Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1987

Tornado Warning 52, NWS Fort Worth, TX

December 6, 1987Freestone County, Texas

NWS Fort Worth, TX issued this tornado warning at Dec 6, 1987, 7:55 AM CST for Freestone County, Texas. It was in force for 65 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Dec 6, 1987, 7:55 AM CST (13:55 UTC)
Expired
Dec 6, 1987, 9:00 AM CST
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Fort Worth, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Freestone 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

Longview/Gregg, TX (KGGG), launched 12:00Z, 1.9 hours before the alert went out and 163 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, Longview/Gregg, TX at 12:00Z on 1987-12-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 16 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, Longview/Gregg, TX at 12:00Z on 1987-12-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 257 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
16 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-239 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
566 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
257 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
268 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 KFTW 061355
TORFTW
TXC161-061500-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
755 AM CST SUN DEC 6 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 AM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
          ...FREESTONE
 
A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS SPOTTED NEAR THE TOWN OF DEW IN FREESTONE
COUNTY AT 750 AM.  THE STORM THAT WAS PRODUCING THIS ACTIVITY WAS
MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AROUND 35 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, Dec 6, 2:28 AM CST, 5 hours 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
225 AM CST SUN DEC 06 1987

AT 215 AM...WEATHER SERVICE RADARS OBSERVED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS.  THIS AREA EXTENDED
FROM WACO THROUGH THE DALLAS-FORT WORTH METROPLEX TO NEAR NEAR SHERMAN
AND GAINSVILLE.  STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN THE SOUTHWEST
PART OF DENTON COUNTY JUST SOUTHWEST OF THE CITY OF DENTON.  MOVEMENT
OF THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN.  BE AWARE OF THE WEATHER CONDITIONS
IN YOUR AREA.  STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOlR FURTHER STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Dec 6, 2:52 AM CST, 5 hours 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
250 AM CST SUN DEC 06 1987

AT 245 AM...WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS.  THIS AREA EXTENDED
FROM NEAR WACO THROUGH THE DALLAS-FORT WORTH METROPLEX TO NEAR
GAINSVILLE.  THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN THE NORTH
CENTRAL PART OF DENTON COUNTY.  MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN
HOUR.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN.  BEWARE OF THE WEATHER CONDITIONS IN
YOUR AREA.  STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Dec 6, 2:57 AM CST, 4 hours 58 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
255 AM CST SUN DEC 06 1987

AT 245 AM...WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS.  THIS AREA EXTENDED
FROM NEAR WACO THROUGH THE DALLAS-FORT WORTH METROPLEX TO NEAR
GAINESVILLE.  THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN THE NORTH
CENTRAL PART OF DENTON COUNTY.  MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN
HOUR.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN.  BE AWARE OF THE WEATHER CONDITIONS IN
YOUR AREA.  STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Dec 6, 6:11 AM CST, 1 hour 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WACO TX
610 AM CST SUN DEC 6 1987

AT 605 AM CST RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EAST OF WACO
FROM CORSICANA SOUTHWARD TO MEXIA..GROESBECK AND KOSSEZ MOVING
NORTHEAST 20 MPH.

BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..GUSTY WINDS AND
POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED.
02
Special weather statement, Dec 6, 6:30 AM CST, 1 hour 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
630 AM CST SUN DEC 06 1987

AT 625 AM...WEATHER SERVICE RADARS OBSERVED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM GROESBECK IN LIMESTONE COUNTY TO PARIS
IN LAMAR COUNTY.  THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALSO EXTENDED ACROSS
THE RED RIVER INTO OKLAHOMA AND EASTWARD INTO EAST AND NORTHEAST TEXAS.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED FROM JUST SOUTHEST OF GROESBECK
TO JUST EAST OF CORSICANA AND BETWEEN CROCKETT AND PALESTINE.  MOVEMENT
OF THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN.  vBE AWARE OF THE WEATHER CONDITIONS IN YOUR
AREA AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Dec 6, 7:36 AM CST, 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
735 AM CST SUN DEC 06 1987

AT 730 AM...WEATHER SERVICE RADARS OBSERVED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS...SOME STRONG...OVER EAST TEXAS AND THE EASTERN
SECTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS. THE PRECIPITATION WAS GENERALLY
EAST OF A LINE FROM FAIRFIELD IN FREESTONE COUNTY TO NEAR GREENVILLE
IN HUNT COUNTY. SCATTERED THUNDERSHOWERS WERE JUST NORTH OF
GAINESVILLE AND EXTENDED TO THE RED RIVER AND OKLAHOMA.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE NEAR FAIRFIELD...AND ALSO NEAR
TYLER.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN.  BE AWARE OF THE WEATHER CONDITIONS IN YOUR
AREA AND LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 6, 2:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFWDHill65 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.