEAR KILLEEN..WESTERN CORYELL COUNTY NEAR EVANT AND NORTHERN
HILL AND BOSQUE COUNTIES.

THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL HAS MOVED OUT OF CORYELL COUNTY..HOWEVER VERY
HEAVY RAIN IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE COUNTY DUMPED 2.68 INCHES OF
RAIN IN TWO HOURS IN THE TOWN OF BEE HOUSE.  THE RUNOFF FROM THIS
RAINFALL WILL BE MOVING DOWN BEE HOUSE CREEK AND INTO COW HOUSE
CREEK NEAR FORT HOOD.  PERSONS ALONG BEE HOUSE CREEK SHOULD BE ON
THE LOOKOUT FOR THIS RUNOFF AND SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO
HIGHER GROUND SHOULD FLOODING BE OBSERVED.  PERSONS IN SOUTHEAST
TEXAS SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE POSSIBILITY OF FLASH FLOODING AND SHOULD
BE PREPARED TO TAKE NECESSARY ACTIONS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF LIFE
AND PROPERTY SHOULD THE NEED OCCUR.  DOk NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS HIGH
WATER EITHER IN VEHICLES OR ON FOOT.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR TO LOCAL RADIO STATIONS FOR LATER
STATEMENTS.
1
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 12:17 PM CDT, 4 hours 1 minute before
NORTH TEXAS SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
1145 AM CDT WED JUN 3 1987

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING OVER A PARTS OF NORTH TEXAS. THE BEST CHANCES FOR SEVERE
WEATHER IS OVER THE EASTERN SECTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS...GENERALLY EAST
OF A PARIS...GREENVILLE...CORSICANA...CENTERVILLE LINE. HEAVY RAIN IS
ALSO A STRONG POSSIBILITY SINCE INDIVIDUAL THUNDERSTORMS TEND TO MOVE
SLOWLY ONCE THEY FORM.

LATE THIS MORNING A COLD FRONT HAD WALLOWED DOWN INTO NORTHEAST TEXAS
FROM THE SHREVEPORT AREA WEST TO NEAR WACO. THIS FRONT WAS INTERACTING
WITH A BOUNDARY SEPARATING WARM...MOIST AIR...FROM AN AIRMASS COOLED
BY RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS LAST NIGHT. THE BOUNDARY STRETCHED ROUGHLY
FROM THE FRONT EAST OF DALLAS...SOUTH TO NEAR HOUSTON. THUNDERSTORMS
FORMING ALONG THIS BOUNDARY...AND PARTICULARLY THOSE NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF THE BOUNDARY AND THE COLD FRONT...OFFER THE GREATEST
POSSIBILITY OF PRODUCING STRONG WINDS THIS AFTERNOON AS HEATING
CONTINUES IN THE RELATIVELY UNDISTURBED AIR TO THE EAST.

ELSEWHERE OVER NORTH TEXAS THUNDERSTORMS MAY OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON IN
RESPONSE TO A NEARLY STATIONARY UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE SITUATED OVER
CENTRAL TEXAS NEAR STEPHENVILLE. THESE THUNDERSTORMS OFFER LESS CHANCE
FOR SEVERE WEATHER SINCE DAYTIME HEATING IS EXPECTED TO BE LIMITED DUE
TO CLOUD COVER AND NORTHERLY WINDS.

STORM SPOTTER NETWORKS OVER EAST TEX~AS MAY WANT TO STAY ON THE ALERT
IN CASE ACTIVATION IS REQUIRED LATER THIS AFTERNOON.

03
Special weather statement, Jun 3, 3:12 PM CDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
310 PM CDT WED JUN 3 1987

     ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR MOUNT PLEASANT...
AT 308 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR MOUNT PLEASANT. THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING
TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 10 MILES AN HOUR. SOME SMALL HAIL
AND GUSTY WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. DUE TO THE
SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE STORM...HEAVY RAINFALL IS LIKELY ALONG THE
PATH OF THE STORM.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED ACROSS NORTHEAST TEXAS. LISTEN
TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO/TV FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 2, 11:43 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDBrazos4 hr
Jun 3, 1:52 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDCoryell4 hr
Jun 3, 4:00 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFWDMcLennan4 hr
Jun 3, 4:58 PM CDTTornado WarningFWDFalls62 min
Jun 3, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDSmith30 min
Jun 3, 6:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDSmith44 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.