Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Amarillo, TX

September 14, 1988Potter County, Randall County, Texas

NWS Amarillo, TX issued this tornado warning at Sep 14, 1988, 8:03 PM CDT for Potter County, Randall County, Texas. It was in force for 57 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 14, 1988, 8:03 PM CDT (01:03 UTC)
Expired
Sep 14, 1988, 9:00 PM CDT
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS Amarillo, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Potter County, TX, Randall 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 14, 8:30 PM CDTHail 1.75Randall, 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

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 00:00Z, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 18 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 1988-09-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1053 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 1988-09-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 133 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
1053 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
841 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
133 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
282 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
4.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KAMA 150104
TORAMA
TXC375-381-150200-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
803 PM CDT WED SEP 14 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
          ...POTTER...RANDALL
 
AT 805 PM RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 10 MILES SOUTH
OF BUSHLAND IN SOUTHWEST POTTER COUNTY.
 
THIS IS A VERY INTENSE AND DANGEROUS SITUATION!
 
THE STORM IS MOVING EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.
 
 
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.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 14, 9:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMAPotter, Randall65 min
Sep 14, 9:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMASwisher56 min
Sep 14, 10:34 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningAMAPotter, Randall5 hr
Sep 15, 4:07 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningAMARandall2 hr
Sep 15, 4:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMADonley67 min
Sep 15, 5:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMACollingsworth66 min
Sep 15, 6:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMACollingsworth59 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes in 1988

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.