Alert archive / Missouri / Tornado Warnings in 1987

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Paducah, KY

May 12, 1987Pemiscot County, Missouri

NWS Paducah, KY issued this tornado warning at May 12, 1987, 3:15 PM CDT for Pemiscot County, Missouri. It was in force for 45 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 12, 1987, 3:15 PM CDT (20:15 UTC)
Expired
May 12, 1987, 4:00 PM CDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Paducah, KY
Area
Whole counties

County Pemiscot County, MO

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

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 12:00Z, 8.3 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, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 1987-05-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Little Rock, AR at 12:00Z on 1987-05-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 32 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3573 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
5 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
32 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
38 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 KPAH 122018
TORPAH
MOC155-122100-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
315 PM CDT TUE MAY 12 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE
UNTIL 400  PM CDT FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...

AT 310 PM CDT A TORNADO WAS REPORTED BY STEELE CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
JUST NORTH OF STEELE CITY MISSOURI MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.


PERSONS IN PEMISCOT     COUNTY SHOULD TAKE COVER
IMMEDIATELY...ESPECIALLY IN AND NEAR STEELE CITY AND CANADY.  

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO..YOU SHOULD GO TO A BASEMENT
SHELTER IF AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE..GO TO A CENTuRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON
THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A
REINFORCED BUILDING.

RAMSDELL

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 12, 1:28 PM CDT, 1 hour 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
125 PM CDT TUE MAY 12 1987

...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER THE TRI STATE AREA OF
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...SOUTH ILLINOIS AND WEST KENTUCKY...

AT 120 PM CDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT PADUCAH KENTUCKY SHOWED
THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER PARTS OF THE TRI-STATE AREA OF
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...SOUTH ILLINOIS AND WEST KENTUCKY. A LINE OF
DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NEAR MALDEN IN SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI THRU THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL TO NORTHWEST OF BOWLING GREEN
IN KENTUCKY. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SOUTH ILLINOIS NEAR
CARBONDALE.

THESE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD PRODUCE PERIODS OF
HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL.
MOVEMENT OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WAS TO THE EAST AT 20 MPH.

PERSONS IN THE AREA SHOULD BE AWARE OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS AND BE
PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPR+OACH.
RAMSDELL
Special weather statement, May 12, 2:51 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EVANSVILLE IN
245 PM CDT TUE MAY 12 1987

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING THROUGH WESTERN KENTUCKY...

AT 235 PM CDT...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER PARTS OF
WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST ILLINOIS. THE LINE WAS LOCATED...FROM
25 MILES EAST OF ELIZABETHTOWN...TO 20 MILES NORTH OF BOWLING GREEN...
TO 15 MILES SOUTH OF PADUCAH.

THE STORMS WILL PRODUCE DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...SMALL HAIL...VERY HEAVY
RAIN AND GUSTY SURFACE WINDS. SOME BRIEF FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND
URBAN AREAS WILL OCCUR. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO REDUCE SPEEDS AND WATCH
FOR PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR AND WERE MOVING OVER
THE LAKES BARKLEY AND KENTUCKY AREAS.
WRIGHT
Special weather statement, May 12, 2:54 PM CDT, 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
250 PM CDT TUE MAY 12 1987

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER THE TRI STATE AREA
OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...SOUTH ILLINOIS AND WEST KENTUCKY...

AT 245 PM CDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT PADUCAH KENTUCKY INDICATED A
25 MILE WIDE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM MALDEN AND KENNETT MISSOURI
ACROSS THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL AND WEST KENTUCKY TO HOPKINSVILLE
KENTUCKY. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE ACROSS SOUTH ILLINOIS FROM ANNA
AND JONESBORO ILLINOIS TO MARION ILLINOIS.

STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL NEAR MALDEN.
IN WEST KENTUCKY...HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE BETWEEN PADUCAH AND
BENTON. OVER SOUTH ILLINOIS THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE NEAR
ANNA AND JONESBORO.

MOVEMENT OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THESE DANGEROUS STORMS SHOULD PRODUCE PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF T_HE
THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER IF THREATENING
WEATHER APPROACHES.
RAMSDELL
Special weather statement, May 12, 2:59 PM CDT, 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
250 PM CDT TUE MAY 12 1987

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER THE TRI STATE AREA
OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI...SOUTH ILLINOIS AND WEST KENTUCKY...

AT 245 PM CDT WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT PADUCAH KENTUCKY INDICATED A
25 MILE WIDE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM MALDEN AND KENNETT MISSOURI
ACROSS THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL AND WEST KENTUCKY TO HOPKINSVILLE
KENTUCKY. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE ACROSS SOUTH ILLINOIS FROM ANNA
AND JONESBORO ILLINOIS TO MARION ILLINOIS.

STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL NEAR MALDEN.
IN WEST KENTUCKY...HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE BETWEEN PADUCAH AND
BENTON. OVER SOUTH ILLINOIS THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE NEAR
ANNA AND JONESBORO.

MOVEMENT OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THESE DANGEROUS STORMS SHOULD PRODUCE PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...AND HAIL. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF dTHE THUNDERSTORMS
SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER
APPROACHES.
...CORRECTED TO REMOVE REDUNDANT HEAVY RAIN...
RAMSDELL

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Missouri, 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.