Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1987

Tornado Warning 33, NWS Midland/Odessa, TX

September 10, 1987Howard County, Texas

NWS Midland/Odessa, TX issued this tornado warning at Sep 10, 1987, 12:56 AM CDT for Howard County, Texas. It was in force for 34 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
Sep 10, 1987, 12:56 AM CDT (05:56 UTC)
Expired
Sep 10, 1987, 1:30 AM CDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Midland/Odessa, TX
Area
Whole counties

County Howard 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
Sep 10, 1:10 AM CDTHail 0.75Howard, 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, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 82 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, Midland Regional, TX at 00:00Z on 1987-09-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1785 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, Midland Regional, TX at 00:00Z on 1987-09-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 9 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMAF 100556
TORMAF
TXC227-100630-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND TX
1256 AM CDT THU SEP 10 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  130 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTHWEST TEXAS
          ...WESTERN HOWARD
 
AT 1255 AM CDT RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR BIG
SPRING. MOVEMENT OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS TO THE SOUTH AT 20
MILES AN HOUR. THIS UPDATES THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING THAT WAS
PREVIOUSLY ISSUED. BIG SPRING POLICE REPORTED HIGH WINDS...HEAVY
RAINS AND CONTINUOUS LIGHTNING.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
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, 5 hours 19 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, 4 hours 20 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, 4 hours 17 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, 3 hours 21 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.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 9, 9:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFDawson65 min
Sep 9, 10:15 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFDawson45 min
Sep 9, 10:49 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFDawson41 min
Sep 9, 11:36 PM CDTTornado WarningMAFDawson, Martin54 min
Sep 10, 12:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFHoward64 min
Sep 10, 1:16 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMAFGlasscock29 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.