Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1987

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Fort Worth, TX

May 3, 1987Limestone County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at May 3, 1987, 11:10 PM CDT for Limestone County, Texas. It was in force for 65 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 3, 1987, 11:10 PM CDT (04:10 UTC)
Expired: May 4, 1987, 12:15 AM CDT
In force: 65 min
Issued by: NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area: Whole counties

County Limestone 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 4, 12:20 AM CDT	Hail 1	Limestone, 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, 4.2 hours before the alert went out and 162 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1450 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -26 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1509 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 39 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 99 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.2
Supercell composite: 3.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KACT 040410
TORACT
TXC293-040515-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
1110 PM CDT SUN MAY 3 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1215 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
          ...LIMESTONE
 
AT 1110 PM CDT A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED BY THE PUBLIC TO THE
LIMESTONE COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT NEAR THE TOWN OF OTTO WHICH
IS NORTHEAST OF GROESBECK.
 
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.  AB[ANDON 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, May 3, 5:49 PM CDT, 5 hours 21 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
550 PM CDT SUN MAY 03 1987

AT 550 PM...RADAR INDICATED A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORM NEAR
CORSICANA IN NAVARRO COUNTY. THIS THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED PEA SIZE
HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN IN THE LAST FEW MINUTES IN CORSICANA. THIS
THUNDERSTORM IS EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY. MOVEMENT IS TO THE NORTHEAST
AT 10 TO 15 MILES AN HOUR.

EXPECT HEAVY RAIN...LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS AS THIS THUNDERSTORM
PASSES. MOVE TO A STRONG BUILDING.

Local storm report, May 3, 6:01 PM CDT, 5 hours 9 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
550 PM CDT SUN MAY 03 1987

   TIME OF
  OCCURRENCE                       EVENT

 NORTH TEXAS SEVERE REPORTS FROM MORNING OF SUNDAY...MAY 3 1987.

 315 AM CDT     RANGER...EASTLAND CO. - GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL.

 335 AM CDT     STRAWN...PALO PINTO CO. - DIME SIZE HAIL.

 355 AM CDT     POOLVILLE...PARKER CO. - 1 INCH DIAMETER HAIL.

 400 AM CDT     BEATTIE...COMANCHE CO. - 3/4 INCH HAIL (TIME APPROX).

 440 AM CDT     POOLVILLE AND AURORA...WISE CO. - LOTS OF 3/4 INCH HAIL.

 445 AM CDT     COMANCHE...COMANCHE CO. - 3/4 INCH HAIL. (TIME APPROX).
<
 530 AM CDT     SANGOR...DENTON CO. - HAIL...SIZE UNKNOWN ATTM.

 537 AM CDT     ARLINGTON...TARRANT CO. - 3/4 INCH HAIL.

 555 AM CDT     HICO...HAMILTON CO. - 1/2  IN. HAIL AND "A FEW TO DIME
                SIZE".

 630 AM CDT     BURLESON...JOHNSON CO. - QUARTER SIZE HAIL.

 800 AM CDT     ABOUT 2 N EDGEWOOD...VAN ZANDT C"O. - POSSIBLE TORNADO
                OR DOWNBURST...DAMAGE TO 1 HOME.

Special weather statement, May 3, 6:42 PM CDT, 4 hours 28 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
645 PM CDT SUN MAY 03 1987

SELS WATCH #81 IS A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NOT A TORNADO WATCH.
THE AREAL OUTLINE ISSUED AT 605 PM WAS IN ER&ROR. REPEAT SELS WATCH
#81 IS A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH. THE AREAL OUTLINE ISSUED AT 635
PM IS CORRECT.

Special weather statement, May 3, 10:51 PM CDT, 19 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER AND URBAN FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
1050 PM CDT SUN MAY 03 1987

...STREET FLOODING REPORTED OVER PORTIONS OF TARRANT COUNTY...HIGH
WATER POSSIBLE OVER DALLAS COUNTY DURING THE NEXT HOUR...

AMATEUR RADIO SPOTTERS HAVE REPORTED STREET FLOODING OF A HAZARDOUS
NATURE IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS OF TAARANT COUNTY...

    ...WEDGEWOOD...SW FORT WORTH...SOME STREETS WITH HIGH WATER AT
                   1015 PM...
    ...NORTH FORT WORTH...WATER STALLING CARS AT HWY 287 AND I-35...
    ...EULESS...HIGH WATER AT HWY 10 AND RAIDER DRIVE INTERSECTION...
    ...ARLINGTON...INTERSECTION OF BOWEN AND ARKANSAS CLOSED BY HIGH
                   WATER AT 1030G PM...

URBAN ROAD FLOODING CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED IN PORTIONS OF DALLAS
COUNTY...ESPECIALLY NORTHERN SECTIONS...AS THESE INTENSE
THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ACROSS DURING THE NEXT HOUR OR SO.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 3, 7:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Cooke	25 min
May 3, 7:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Parker	50 min
May 3, 8:02 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Tarrant, Wise	58 min
May 3, 8:10 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Limestone, McLennan	50 min
May 3, 8:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Collin, Hunt, Rockwall	55 min
May 3, 8:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Dallas, Ellis	55 min
May 3, 8:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Parker	56 min
May 3, 8:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Falls	55 min
May 3, 9:03 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Denton	57 min
May 3, 9:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Tarrant	59 min
May 3, 9:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Freestone, Navarro	58 min
May 3, 9:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Collin, Dallas	64 min
May 3, 10:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Tarrant	34 min
May 3, 11:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Bell	55 min
May 4, 12:09 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Limestone	51 min
May 4, 12:32 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Freestone	58 min
May 4, 3:20 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FWD	Hill	55 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1987 Every tornado warning in 1987 Tornadoes 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.