Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1987

Tornado Warning 38, NWS Fort Worth, TX

June 23, 1987Tarrant County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at Jun 23, 1987, 9:17 PM CDT for Tarrant County, Texas. It was in force for 48 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
Jun 23, 1987, 9:17 PM CDT (02:17 UTC)
Expired
Jun 23, 1987, 10:05 PM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Tarrant 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 23, 9:45 PM CDTHail 1.75Tarrant, 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 00:00Z, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 98 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 00:00Z on 1987-06-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3545 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 00:00Z on 1987-06-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 2 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
3545 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1089 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
110 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.5
Supercell composite
3.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFTW 240217
TORFTW
TXC439-240315-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
917 PM CDT TUE JUN 23 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1015 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
          ...TARRANT
 
AT 915 PM...TARRANT COUNTY SPOTTERS WERE OBSERVING A POSSIBLE TORNADO
NEAR HASLETT MOVING SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST AT 20 MPH.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

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 23, 5:10 PM CDT, 4 hours 7 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
510 PM CDT TUE JUN 23 1987

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE COUNTIES IN NORTH
TEXAS ALONG THE RED RIVER UNTIL 900 PM CDT TONIGHT.

AT 510 PM RADARS INDICATED A LINE A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE RED RIVER. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING
SOUTH AT ABOUT 20 MILES AN HOUR AND SHOULD CROSS THE RED RIVER BY
530 TO 600 PM.

IF YOU ARE IN RED RIVER...LAMAR...FANNIN...GRAYSON OR COOKE COUNTIES
...YOU SHOULD BE ON THE LOOK-OUT FOR THESE APPROACHING STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE PRODUCED 1 INCH HAIL
IN OKLAHOMA. EXPECT HEAVY RAIN...STRONG WIND...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
AND POSSIBLY HAIL AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE THROUGH YOUR AREA.
Special weather statement, Jun 23, 5:38 PM CDT, 3 hours 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
540 PM CDT TUE JUN 23 1987

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE COUNTIES IN NORTH
TEXAS AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA NEAR THE RED RIVER UNTIL 900 PM CDT
TONIGHT.

AT 540 PM...RADARS INDICATED A LINE A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE RED RIVER. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING
SOUTH AT ABOUT 20 MILES AN HOUR AND SHOULD CROSS THE RED RIVER
AROUND 600 PM. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE BETWEEN DURANT AND
HUGO OKLAHOMA.

IF YOU ARE IN RED RIVER...LAMAR...FANNIN...GRAYSON OR COOKE COUNTIES
...YOU SHOULD BE ON THE LOOK-OUT FOR THESE APPROACHING STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE PRODUCED 1 INCH HAIL
IN OKLAHOMA. EXPECT HEAVY RAIN...STRONG WIND...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
AND POSSIBLY HAIL AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE THROUGH YOUR AREA.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Jun 23, 7:40 PM CDT, 1 hour 37 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
740 PM CDT TUE JUN 24 1987

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM CDT FOR
BOSQUE AND HILL COUNTIES OF CENTRAL TEXAS...

AT 735 PM CDT NO THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING IN HILL OR BOSQUE
COUNTY.  VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM GAINSVILLE TO NEAR
TEXARKANA.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTH AT 25 MILES AN
HOUR.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE
DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN HILL AND BOSQUE COUNTIES SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER
CONDITIONS CLOSELY AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE QUICK ACTION SHOULD
SEVERE WEATHER BE SIGHTED OR A WARNINAG ISSUED.  STAY TUNED TO NOAA
WEATHER RADIO OR TO LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS FOR LATER
STATEMENTS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 23, 7:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDGrayson31 min
Jun 23, 7:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHunt62 min
Jun 23, 7:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDCollin50 min
Jun 23, 8:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDenton44 min
Jun 23, 8:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDUpshur, Wood51 min
Jun 23, 8:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDallas52 min
Jun 23, 8:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDSmith61 min
Jun 23, 8:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDDenton36 min
Jun 23, 8:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDAnderson, Cherokee63 min
Jun 23, 9:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDTarrant44 min
Jun 24, 8:50 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDWilbarger55 min
Jun 24, 2:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDBaylor50 min
Jun 24, 2:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDThrockmorton70 min
Jun 24, 2:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDYoung54 min
Jun 24, 3:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDStephens59 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.