Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 9, NWS Amarillo, TX
NWS Amarillo, TX issued this tornado warning at Sep 22, 1988, 8:19 PM CDT for Swisher County, Texas. It was in force for 26 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Sep 22, 1988, 8:19 PM CDT (01:19 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 22, 1988, 8:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 26 min
- Issued by
- NWS Amarillo, TX
- Area
- Whole counties
County Swisher 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, 1.3 hours before the alert went out and 78 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
- 153 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -52 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2272 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 39 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -20 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 11 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- -0.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KAMA 230120
TORAMA
TXC437-230145-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
819 PM CDT THU SEP 22 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 845 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
...SWISHER
AT 818 PM CDT AMARILLO RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 8 MILES
WEST OF TULIA. THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 TO 40
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.
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.
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION. ACT QUICKLY. IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE. OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMAL5L INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.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 22, 6:47 PM CDT, 1 hour 32 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 641 PM CDT THU SEP 22 1988 ...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS RAPIDLY DEVELOPING OVER EASTERN NEW MEXICO AND THE SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS PANHANDLE... AT 630 PM CDT...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED OVER EASTERN ROOSEVELT COUNTY OF EAST NEW MEXICO. PARTICULARLY STRONG STORMS WERE 20 MILES AND 38 MILES SOUTH OF CLOVIS...AND IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE ...OVER CENTRAL SWISHER COUNTY NEAR TULIA. THESE STORMS ARE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN...AND MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY SMALL HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. PERSONS IN THE PATHS OF THESE STORMS SHOULD STAY ON THE ALERT FOR POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS WEATHER...AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE IMMEDIATELY TO A PLACE OF SAFETY SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH. ELSEWHERE...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND LESS INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER CURRY COUNTY IN EAST NEW MEXICO. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
Special weather statement, Sep 22, 7:46 PM CDT, 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 744 PM CDT THU SEP 22 1988 ...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST TEXAS PANHANDLE AND THE NORTHWEST SOUTH PLAINS... AT 730 PM CDT...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS HAD MOVED FROM EASTERN NEW MEXICO INTO THE SOUTHWEST TEXAS PANHANDLE AND THE NORTHWEST SOUTH PLAINS. THE STRONGEST OF THESE STORMS WERE OVER SOUTHERN CASTRO COUNTY 10 MILES SOUTH OF DIMMITT...AND OVER NORTHEASERN BAILEY AND NORTHWEST LAMB COUNTIES JUST SOUTH OF MULESHOE. THESE STORMS ARE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN...AND MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY SMALL HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. PERSONS IN THE PATHS OF THESE STORMS SHOULD STAY ON THE ALERT FOR POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS WEATHER...AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE IMMEDIATELY TO A PLACE OF SAFETY SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH. ELSEWHERE...SHOWERS AND PATCHES OF LIGHT RAIN LINGERED OVER EAST NEW MEXICO IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE PREVIOUS THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THERE... AND NEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING IN THE WEST CENTRAL PANHANDLE.
Special weather statement, Sep 22, 7:49 PM CDT, 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 744 PM CDT THU SEP 22 1988 ...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST TEXAS PANHANDLE AND THE NORTHWEST SOUTH PLAINS... AT 730 PM CDT...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS HAD MOVED FROM EASTERN NEW MEXICO INTO THE SOUTHWEST TEXAS PANHANDLE AND THE NORTHWEST SOUTH PLAINS. THE STRONGEST OF THESE STORMS WERE OVER SOUTHERN CASTRO COUNTY 10 MILES SOUTH OF DIMMITT...AND OVER NORTHEASERN BAILEY AND NORTHWEST LAMB COUNTIES JUST SOUTH OF MULESHOE. THESE STORMS ARE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS OF RAIN...AND MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY SMALL HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. PERSONS IN THE PATHS OF THESE STORMS SHOULD STAY ON THE ALERT FOR POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS WEATHER...AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE IMMEDIATELY TO A PLACE OF SAFETY SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH. ELSEWHERE...SHOWERS AND PATCHES OF LIGHT RAIN LINGERED OVER EAST NEW MEXICO IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE PREVIOUS THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THERE... AND NEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING IN THE WEST CENTRAL PANHANDLE. THE STRONGEST OF THESE NEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE 15 MILES NORTH OF ADRIAN AND OVER THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF DEAF SMITH COUNTY 20 MILES EAST OF SAN JON. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.