Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Amarillo, TX

March 27, 1989Collingsworth County, Wheeler County, Texas

NWS Amarillo, TX issued this tornado warning at Mar 27, 1989, 1:45 PM CST for Collingsworth County, Wheeler County, Texas. It was in force for 60 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
Mar 27, 1989, 1:45 PM CST (19:45 UTC)
Expired
Mar 27, 1989, 2:45 PM CST
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Amarillo, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Collingsworth County, TX, Wheeler 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
Mar 27, 2:06 PM CSTHail 2.5Wheeler, 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 12:00Z, 7.8 hours before the alert went out and 130 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 12:00Z on 1989-03-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 1989-03-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -6 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2161 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
110 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KAMA 271946
TORAMA
TXC087-483-272045-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
145 PM CST MON MAR 27 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  245 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
          ...WESTERN COLLINGSWORTH...SOUTHERN WHEELER
 
AT 137 PM CST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN AMARILLO DETECTED A
POSSIBLE TORNADO IN SOUTHWESTERN COLLINGSWORTH COUNTY. THIS
THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR. THE CITY
OF SHAMROCK IS IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORM AND IS
EXPECTED TO REACH THERE BY 215 PM. THIS THUNDERSTORM HAD PRODUCED
BASEBALL SIZE EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON.
.
 
 
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 SMALL 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, Mar 27, 9:44 AM CST, 4 hours 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
935 AM CST MON MAR 27 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS THE TEXAS PANHANDLE AND SOUTH PLAINS.

THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND PEA SIZE HAIL HAVE BEEN REPORTED
IN THE LAST HALF HOUR ACROSS THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE PANHANDLE.

AT 935 AM CST THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN PROGRESS OVER ALL THE TEXAS
PANHANDLE EXCEPT THE EXTERME WESTERN PORTION AND THE CENTRAL TEXAS
SOUTH PLAINS. THE STRONGEST ACTIVITY WAS IN AND AROUND THE WHITE DEER
AND CANADIAN AREAS.

MOVEMENT CONTINUED NORTH AROUND 30 MILES AN HOUR.

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS CAN EXPECT BRIEF HEAVY RAIN
...GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND SMALL HAIL. STAY TUNED TO
NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO/TV STATIONS FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 10:47 AM CST, 2 hours 58 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
1047 AM CST MON MAR 27 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH SMALL HAIL MOVING THROUGH THE NORTHEAST PART
   OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE THIS MORNING...

THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL ARE MOVING THROUGH GRAY
AND ROBERTS COUNTY OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE AT THIS TIME.  PEA SIZE
HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED IN PAMPA AND NORTHERN GRAY COUNTY OVER THE PAST
HALF HOUR.  LIGHTNING DETECTION ALSO INDICATED FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING STRIKES WITH THESE STORMS.

AT 1032 AM CST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN AMARILLO DETECTED A
LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN 25 MILES WIDE FROM CANADIAN TO
PLAINVIEW. MOVEMENT WAS NORTH AT ABOUT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED ACROSS MOST OF THE REST
OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE. MOVEMENT WAS NORTH AT ABOUT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECT SMALL HAIL...GUSTY
WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINS. STAY TUNED TO
NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO/TV STATIONS FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS.

TWG
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 11:50 AM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
1145 AM CST MON MAR 27 1989

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 51 IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
AND SOUTH PLAINS UNTIL 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON.

THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL CONTINUED ACROSS THE
NORTHEAST TEXAS PANHANDLE AND THE NORTHERN SOUTH PLAINS.

AT 1135 AM CST A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL
WAS INDICATED FROM NEAR GAGE OKLAHOMA SOUTHWESTWARD TO NEAR MATADOR.
ANOTHER AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS WAS INDICATED IN THE EXTREME
SOUTHEAST CORNER OF TEXAS PANHANDLE.

MOVEMENT CONTINUED NORTH AROUND 30 MILES AN HOUR.

IF IN THE PATH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS EAXPECT BRIEF PERIODS OF HEAVY
RAIN...GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. STAY TUNED
TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO/TV STATIONS FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 11:54 AM CST, 1 hour 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY...CORRECTION.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
1145 AM CST MON MAR 27 1989

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 51 IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
AND SOUTH PLAINS UNTIL 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON.

THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL CONTINUED ACROSS THE
NORTHEAST TEXAS PANHANDLE AND THE NORTHERN SOUTH PLAINS.

AT 1135 AM CST A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL
WAS INDICATED FROM NEAR GAGE OKLAHOMA SOUTHWESTWARD TO NEAR MATADOR.
ANOTHER AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS WAS INDICATED IN THE EXTREME
SOUTHEAST CORNER OF TEXAS PANHANDLE.

MOVEMENT CONTINUED NORTH AROUND 30 MILES AN HOUR.

IF IN THE PATH OF THESEH THUNDERSTORMS EXPECT BRIEF PERIODS OF HEAVY
RAIN...GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. STAY TUNED
TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO/TV STATIONS FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS.
Special weather statement, Mar 27, 12:45 PM CST, 1 hour before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
1245 PM CST MON MAR 27 1989

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 51 IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF THE EAST HALF OF
   THE TEXAS PANHANDLE...WESTERN OKLAHOMA...AND THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS...

THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS...AND SMALL HAIL ARE
MOVING ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN QUARTER OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE AND
WESTERN OKLAHOMA.  NUMEROUS REPORTS OF PEA SIZE HAIL HAVE BEEN REPORTED
OVER THE PAST HOUR.

AT 1229 PM CST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IN AMARILLO TEXAS DETECTED
AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH SMALL HAIL OVER WESTERN OKLAHOMA
AND THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE.  OTHER SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED ACROSS THE EASTERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE
OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE...THE NORTHEAST QUARTER OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE...
AND THE CENTRAL PART OF THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTH AT ABOUT 30 MILES AN HOUR.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECT SMALL HAIL...
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS...AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINS.  DO NOT USE
TELEPHONES DURING A THUNDERSTORM.  STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO
FOR FURTHER UPDATES.

TWG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 27, 1:01 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMACollingsworth, Donley59 min
Mar 27, 2:06 PM CSTTornado WarningAMACollingsworth69 min
Mar 27, 3:57 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningAMACollingsworth63 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes in 1989

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.