Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1987

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Lubbock, TX

March 22, 1987Motley County, Texas

NWS Lubbock, TX issued this tornado warning at Mar 22, 1987, 10:19 PM CST for Motley County, Texas. It was in force for 56 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 22, 1987, 10:19 PM CST (04:19 UTC)
Expired
Mar 22, 1987, 11:15 PM CST
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Lubbock, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Motley 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

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 00:00Z, 4.3 hours before the alert went out and 154 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 1987-03-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 1987-03-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 74 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
4 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-80 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3323 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
69 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
74 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
166 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 KLBB 230419
TORLBB
TXC345-230515-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
1019 PM CST SUN MAR 22 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1115 PM CST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

NORTHWEST TEXAS...MOTLEY

AT 950 PM CST RADAR WAS SHOWING A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN MOTLEY
COUNTY IN THE VICINITY OF RUSSELLVILLE. THIS IS ABOUT 10
MILES TO THE SOUTHEAST OF MATADOR. THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO
THE EAST AT 25 MPH.

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, Mar 22, 4:26 PM CST, 5 hours 53 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
425 PM CST SUN MAR 22 1987

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM CST FOR MOTLEY...COTTLE...
   DICKENS...KING AND KENT COUNTIES OF THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS...

AT 425 PM CST THERE WERE NO SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTH
PLAINS...ALTHOUGH THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY ACROSS THE
EASTERN PANHANDLE OF TEXAS. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE
NORTH AT 25 MPH.

CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS
THE EASTERN SOUTH PLAINS OF TEXAS DURING THE EVENING. LARGE HAIL...
DAMAGING WIND...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE WITH
THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

KEEP LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR COMMERCIAL TV OR RADIO...FOR
LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 5:32 PM CST, 4 hours 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
530 PM CST SUN MAR 22 1987

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM CST FOR EASTERN PORTION OF
   TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS UNTIL 11 PM CST...

AT 525 PM CST THERE WERE NO SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTH
PLAINS. A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS REMAINED IN THE EXTREME NORTH-
EASTERN PANHANDLE OF TEXAS. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE
NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT AND UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM FROM THE WEST
HAS CREATED CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT
ACROSS THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE SOUTH PLAINS DURING THE EVENING.
POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR LARGE HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNI$NG AND TORNADOES
ACROSS THE EASTERN SOUTH PLAINS THIS EVENING.

KEEP LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR COMMERCIAL TV OR RADIO...FOR
LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 6:35 PM CST, 3 hours 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
630 PM CST SUN MAR 22 1987

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM CST FOR EASTERN PORTION OF
   TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS...

AT 630 PM CST A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE FORMING IN THE NORTHEASTERN
PORTION OF THE SOUTH PLAINS AROUND PADUCAH AND GUTHRIE. THESE THUNDER-
STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

MORE THUNDERSTORMS...SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE...ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
ACROSS THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE SOUTH PLAINS DURING THE NEXT FEW
HOURS AS A STRONG UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT DRIVE INTO
THE AREA FROM THE WEST. POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR LARGE HAIL...FREQUENT
LIGHTNING AND TORNADOES ACROSS THE EASTERN SlOUTH PLAINS THIS EVENING.

KEEP LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR COMMERCIAL TV OR RADIO...FOR
LATER STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 7:20 PM CST, 2 hours 59 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
720 PM CST SUN MAR 22 1987

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM CST FOR EASTERN PORTION OF
   TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS...

AT 715 PM CST A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS IN COTTLE COUNTY NEAR PADUCAH.
THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THERE WERE NO
OTHER SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS.

A VIGOROUS AND FAST MOVING COLD FRONT WAS DRIVING EAST ACROSS THE
WESTERN PORTION OF THE SOUTH PLAINS AT MID EVENING. THIS FRONT WILL
PUSH THROUGH THE LUBBOCK AREA DURING THE NEXT HOUR WITH STRONG...GUSTY
AND SHFTING WINDS AND SOME BLOWING DUST. THUNDERSTORMS...SOME POSSIBLY
SEVERE...ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE AS THE FRONT MOVES INTO THE MORE
MOIST AIR ACROSS THE EASTERN SOUTH PLAINS DURING THE LATE EVENING.

KEEP LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR COMMERCIAL TV OR RADIO...
FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 8:28 PM CST, 1 hour 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
828 PM CST SUN MAR 22 1987

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE EASTERN HALF OF THE TEXAS SOUTH
   PLAINS UNTIL 200 AM CST MONDAY MORNING...

AT 825 PM CST MODERATE THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED THROUGH THE CENTRAL
PART OF THE SOUTH PLAINS ALONG A FAST MOVING COLD FRONT. SMALL HAIL
FELL AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LUBBOCK SHORTLY AFTER 800 PM.
THUNDERSTORMS IN FLOYD...HALE...LUBBOCK AND HOCKLEY COUNTIES WERE
MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE AND STRENGTHEN ALONG THE COLD
FRONT DURING THE EVENING AS IT DRIVES EAST INTO THE EASTERN SOUTH
PLAINS. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH TORNADOES...
LARGE HAIL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.

KEEP LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR COMMERCIAL TV OR RADIO...FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Mar 22, 9:06 PM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
905 PM CST SUN MAR 22 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR FLOYD COUNTY UNTIL 945 PM CST...
...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE EASTERN HALF OF THE TEXAS SOUTH
   PLAINS UNTIL 200 AM CST MONDAY MORNING...

AT 900 PM CST VERY STRONG...POSSIBLY SEVERE...THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN
AND AROUND FLOYD COUNTY IN THE NORTHEASTERN SOUTH PLAINS. STRONGEST
THUNDERSTORMS WERE NORTHEAST OF FLOYDADA AND ALSO SOUTH OF FLOYDADA
ALONG THE CROSBY AND FLOYD COUNTY LINE.

THESE STORMS WERE PART OF A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THAT STRETCHED
FROM FLOYD AND HALE COUNTIES...SOUTHWEST THROUGH LUBBOCK...CROSBY...
LYNN AND TERRY COUNTIES. THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT
25 MPH.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH TORNADOES...LARGE HALE..AND FREQUENT
LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THE EASTERN SOUTH PLAINS THIS EVENING.
KEEP LISTENING FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 22, 8:44 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBFloyd61 min
Mar 22, 9:26 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLUBMotley64 min
Mar 22, 9:55 PM CSTTornado WarningLUBMotley65 min
Mar 22, 10:23 PM CSTTornado WarningLUBCottle67 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.