Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1987
Tornado Warning 31, NWS Midland/Odessa, TX
NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued this tornado warning at Sep 9, 1987, 10:49 PM CDT for Dawson County, Texas. It was in force for 41 min. 2 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
- Sep 9, 1987, 10:49 PM CDT (03:49 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 9, 1987, 11:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 41 min
- Issued by
- NWS Midland/Odessa, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Dawson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 9, 11:00 PM CDT | Hail 1.75 | Dawson, TX | |
| Sep 9, 11:40 PM CDT | Tornado F0 | Dawson, 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
Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 00:00Z, 3.8 hours before the alert went out and 91 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1785 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -12 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1711 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 34 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 9 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 63 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 1.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KMAF 100349 RRA
TORMAF
TXC115-100430-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
1049 PM CDT WED SEP 9 1987
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1130 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN NORTHWEST TEXAS
...DAWSON
AT 1048 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM...AND
POSSIBLE TORNADO...OVER LAMESA. A TORNADO WAS REPORTED IN
THIS CELL AT 1010 PM CDT...12 MILES NORTH OF LAMESA...BY
THE ODONNELL FIRE DEPARTMENT. IT IS MOVING SOUTH...AT 15 MILES
AN HOUR.
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.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, Sep 9, 7:37 PM CDT, 3 hours 12 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX 735 PM CDT WED SEP 9 1987 AT 725 PM CDT...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE SCATTERED FROM 20 MILES NORTH OF SNYDER TO JUST SOUTH OF LITTLEFIELD ...AND FROM WEST OF VAN HORN TO THE DAVIS MOUNTAINS TO SOUTH OF FORT STOCKTON. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF LUBBOCK. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR. THESE VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE HIGH WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...SMALL HAIL...AND FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS. PLEASE SEEK A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.
Special weather statement, Sep 9, 8:36 PM CDT, 2 hours 13 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX 835 PM CDT WED SEP 9 1987 AT 825 PM CDT...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE SCATTERED FROM WEST AND SOUTH OF LUBBOCK TO 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GUTHRIE. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE SCATTERED FROM NORTH OF ALPINE TO THE VAN HORN AREA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LUBBOCK. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTH AT 15 MILES LAN HOUR. THESE VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE HIGH WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...SMALL HAIL...AND FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS. PLEASE SEEK A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.
Special weather statement, Sep 9, 8:39 PM CDT, 2 hours 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX 835 PM CDT WED SEP 9 1987 AT 825 PM CDT...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE SCATTERED FROM WEST AND SOUTH OF LUBBOCK TO 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GUTHRIE. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE SCATTERED FROM NORTH OF ALPINE TO THE VAN HORN AREA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LUBBOCK. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTMH AT 15 MILES AN HOUR. THESE VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE HIGH WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...SMALL HAIL...AND FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS. PLEASE SEEK A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.
Special weather statement, Sep 9, 9:35 PM CDT, 1 hour 14 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX 935 PM CDT WED SEP 9 1987 AT 930 PM CDT...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WERE SCATTERED FROM 25 MILES SOUTH OF GUTHRIE TO NEAR BROWNFIELD. AND RAINSHOWERS WERE LOCATED IN THE DAVIS MOUNTAIN AREA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED 10 MILES EAST AND 15 TO 20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BROWNFIELD. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTH AT 15 MILES AN HOUR. ZTHESE VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE HIGH WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...SMALL HAIL...AND FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS. PLEASE SEEK A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 9, 9:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MAF | Dawson | 65 min |
| Sep 9, 10:15 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MAF | Dawson | 45 min |
| Sep 9, 11:36 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | MAF | Dawson, Martin | 54 min |
| Sep 10, 12:11 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MAF | Howard | 64 min |
| Sep 10, 12:56 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | MAF | Howard | 34 min |
| Sep 10, 1:16 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MAF | Glasscock | 29 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.